Adapting your home to age in place?

In France, the question of ageing at home is being raised more and more often. Most older people want to stay in their own home for as long as possible, not least because of the negative image of care homes. With rising life expectancy, some dynamic and active seniors feel more comfortable at home. But how can you keep living at home when a loss of independence occurs due to a chronic condition or a neurodegenerative disease?

In these circumstances, how should the home be adapted so that you can age at home in the best possible conditions?

A changing situation

Did you know that, every year, nearly 400,000 older people in France suffer an accidental fall? The consequences can be dramatic, with nearly 12,000 deaths a year.

And even when they are not fatal, falls sometimes have serious consequences such as fractures, trauma and hospital stays.

On top of natural ageing, there are many risk factors at home.

These different factors need to be identified. How?

• By adopting good habits;
• By learning the right movements to get up and move around safely;
• By installing a telecare system (able to detect falls or injuries), particularly for frail or physically isolated older people.

It is about anticipating the loss of independence in practical terms.

When you are used to where you live, and your family has lived there for several generations, it is hard to leave behind your memories, your habits and your social circle.

Adapting your home in order to age well therefore becomes a necessity that makes sense.

Many solutions to put in place?

To age at home in the best possible conditions and in complete safety, there are now many practical solutions that can help prevent accidents in older people’s homes.

What are they? In no particular order, you can already consider:

• Installing a stair rail as well as grab bars in high-risk or confined areas (toilet, bathroom, stairs…);
• Removing any rugs the older person could easily trip over;
• Freeing up space in walkways by moving furniture aside;
• If possible, moving the bedroom to the ground floor;
• Replacing the bath with a safe shower (with or without a door) with an ultra-flat shower tray and a non-slip surface: a fold-down seat, a thermostatic mixer tap, grab bars, etc. can also be added.
• Making sure there is enough lighting to avoid obstacles and installing motion sensors;
• Replacing traditional shutters with motorised, connected roller shutters;
• Opting for smart plugs to make energy savings easier or to allow remote control of the appliance plugged into them (e.g. remotely controlling a table lamp).

When it comes to supporting older people, home automation equipment also plays an important role. Automating certain tasks makes everyday life more relaxed, as it avoids unnecessary trips. Home automation solutions are also an obvious choice for older people who want to keep their bearings and keep costs down.

In addition to all this practical equipment, you can call on a home help service to support the older person with household chores or shopping, which can become dangerous or exhausting past a certain age.

Financial support to adapt your home?

Whether the older person owns or rents their home, there are practical solutions for adapting it and making it comfortable and safe.

To this end, grants and financial support are available in France for everyone, depending on their profile and individual situation.

Grants and support	Details
ANAH	For older people who own their home, this support covers work to adapt the home to a loss of independence. Grant of between 35 and 50% of the cost of the work, depending on income.
PCH (disability compensation benefit)	Funding of all or part of the home adaptation work. Maximum amount: €10,000 over a maximum period of 10 years.
APA (personalised independence allowance)	Home adaptation work. No income ceiling.
Pension fund (CNAV or CARSAT)	Specific support for people who do not receive APA. 2 options: prevention kit or housing support.

Find out about the support available to seniors who wish to adapt their home (French website).