Ages et Vie: Personalised care and a richer social life for the elderly in rural France

Costs and Savings

The concept of Ages&Vie is basically a public-private partnership. The local authorities wishing to take part in the project donate the plot of land on which the Ages&Vie houses will be built for the symbolic price €1. They also guarantee the return to the investors in the building for a duration of 40 years. The private investors finance the construction of the Ages&Vie homes, in return for the rent which they collect. The investor has no right to intervene in the construction of the houses, which is the responsibility of Ages&Vie.

The rent is fixed in line with the rent charged by other care homes in France. For the elderly residents, it is typically €300 per month and for the professional support staff €500 per month for their flat. As the land is donated by the local authority, the rent is affordable for most people. Ages&Vie makes sure that local people of the village have priority in being allocated to the local Ages&Vie home.

This means that living in an Ages&Vie home costs less than living in a conventional care home. Perhaps more importantly, though, the key pillar in this concept is the employment contract between the professional support staff and the elderly residents. This set-up means that the elderly residents can expect the professionals to be responsive to them – and, if not, the contract allows residents to end their employment. As a result, the elderly people have the opportunity to influence the environment and atmosphere in their home, independent of their age and any disabilities they have. Of course, they also need to respect their responsibilties as employers.