What If I Can No Longer Live at Home on My Own?

Et si je ne pouvais plus rester seule chez moi ?

Anaïs Cheneau, Jonathan Sicsic () and Thomas Rapp
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Anaïs Cheneau: CREG - Centre de recherche en économie de Grenoble - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes
Jonathan Sicsic: LIRAES (URP_ 4470) - Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Appliquée en Economie de la Santé - UPCité - Université Paris Cité, LIEPP - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire d'évaluation des politiques publiques (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po
Thomas Rapp: LIRAES (URP_ 4470) - Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Appliquée en Economie de la Santé - UPCité - Université Paris Cité

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Abstract: In France, there is a growing need to support older people who are losing their independence due to the aging population. The supply of professional care is under pressure, and the number of potential family caregivers is set to decline. To promote aging at home, the "home shift" has been advocated recently. This article analyzes how the home shift meets the expectations and preferences of older people and their families. To analyze the preferences of older people and their carers, 36 interviews were conducted using the content analysis method. The interviews revealed that home care relies heavily on the care of relatives, who provide almost all the administrative assistance, coordination of professionals, supervision, and support for social life. However, some of this care is "taken over" because it is not provided by professionals, which can have a negative impact on the caregiver and lead to breaks in the care provided. The interviews also showed that older people are unanimous in their desire not to be a burden on their loved ones, especially their children, if they lose their independence. Furthermore, the negative perceptions that older adults and their families have of nursing homes were highlighted, even though in certain situations, nursing homes may be more appropriate and beneficial than living at home, such as isolation or high dependency with cognitive problems. Today, financial and family resources significantly impact the quality of support for people losing their independence. The analysis of older people's willingness to seek care and caregivers' desire to help leads us to question home care policy, where there is a discrepancy between the respective expectations of families and the state.

Date: 2025-08-11
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Published in Lien social et Politiques, 2025, L'aide au prisme des âges de la vie, 94, pp.201-238. ⟨10.7202/1119168ar⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-05670973

DOI: 10.7202/1119168ar

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