Aging well: seniors plan an average budget of 44,131 euros to cover expenses related to their loss of autonomy

The Sofinscope Barometer asked seniors how they anticipate the possibility of a loss of autonomy and how to age well at home. Just under half have already started to prepare financially for a future addiction and more than 1 in 4 are preparing their home to live there for as long as possible.

• 30% of seniors are considering a future loss of autonomy and 26% are ready to deal with it if it should happen tomorrow. 

• 26% of seniors have started preparing their accommodation to age well at home while 22% regret not having done so earlier. 
  

Nearly 1 in 2 people aged 60 have started to prepare financially for a possible addiction

In 2030, 1 in 3 French people will be over 60 years old *. The issue of dependency and loss of autonomy is therefore a major societal issue that is not, however, perceived in the same way by all the people over 60 years of age interviewed. Thus, 39% consider it a distant possibility while 30% start to consider it and 26% are ready to face it if it should happen tomorrow. 

Just under half of seniors (46%) have already started to prepare financially for a possible loss of autonomy. On average, they have set aside 44,131 euros to cover the following expenses in order of concern: paying for a retirement home or nursing home (65%), paying for home benefits (45%), financing a new home (22%), paying health care costs (22%) and financing housing improvement works (20%).

 To meet these expenses, seniors will rely primarily on their savings (35%), government assistance such as the Personalized Autonomy Allowance or the Solidarity Allowance (35%), or life insurance (31%). More than a third (35%) also said that their children and grandchildren could help them financially if they were in a situation of dependency.
 

26% of seniors have started work on their housing to live as long as possible

While more than 9 out of 10 French people say they want to age at home**, more than a quarter of seniors adapt their housing to ensure their safety and independence at home for as long as possible. They plan to install a warning system in case of fall or discomfort (44%), to arrange their bathroom with a walk-in shower, a grab bar, etc. (35%), the installation of a nursing bed (18%) and to install motorized roller shutters and access ramps (14%). The average budget they are willing to spend on this adaptation work is €9,147.

Although it is sometimes difficult to think about the consequences of aging, it is essential to worry early about autonomy and home care to avoid this becoming an emergency. The aging of the French population is a major demographic change that Sofinco wants to support by helping seniors finance the remainder of the cost of adapting their housing and thus offer the possibility to as many people as possible to age well at home. 

Franck ONIGA

Managing Director of Sofinco

Any total or partial publication must use the following statement: “Sofinscope – OpinionWay Barometer for Sofinco”.

*DRESS-INSEE 

**2022 Harris Barometer

Press Contact Sofinco
presse@ca-cf.fr 
+33 (0)1 87 38 11 81 / +33 (0)6 80 41 17 77

About Sofinscope
Sofinscope is the barometer of Sofinco, a Crédit Agricole Personal Finance & Mobility brand. Intended to survey the French on their consumption habits and to better understand them, this barometer which is part of the daily lives of the French is carried out by OpinionWay for Sofinco, with representative samples of the French population. This study was conducted on a sample of 1,025 people, representative of the French population aged 60 and over. The sample was selected according to the quota method, taking into account the criteria of sex, age, socio-occupational category, agglomeration category and region of residence. The interviews were conducted from 26 to 30 September 2024 by self-administered online questionnaire on a CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) system. All the results are available online on the Sofinscope website: Sofinscope: the barometer of consumption and daily life by Sofinco

About Sofinco

In France, Sofinco is the trademark of Crédit Agricole Personal Finance & Mobility, which distributes a wide range of loans to individuals and associated services across all distribution channels: direct sales, point-of-sale financing (home equipment) and partnerships. Sofinco offers flexible, responsible solutions tailored to the needs of its customers and partners (major retail, specialized and institutional retailers). Google’s UX Finance 2023 Benchmark has awarded Sofinco.fr the title of “Best Mobile Customer Journey”. For more information: www.sofinco.fr