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Exploring the Cost of ‘Ageing in Place’: Expenditures of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Belgium

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Abstract

This paper aims to give an overview of the different sources of income and the expenditures of community-dwelling older adults and to what extent they can make ends meet to explore the affordability of care and support at home. Despite research on the affordability of residential care, evidence on the cost of ‘ageing in place’ is still missing. 173 questionnaires were gathered within a non-random sample of community-dwelling older adults (60+). Both frequencies and bivariate tests (to explore whether there are certain risk groups with low incomes and high expenditures) were performed on the data. Results indicate the variety of income sources, the necessity of financial compensations to make ends meet and that especially older women and older tenants are at risk for facing financial difficulties. Also, this research indicates that ‘ageing in place’, especially for older adults with care needs, is not always affordable and can be a challenge within our ageing society.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank ‘DKV’ for the financial support of the study as well as ‘Kenniscentrum Wonen Welzijn en Zorg’ and ‘Zorgbedrijf Antwerpen’ for the coordination of the ‘Active Caring Community’ project platform.

The D-SCOPE consortium is an international research consortium composed of researchers from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium (dr. An-Sofie Smetcoren, dr. Sarah Dury, prof. dr. Liesbeth De Donder, prof. dr. Eva Dierckx, Deborah Lambotte, Bram Fret, Daan Duppen, prof. dr. Martinus Kardol, prof. dr. Dominique Verté); College University Ghent, Belgium (Lieve Hoeyberghs, prof. dr. Nico De Witte); Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium (Ellen De Roeck, prof. dr. Sebastiaan Engelborghs, prof. dr. Peter Paul De Deyn); Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (Michaël Van der Elst, prof. dr. Jan De Lepeleire, prof. dr. Birgitte Schoenmakers) and Maastricht University, The Netherlands (Anne van der Vorst, prof. dr. Rixt Zijlstra, prof. dr. Gertrudis Kempen, prof. dr. Jos Schols).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2 – 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Bram Fret, Liesbeth De Donder, Lise Switsers, An-Sofie Smetcoren & Dominique Verté

  2. Wit-Gele Kruis van Vlaanderen vzw, Frontispiesstraat 8 box 1.2 – 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Bram Fret

  3. Master in Adult Educational Sciences, Brussels, Belgium

    Britt Mondelaers

  4. Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Brussels, Belgium

    Lise Switsers

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  1. Bram Fret
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  2. Britt Mondelaers
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  3. Liesbeth De Donder
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  5. An-Sofie Smetcoren
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the D-SCOPE consortium

  • An-Sofie Smetcoren
  • , Sarah Dury
  • , Liesbeth De Donder
  • , Eva Dierckx
  • , Deborah Lambotte
  • , Bram Fret
  • , Daan Duppen
  • , Martinus Kardol
  • , Dominique Verté
  • , Lieve Hoeyberghs
  • , Nico De Witte
  • , Ellen De Roeck
  • , Sebastiaan Engelborghs
  • , Peter Paul De Deyn
  • , Michaël Van der Elst
  • , Jan De Lepeleire
  • , Birgitte Schoenmakers
  • , Anne van der Vorst
  • , Rixt Zijlstra
  • , Gertrudis Kempen
  •  & Jos Schols

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Correspondence to Bram Fret.

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Appendix: Questionnaire on expenditures

Appendix: Questionnaire on expenditures

  1. 1.

    What were the housing expenditures within your household during the last month?

 

Amount (fill in please)

1. Rent or mortgage payment

€ …………………..

2. Stay in a residential care facility (e.g. nursing home, home for disabled people, etc.)

€ …………………..

3. Utilities (e.g. water, electricity, heating, etc.)

€ …………………..

4. Common costs in an appartment buiding

€ …………………..

  1. 2.

    What were the living expenditures within your household during the last month?

 

Amount (fill in please)

1. Shopping bills (e.g. Aldi, Carrefour, local grocery store, Lidl, etc.)

€ …………………..

2. Telephone – Mobile phone

€ …………………..

3. Television

€ …………………..

4. Internet

€ …………………..

5. Newspapers – journals

€ …………………..

6. Garbage (e.g. trash bags, recycling center)

€ …………………..

7. Own transport (e.g. fuel maintenance, garage, ...)

€ …………………..

8. Public transport

€ …………………..

9. Taxi

€ …………………..

10. Adapted or social transport

€ …………………..

11. Hairdresser

€ …………………..

12. Buying or restoring clothes

€ …………………..

13. Launderette

€ …………………..

14. Paying off debts

€ …………………..

15. Alimony

€ …………………..

  1. 3.

    What were the leisure expenditures within your household during the last month?

 

Frequency in a month (fill in please)

Amount (fill in please)

1. Restaurants and bars

 

€ …………………..

2. Meals in the local service center

 

€ …………………..

3. Travelling and excursions

 

€ …………………..

4. Activities local service center, sport activities

 

€ …………………..

5. Watching sport or cultural events

 

€ …………………..

6. Presents

 

€ …………………..

  1. 4.

    What were the expenditures on medical material within your household during the last month?

 

Frequency in a month (fill in please)

Amount (fill in please)

1. Medication

 

€ ………………….

2. Bandages, disinfection material, ointments, droplets, etc.

 

€ ………………….

3. Injection needles

 

€ ………………….

4. Incontinence material

 

€ ………………….

5. Sondage and stoma material

 

€ ………………….

6. Mats

 

€ ………………….

7. Dietetic nutrition on prescription

 

€ ………………….

8. Other: (fill in) ………………………

 

€ ………………….

  1. 5.

    What were the expenditures on professional care within your household during the last month?

 

Frequency in a month (fill in please)

Amount (fill in please)

1. General Practitioner

…….. visits

€ ………………

2. Specialist doctor (e.g. eye doctor, cardiologist)

…….. visits

€ ………………

3. Home nursing

…….. visits

€ ………………

4. Family caregiving

…….. hours

€ ………………

5. Cleaning help

…….. hours

€ ………………

6. Service vouchers

…….. hours

€ ………………

7. Grocery service (=specific service to help with groceries)

…….. times

€ ………………

8. Chores service

…….. hours

€ ………………

9. Meals on wheels

…….. meals

€ ………………

10. Physiotherapist

…….. times

€ ………………

11. Osteopath, acupuncturist

…….. times

€ ………………

12. Guarding help

…….. hours

€ ………………

13. Day care / short care

…….. days

€ ………………

14. Night care

…….. nights

€ ………………

15. Pedicure or podiatrist

…….. times

€ ………………

16. Dietist

…….. times

€ ………………

17. Occupational therapist

…….. times

€ ………………

18. Speech therapist

…….. times

€ ………………

19. Psychologist

…….. times

€ ………………

20. Personal assistant

…….. hours

€ ………………

21. Personal alarm or other home automation systems

 

€ ………………

  1. 6.

    What were the expenditures on informal care within your household during the last month?

E.g.. Your grandson goes shopping with you and you give him a tip of €2.

 

How many hours a week do you receive help from….(fill in please)

Amount (fill in please)

1. Partner

 

€ …………………..

2. Children

 

€ …………………..

3. Grandchildren

 

€ …………………..

4. Other family members

 

€ …………………..

5. Friends and acquaintances

 

€ …………………..

6. Neighbours

 

€ …………………..

7. Volunteers

 

€ …………………..

8. Other: (fill in) ………………………..

 

€ …………………..

  1. 7.

    Which other big costs your household faced last year?

 

Amount (fill in please)

1. Medical aids (f.e. wheelchair, walking frame, hearing aids, etc.)

€ …………………..

2. Bike

€ …………………..

3. Car – moped – motor cycle

€ …………………..

4. Subscription public transport

€ …………………..

5. Washing machine – drying machine

€ …………………..

6. Computer – laptop - tablet

€ …………………..

7. Mobile phone

€ …………………..

8. Hospital admission

€ …………………..

9. Insurance (e.g. fire insurance, building insurance, hospitalization insurance, family insurance, etc.)

€ …………………..

10. Renovation

€ …………………..

11. Home adaptations

€ …………………..

12. Travelling

€ …………………..

13. Membership fees

€ …………………..

14. Subscriptions journals

€ …………………..

15. Study expenses

€ …………………..

16. Other: (fill in) …………………………………

€ …………………..

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Fret, B., Mondelaers, B., De Donder, L. et al. Exploring the Cost of ‘Ageing in Place’: Expenditures of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Belgium. Ageing Int 45, 209–229 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-018-9341-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-018-9341-y

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