Rising ageing population

Today, 19% of the Belgian population is over 60 years old. That number will only increase over the next ten to twenty years. For example, the number of people over 65 in Brussels will increase by 35% by 2040. In Flanders, this is evolving faster – by 2027 there will be 20% more people over 65. The number of over-80s still living at home will also increase by 20% in the next ten years.

Living at home longer is the norm

The survey that AXA Partners completed in the summer of 2020 confirms that the vast majority of seniors (96%) prefer to live in their own familiar home for as long as possible. More than nine out of ten of surveyed seniors who still live at home or with family say they are satisfied with their residential situation. Six out of ten elderly people are afraid of the prospect of having to leave their own home because they are too old.

Residential care centres – no longer popular

This is not surprising – residential care centres do not have the best reputation, and certainly not after the recent corona crisis. Research shows 71% of seniors saying that they do not want to move to a residential care centre, because of COVID19. In any case, less than half of the over-65s (43%) have confidence in the quality of life that a residential care centre can offer them. And 41% would prefer never to move there. Loss of independence is the biggest stumbling block for seniors. They fear that, in a residential care centre, they will have to compromise on:

• autonomy and independence (92%), 
• privacy( 94%) 
• a peaceful night's sleep (84%)
• and quality of life in general (85%)

Seniors therefore prefer to postpone a move to a care home until it really doesn't work at home anymore. And we see that 40% don't want to consider doing so until after their 86th birthday. Ironically enough, Belgians younger than 65 do see themselves settling in a care home, and 28% even between the ages of 76 and 85. Among the over-65s, only 18% is willing to do that so quickly.

Seniors feel good about themselves

It is striking to learn that people aged 65 and over feel good about themselves. Surveyed seniors even give their mental health a higher score (8.2 out of 10) on average than their younger compatriots (7.3 out of 10). Elderly people who feel less well mainly blame this on the physical problems that influence their mood (50%) and loneliness (37%). Seniors have less contact with friends, relatives and children. Yet only 14% of them regularly suffer from loneliness, compared to 26% of the younger population. The majority of seniors are quite satisfied with their social life: they often have contact with their neighbours, go to a café every week (25%) or do a monthly activity with a club or association (32%).

Supporting seniors with innovations

Companies that want to serve seniors do well to listen to them carefully. After all, people in the silver generation know exactly what they want: solutions that allow them to live at home longer and in complete comfort. And these over-65s have well-defined expectations on this, which we would like to share with you.

Technological support.

Bad falls: The older seniors are, the more often this happens. One in five seniors had a fall in the past year. From the age of 75, this happened to a quarter of those surveyed. 

Many seniors (60%) believe technology will help them live at home safely for longer. They include wearable technology for fall detection (46%) or an alarm button (52%). Lack of digital know-how, however, makes it difficult for many older people to order their groceries online. Provision of simple ways to communicate and consume digitally is still lacking in this market, as our 2018 study conducted by YouGov found. 

Ergonomic support. 

Faltering mobility is a serious stumbling block for which elderly people living at home are seeking solutions. We see that 68% of them are convinced that ergonomic adjustments in the house offer a solution here. One in ten have already had these made in their bathroom and bedroom. And 26% moved the bedroom to the ground floor to avoid using a tricky staircase.

Help in and around the house.

Due to their reduced mobility, consultations with the doctor, shopping or family visits are no longer possible or extremely difficult. Almost half of the seniors surveyed have difficulty with household tasks, such as chores around the house (20%), cleaning (18%), maintaining the garden (16%), and/or shopping. That is why one in three seniors regularly call on cleaning help. And 33% have a gardener come in every now and then.

So, we see that the silver generation mainly needs services and networks that support their home life. And home support is, in any case, at the top of the wish list. Seniors say they would be very pleased to have solutions that make their daily life easier:

• Shopping at home (50%)
• Handyman (51%)
• Meals delivered to the home (46%)
• Cleaning help

Help with cooking.

Research shows that 17% of seniors cook less and less. A quarter of the elderly still cook themselves, but still like to use alternatives such as:

• dining out: 55%
• take away food: 46% 
• ready-to-eat meals from the supermarket: 47%
• family and friends who bring food or cook: 23%

Silver Care – innovative assistance for seniors

Those who consider seniors and their immediate family members among their customers should therefore focus on an unburdening service combined with smart products. AXA Partners is launching Silver Care to help these companies market an innovative offer: unique services, call centres and networks that meet the housing and health needs of the silver generation. 

Our Silver Care solutions are based on the three main pillars:

• Prevention Home modifications to increase the seniors' mobility and personal safety; psychological support to relieve loneliness and prevent depression; nurses or social workers for home assistance; etc. 
• Comfort. A user-friendly platform that allows seniors to consult a doctor quickly, online; a shopping service, a handyman service that fixes minor problems in the home; regular boiler maintenance; and, above all, a household help network that offers support in cooking, cleaning, transport, shopping, etc. 
• Emergencies. Alarm systems with handy emergency buttons, a nurse who monitors things during the night, a professional who is immediately at the door, assistance with acute medical problems, a security check after a burglary, etc.

White labelling – fast go-to-market

With Silver Care, companies integrate our ready-to-use services and networks into their offering and market them under their own brand name. They can rely on our call centres and networks of doctors, professionals and specialists, who can be deployed immediately. And the technology to provide this 24/7 support to seniors can also be rolled out with very short time-to-market. In this way, companies offer comprehensive customer experiences that match the living environment and the needs of consumers in this growth market. 

More information about the Silver Care services? Please feel free to contact us.