A social enterprise created six months ago by two young French friends allows elderly people to have an alternative to retirement homes, thanks to the hospitality of welcoming families (familles d’accueil). The social enterprise, that is called CetteFamille, puts in contact elderly people and welcoming families everywhere in France.

The number of familles d’accueil in France is 10,000 and despite this high figure and the fact that they have been existing since the ‘70 they work hard to be known… In the last six months the website of the social enterprise is been giving exposure to this issue.
The website allows to do a matching between familles d’accueil and elderly people. In order for the famille d’accueil to do this service they have to be trained, they have to obtain the agrément du conseil départemental (the authorization of the department council).

The idea of CetteFamille was born because both founders have had at least one relative in a retirement home and they have realised that the famille d’accueil is a quality solution.

“Being welcomed in a family offers a solution to the loss of independence and the feeling of loneliness experienced by some. It is a marvellous alternative to a retirement home, although today is not very much known”, says Agathe Pommery, who founded the social enterprise with a friend, Paul-Alexis Racine Jourdren.

Cette Famille is aimed at medicalised but not seriously ill patients, who can find, thanks to the system, a home which is adapted to their needs ( next to their home, with children, by the sea)..

The aim of the website is not only to allow an elderly person to find his famille d’accueil, but also to make families, that want to become welcoming femilies , work, in order to develop professionalism.

The service is twice less expensive than a retirement home, because staying in familles d’accueil costs from 1300 to 1800 euros per month, whereas retirement homes in France cost from 2800 to 3000 euros per month.