Jorge Lopez Unsplash
Poverty

France, 300.000 people over 60 are isolated

Staff
18 October Oct 2017 1557 18 October 2017
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A study commissioned and carried out in France reveals that in the country 300,000 people, in the large majority women over 60, suffer from loneliness and isolation. Many factors are at the root of this, like the lack of access to internet or very low revenues. The number of people over 60 who are isolated in France is equal to the size of the city of Nantes, 6th French city for number of inhabitants

A study commissioned in France by the petits frères des Pauvres and carried out by the Institute CSA reveals that in France 300,000 people, in the large majority women over 60, suffer from loneliness and isolation.
The number of people over 60 who are isolated in France is equal to the size of the city of Nantes, 6th French city for number of inhabitants. A worrying verification done by the petits frères des Pauvres in a study published this year, explains the carenews website.
Representing 2% of women over 60, these women are isolated from what are defined the four circles of sociability: family, friends, neighbours and associative networks. More than a person out of three does not even get out of their house every day. If we had to define the portrait of a person victim of loneliness and isolation, it would be a woman aged 75 with little revenues.

The autonomy of elderly people, a factor of exclusion

In its study, the Institute CSA reveals the link between the behaviour of these people over 60 and their feeling of loneliness and isolation. As there is the will to get old in one’s own house, there is only a 25% of people who are over 85 who live in a nursing home. A choice of life that reduces the sociability of people of a certain age, even if according to the results of the study the services of proximity remain fundamental to them, explains the carenews website. Another decisive factor of the isolation of seniors is the heavy exclusion from the internet and from information services, that increases rapidly for those who are over 85. 68% of them never use the internet, a figure which is the exact opposite of new generations.

Les petits frères des pauvres activate in order to prevent isolation

To remedy this lack of social dialogue, prevent and accompany people in situation of isolation and loneliness, les petits frères des pauvres have implemented a programme composed of 14 propositions. Among them the creation of a group made of all interested parts to define what is isolation and propose adapted solutions, raise awareness of public opinion through a national campaign, accompany old people in understanding the internet and information services and again promote alternative housing solutions.

Photo: Jorge Lopez/Unsplash

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