Are residential care homes gradually becoming unaffordable? According to a new study carried out by OKRA in Flanders (Belgium), retirement homes have become 3 to 4 % more expensive since the beginning of this year, while pension income are lagging behind. This widening gap can lead to serious financial difficulties for nursing home residents, but also for their children who may sometimes be required to contribute to the bill when their parents can no longer pay.
To halt this worsening trend, OKRA has launched a clear appeal to the government: rest home prices need to be better curbed. The Flemish organisation calls for the ‘smoothed health index’ (the index used to as the basis for indexing pensions) to be the maximum rate by which prices for residential care centres are allowed to rise from now on.
