The Ehpad have not finished making people talk. The UFC Que Choisir calls for favoring the creation of places in the public sector, cheaper for a quality of reception at least equivalent. Because the observation of the association is clear: the elderly looking for an Ehpad come up against huge territorial disparities, both in terms of available rooms and prices.
In a study devoted to the “intolerable geographical and economic disparities” of the sector, the consumer association notes that “the number of places can vary from simple to fourfold depending on the departments: while in Lozère there are 169 places for 1,000 inhabitants of over 75, in Paris this number drops to 41”.
Commercial establishments
The “territorial divide” is also financial, note the authors of the study: if the monthly rent for a place in an nursing home reaches 2,214 euros on average in France, it peaks at 1,749 euros in the Meuse, but rises to around 2,600 euros. in the Rhône, the Bouches-du-Rhône or the Alpes-Maritimes, and is close to 3,700 euros in Paris.
However, these price differences are largely explained by the relative weight, in each department, of public, associative or private nursing homes for commercial purposes, the latter being invoiced on average 50% more expensive than public structures.
“White check of the public authorities”
“Private nursing homes are sometimes overrepresented in certain departments”, and the higher their share, “the higher the average price of a place is,” analyzes the consumer association. Even though, given their ratio of professionals serving residents, the elderly are not better treated there than in the public, she notes.
For the UFC Que Choisir, “the profit maximization strategy of private establishments”, which does not always take into account the well-being of residents, is implemented “with the implicit and deplorable blank check of the public authorities “, which promote their development, in particular because their residents are less often eligible for social assistance.
Cap the prices of private nursing homes
So that each senior who wishes can find a place “at a reasonable price”, the association requests that “the creation of new places in Ehpad be done mainly in public structures”.
Private establishments should see their prices capped, and be forced to offer places eligible for social assistance. Finally, recommends the UFC, a “compulsory minimum supervision rate” should be imposed on all establishments.