Exploring the Cost of ‘Ageing in Place’: Expenditures of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Belgium

Abstract

This paper aims to give an overview of the different sources of income and the expenditures of community-dwelling older adults and to what extent they can make ends meet to explore the affordability of care and support at home. Despite research on the affordability of residential care, evidence on the cost of ‘ageing in place’ is still missing. 173 questionnaires were gathered within a non-random sample of community-dwelling older adults (60+). Both frequencies and bivariate tests (to explore whether there are certain risk groups with low incomes and high expenditures) were performed on the data. Results indicate the variety of income sources, the necessity of financial compensations to make ends meet and that especially older women and older tenants are at risk for facing financial difficulties. Also, this research indicates that ‘ageing in place’, especially for older adults with care needs, is not always affordable and can be a challenge within our ageing society.