By 2030, the number of over-65s is set to make up a fifth of the country’s population and a quarter by 2060 Shutterstock

By 2030, the number of over-65s is set to make up a fifth of the country’s population and a quarter by 2060 Shutterstock

Outlining the five-year strategy on Wednesday, families minister Corinne Cahen (DP) said the gerontological plan would be accompanied by targeted measures for elderly people in need of physical, social or psychosocial support. She also mentioned plans to create more retirement homes with a focus on people with dementia and care homes for the ageing homeless population.

Currently, there is just one specialised dementia residential home, Beim Goldknapp, in Erpeldange, run by the Association Luxembourg Alzheimer. In an interview with Delano in April 2018, the association said the number of dementia diagnoses was rising, thanks largely to longer life expectancies.

At the time, the association raised concerns at the time about whether current funding models would keep up with this increase in diagnoses. Accoridng to government figures, dementia was the leading cause of dependency in 17.6% of people receiving long-term care insurance.

Financial support shake-up

The way social assistance and cost-of-living allowance are distributed will also be reviewed, Cahen said. Depending on the final changes, this could serve to benefit elderly people who wish to live independently, and helps support the cost of vital infrastructure for elderly care support, through day centres and home care visit services.

While the situation on provision for the elderly has not yet reached critical levels, it will become more acute in future. By 2030, the number of over-65s is set to make up a fifth of the country’s population and a quarter by 2060, according to Statec figures.

On Wednesday, Cahen also reflected on the cost of having a child in Luxembourg and announced a study had been commissioned to look into this, the results of which would inform discussions on family benefits.

She concluded the parental leave reform had been a success, especially among fathers, with the rate of male beneficiaries rising to 49% in 2018.

Discussions are underway to extend the duration of parental leave when both parents take parental leave in future and to introduce a right to work part-time for family reasons.