Under the changes presented on Wednesday, the government would create a register for consumers to view the prices and rules of all homes and services for the elderly in the country.

The register would be accessible online.

In addition, the reform would define minimum standards to be met by accommodation that is aimed at the elderly in order to prevent abuse. It is hoped this will halt abusive practices such as linking accommodation types to compulsory contracts for home help. The text also gives a legal basis to the highe council for the elderly.

The news comes after urgent calls from the Chambre des Salariés (chamber of employees) in December for the creation of a coordination agency to centralise information on elderly care facilities and greater transparency over costs. According to its research, the chamber found that monthly rents for one person to rent a single room averaged at €2,452 in a Cipa, €2,706 for a MS and €1,718 for an LE room. It found that some insitutions, were charging more than €5,000 per month for a single room.

According to families minister Corinne Cahen (DP), senior citizens make up a fifth of the country’s resident population. The ministry has licensed some 30 integrated centres for the elderly, 22 care homes and 11 approved supervised housing units, offering some 7,000 beds. Two nursing homes are also under construction in Bascharage and Differdange.