In 2021, the Little Brothers of the Poor publish the figures of 530,000 elderly people in a situation of social death. In 2023 and 2024, the same association focuses on the solitary death of elderly people in France.
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As in 2023, the Little Brothers of the Poor draw up the chilling assessment of elderly people found dead alone, in their homes, weeks, months or years after their death. The figures are imprecise because in the absence of official statistics, the Petits Frères des Pauvres warn of the solitary deaths of elderly people, which the association records each year from press articles.
In 2023, more than 20 elderly people will die alone, at home, without anyone realizing it for several weeks, several months, or even four years. As the association points out, the figures are approximate, and are undoubtedly far from reality.
“It is the most extreme consequence of the increasing isolation of elderly people, particularly those in a situation of ‘social death’, without links with family, friends, neighbors or associative fabric.”
Yann Lasnier, general delegate of the Little Brothers of the Poorat franceinfo
The proposals of the Little Brothers of the Poor
Establish the production of official statistics to measure the problem, conduct experiments with banking establishments, the Post Office, energy distributors, the Public Treasury services to test the implementation of an alert system in the event of of anomaly (no movement on bank accounts, more energy consumption, overflowing mailbox) drawing inspiration from the example of Japan.
This was also one of the measures, with the establishment of an observatory of solitary death, proposed by the National Council for the refoundation “The factory of aging well”, citizen workshops in the heart of the territory.
Another proposal: better identify isolated elderly people, thanks to strengthening the coordination of local actors: social services, health and medico-social professionals but also traders, craftsmen, strengthening neighborhood solidarity.
“Nearly 80% of the people we identify died in an apartment, and not in an individual house, that is to say with close neighbors.”
Yann Lasnier, general delegate of the Little Brothers of the Poorat franceinfo
In 2021, the 2nd report of the Petits Frères des Pauvres publishes the figures of 530,000 elderly people in a situation of social death.