‘I was thinking about death’: With solo living on the rise, Belgium worries about loneliness epidemic in seniors

International studies also show that living alone and loneliness in older people can increase the risk of dementia and lead to low self-esteem, sleep disorders, memory loss and loss of emotional regulation.

RETHINKING HOW SENIORS LIVE

While the number of people living in Belgium’s care homes has decreased since 2019, there are still about 130,000 elderly residents across the nation.

Charities and businesses have started to find creative ways of rethinking how the nation cares for its older population.

A study by the University of Cambridge found that co-living not only improves the mental and physical health of seniors, it also reduces the pressures on public health services.

Mr Thomas Delens, whose father set up Les Griottes, hopes that the success of their project will inspire others to replicate it on a larger scale.

“We’re addressing part of the problem. We’re trying to replicate Les Griottes elsewhere, and also show authorities that this model can work to house people in an affordable way,” he said.

“We have waiting lists, people ask us very regularly (for rooms), but unfortunately, we can’t house everyone as our building only has 40 units.”