Loss of autonomy at home is more common in Reunion : according to an INSEE study, 11% of residents aged 60 or over living at home were in this situation in 2021, or 19,000 people, compared to 7% in France.
Réunion is one of the 16 French departments where the loss of autonomy at home is significantly higher than the national average. This is also the case in Guadeloupe, in Seine-Saint-Denis, in Corsica and Hauts-de-France, notably. The age of Reunionese seniors living at home is 70 years on average compared to 72 years in France. Or, loss of autonomy at home increases rapidly with age. At equal age, their counterparts living in mainland France are less often in this case. If the population of Réunion had the same age structure as the national average, the proportion of seniors losing their autonomy at home would be even higher (14 %). This high rate is notably due to poverty, often linked to poor health : the difficulties encountered throughout life increase the risk of loss of autonomy after the age of 60. The phenomenon is accentuated by the limited number of accommodation places for dependent elderly people. : fin 2021, 35 places were offered for 1,000 people aged 75 or over on the island, against 116 in France. For this reason, intergenerational cohabitation remains common in Reunion Island, even if it has been reduced for ten years, notes INSEE.
