Four common beliefs about ageing
On 1 January 2025, 22.0% of the population of the European Union was aged 65 or over, according to Eurostat. People are living longer, which is good news. But longer lives also put pressure on pensions, on care services and on labour markets that were not designed for workers in their sixties.
These challenges are connected. A retiree who cannot use the apps the family uses is more likely to become isolated. A woman who interrupted her career will often receive a smaller pension. A homeowner with a valuable property and a small income may have to leave home for lack of cash.
Many people still believe that ageing well is mainly a medical question, that older people must choose between their home and a nursing home, that they no longer have a place in work or that welfare is only a job for the State.
Belief 1: "Ageing well is mainly a medical question"
Verdict: False.
The facts
In 2022, 13% of people in the EU said they felt lonely most or all of the time, according to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Loneliness affects physical and mental health, but it is not a medical problem. It depends on contact, activity and tools that people can use.
Care for older people has long focused on medical needs first and on activity second. Many initiatives now try to reverse that order.
Keep people active, not only cared for
LiveArts offers live performances, adapted sports and creative workshops to nursing homes and residences for older people. Founder Amanda Blyau changed her project during the Covid lockdowns, when older people needed regular activity. "The common thread in caring for an older person is taking the time," she says. According to her, regular cognitive and physical activity can delay the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's by up to five years, and extend independence by three to five years.
Bring back the letter, not the smartphone
Famileo lets family members send photos and short messages that are printed as a gazette and posted to a grandparent's home or care home. The idea came from a grandmother who struggled with a family WhatsApp group but loved receiving letters. Famileo now has 320,000 families among its users, including 50,000 through about 2,500 partner care homes. "We call it proof of love," says co-founder Armel de Lesquen.
Turn a cafe table into a place to meet
The Chatty Café Scheme started in the United Kingdom in 2017. A cafe sets aside a "Chatter and Natter" table, where anyone who wants to talk can sit down. The scheme also runs online groups and a telephone friendship service. Around 700 venues take part, including Costa Coffee. "These things have real, positive impacts on physical and mental health," says operations manager Abi Murray.
Design technology for older users
Bleta started in Barcelona, Spain, during the 2020 lockdown, when young people refurbished old tablets so that isolated older people could reach their families. It now designs a tablet for older users, with large icons and simple menus, and a free app that makes any Android phone easier to use. More than 200,000 people have used its tools. "We want technology to serve people, not the other way around," says co-founder Gerard Pinar.
Elsewhere on impact.info
Lire et Sourire (France). Blandine Sillard explains how reading aloud can change the lives of older people.
How Reading Can Change Seniors' LivesOnorato AI (Spain). Pablo Mariñosa explains how a parrot-shaped AI companion can improve the lives of older people.
Why a Parrot-Shaped AI Can Improve the Lives of SeniorsCoti (Spain). Antonio González-Adalid explains why technology should adapt to older adults.
Why Technology Should Adapt to Older Adults and Not the Other Way Around?
Belief 2: "Older people must choose between home and a nursing home"
Verdict: False.
The facts
Most older people want to stay at home. In France, 94% of homeowners over 60 share this wish, according to Merci Prosper. But a home can become too large, too expensive or poorly adapted.
Between staying alone at home and moving into an institution, there are other options: shared housing, inclusive housing and new ways to finance life at home.
Turn empty rooms into shared lives
Colette matches young people looking for housing with older homeowners who have a spare room. In Paris alone, 100,000 rooms are empty in the homes of people over 60, according to co-founder Coline Guénel. Colette checks every pairing and acts as a mediator during the cohabitation. So far, it has paired 2,500 young people with 2,500 older hosts. For Guénel, ageing well rests on three pillars: purchasing power, social relationships and a sense of usefulness.
Make inclusive housing a public policy
In the Gironde département, in south-west France, the village of Saint-Seurin-sur-Cadourne built two small residences for older people. Each resident has an individual unit, and a shared space helps fight isolation. Rents are about 250 to 300 euros a month. "Inclusive housing is ordinary housing under the law," explains Alban Lachiver, who oversees the department's autonomy policy. Gironde counts 62 inclusive housing projects, existing or planned.
Share a large apartment with care included
Cosima sets up large shared apartments in ordinary residential buildings for older people who can no longer live alone. Residents keep private spaces and share communal areas. Founder Maxence Petit created the model after seeing the limits of traditional nursing homes for his own grandmother. "It's co-living for older people losing their autonomy," he says. Three residences now operate in France.
Use the value of a home to stay in it
Merci Prosper lets older homeowners sell a share of their property while continuing to live there. The money can pay for home adaptations or daily needs. According to founder Thibault Corvaisier, two out of three people over 60 in France struggle to make ends meet, even though they own 70% of the country's real estate wealth. "That represents colossal savings, locked into stone," he says.
Elsewhere on impact.info
La Casa (France). Victor Augais explains how shared living can help fight loneliness in cities.
How Shared Living Can Help Combat Loneliness in Urban AreasSilver Alliance (France). Benjamin Zimmer explains why ageing well should become the norm.
Why Aging Well Should Be the NormCornerstone Place (United Kingdom). Richard Kennedy explains why social housing could work without shareholders.
Why take shareholders out of the social housing equation?
Belief 3: "Older people no longer have a place in work"
Verdict: False.
The facts
In 2025, 66.4% of people aged 55 to 64 in the EU were in employment, according to Eurostat. In France, the rate remains lower. Jobseekers over 50 stay unemployed much longer than younger people, according to Seniors à votre Service.
Careers also shape old age. In 2024, women's pensions in the EU were 24.5% lower than men's, according to Eurostat. Career breaks, part-time work and lower pay all reduce pension rights.
Connect older workers with employers
Valérie Gruau created Seniors à votre Service, a platform that connects candidates over 45 with companies and households hiring for personal services. It has more than 430,000 registered members and makes 3,000 matches every month. For Gruau, older candidates bring life experience, reliability and autonomy. "Companies are realising that intergenerational teams make them more effective," she says.
Check pension rights after an uneven career
QualiRetraite, led by Angélique Perroux, helps people make sure their pension rights are calculated correctly. This matters most after uneven careers. Career breaks, still more common among women because of childcare, reduce contributions. Women also work part time more often and tend to live longer, so they need more retirement savings.
Give older women a second professional chapter
Arcé-Avenir femmes supports women over 45 through a network of experts, coaches and human resources professionals. Three-quarters of the women it supports, with an average age of 55, report a positive outcome. "We start from the idea that the women we work with are already experts in life," says founder Esther Malka. "They have natural skills that just need to become professional."
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AlterNego (France). Marie Donzel explains how pay inequality between women and men affects company performance.
Why Gender Pay Inequalities Impact Company Performance
Belief 4: "Welfare is only a job for the State"
Verdict: Partly false.
The facts
On 1 January 2025, the EU had 34.5 people aged 65 or over for every 100 people aged 15 to 64, according to Eurostat. This ratio is rising. Fewer workers will finance the pensions and care of more older people.
Public services remain essential. But many countries now test partnerships with companies and associations to meet growing needs.
Combine public and private care
In Denmark, Carelink Group describes its model as "a third way": a partnership between the public and private sectors to deliver care and support. CEO Søren Dinesen explains that the model aims to keep pace with growing demand rather than limit care. David Dietz joined Carelink after a career in finance, to use his financial skills for vulnerable people.
Elsewhere on impact.info
Luracare (Spain). Sergi Comas explains why health check-ups in nursing homes matter.
Why Promote Access to Health Check-ups in Nursing Homes?Catch22 (United Kingdom). Andy Canniford explains why public service providers take advice from a charity.
Why do public service providers take advice from a charity?
What they have in common
The four beliefs share one point: they see older people as a cost or as patients. The 12 initiatives in this dossier see them as people who want to stay active, housed, connected and useful.
They fight isolation with simple tools: a printed letter, a cafe table, an adapted tablet.
They offer new ways to live: shared homes, inclusive housing and financing that helps people stay at home.
They value experience at work and correct the inequalities that a career leaves behind.
These initiatives come from France, Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark. They respond to challenges shared across Europe. Many more can be discovered on impact.info.
A longer life becomes a burden only when housing, income and connections are missing.