Lydia P. Says:
Are there English-speaking retirement homes in France?
IL France Correspondent Tuula Rampont Says:
Hi Lydia,
France has more than 10,000 retirement homes (maison de retraite), both in the private and public sector. But despite the increasingly large number of English-speakers retiring in France, there are very few options for English-speaking seniors seeking a retirement home or retirement community.
As of this writing, there are only two retirement communities that hold themselves out as French-English bilingual. Both are run by the company Emera in Mouans-Sartoux, which is in the South of France between Cannes and Grasse.
The first is the Victoria Residential Care Home, a traditional nursing home known as a établissement d‘hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes or EHPAD. The medicalized residence provides a home for dependent and semi-dependent seniors exclusively. It has 94 spaces, of which 24 are reserved for Alzheimer’s patients. The residence offers a large garden, a beauty salon, a restaurant for visitors, and varied activities for the residents.
The second is Emerys Albert, a retirement residence only a few minutes’ walk from Victoria Residential Care Home. Opened in 2016, the residence consists of 33 fully equipped apartments. This community primarily consists of seniors in their 70s and early 80s who are still autonomous. The residence is said to be “top end,” offering catered meals, group activities, and limited medical services. Costs start at around €3,000 ($3,308) per month.
Although both residences are labeled “bilingual,” don’t expect most of the staff to be fluent in English or even capable of uttering more than a few basic phrases. However, both residences work in conjunction with the Sunnybank Association, a British charity founded in 1892. Every day, Sunnybank sends English-speaking volunteers to Victoria and Emerys Albert to chat with Anglophone residents and ensure that their needs are being met and that they aren’t feeling isolated.
As a side note: Sunnybank has nearby headquarters called “The Grange” where Anglophones of all ages frequently gather for activities and community. A representative of Sunnybank told us that some seniors spend more time at The Grange than they do within the residences!
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