“During life, there are ages when, more often than others, we declare ourselves happy” can we read in the social portrait of France drawn up by INSEE. We thus learn that it is around the age of sixty that the feeling of well-being reaches its peak. And as if to support this assertion, a survey carried out by TNS Sofres* insists on the fact that the over 70s are in good shape.
On a day-to-day basis, in the acts of everyday life, the main difficulty lies in carrying out household chores (cleaning, shopping): in concrete terms, more than 1/3 of the over 70s have difficulty doing the housework (34% need help and 4% find it difficult to do so). Beyond that, the lack of autonomy mainly limits the ability to leave the house alone: one person in five (21%) finds it difficult to do so alone or needs help.
The fear of memory loss
Among the population surveyed (which excludes people who are very dependent physically and mentally or psychologically), there is thus little deep or marked “physical” limitation: about 10% experience motor difficulties, have difficulty doing daily activities alone or need help to move around their home (8%), or even to wash and dress (8%). Only a quarter of those questioned have to cope with a loss of autonomy, find it difficult to “do things alone” or need help getting up and down, washing and dressing, getting around the house or read again.
In total, just under half (45%) of people aged 70 and over are “weakened”: 19% have difficulties in daily life at home, 26% are losing personal autonomy.
When we ask the “autonomous” what they fear the most for the years to come, memory loss crystallizes the concerns: 6 out of 10 fear this eventuality and women even more than men (65% vs 46%) .
The loss of autonomy also worries half of the autonomous, followed by the loss of sight (40%).
To read: France, social portrait, 2008 edition, published by INSEE
* Worldwide Assistance Survey – Our Time.
