“We imagine a beautiful and large house, framed by a wooded park, open to the outside for all generations. With private apartments of 60 m² and common rooms for meals, physical activities, creativity. »

Marie’s eyes shine when she thinks of her future place of life. To her new “family”, as she likes to call it. It’s actually an ideashared and self-managed habitat by and for seniors over 65. It will see the light of day within two years in the Toulouse region. This would be the first project of its kind.

Giving meaning to retirement to age better

It is the Egregor association which carries the idea. It was born in the minds of Marie Clérivet and Roland Bugat. She ran a care and home help center for 20 years. He is an oncologist, specializing in palliative care. “We set the pace for this habitat, we had the idea, but we intend to live there too,” they explain.

What they especially do not want is a habitat similar to a “golden pension” or an Ehpad. When “we retire, we lose our social usefulness, certain rights, we decide everything for us”, deplores Roland. So, “as long as we can, we take our life in hand but also our death”, adds Marie.

The house that will house shared housing for seniors, not yet purchased, will be located in the Toulouse region, near a town and a hospital. In addition, it will be open to the outside and can be used in particular as an exhibition space. It will also offer gardening and other community activities.

Seniors who own their destiny

The Egrégore association is almost already registered in its future household. It will have about fifteen inhabitants in total. Residents and owners of the premises. “We are going to set up a civil real estate company (SCI, editor’s note), which will allow us to buy the house all together”, explains Marie.

The price ? It will take around 270,000 euros for an independent apartment within the house. “We have chosen a project within our means, this can be high for some budgets even if we remain 4 times cheaper than an Ehpad which works on a location system”.

Where is the project?

LAssociation Egregor intends to make the Occitan habitat a laboratory and an example. “If it works well, we can imagine exporting the concept elsewhere in France, near other major cities. »

As for the question of autonomy, the two founders are confident. The “three pillars of consolidated autonomy, medically, food, physical activity and social interactions. In this shared housing for seniors, we will integrate all three. We thus help the inhabitants to be independent for longer even if we also provide for the intervention of home helpers and nurses if necessary”, adds Roland Bugat.

Finally, Marie and Roland want to avoid excessive white coats as much as possible. And that, Professor Bugat knows it well. As an oncologist, he assures us that the end of life is too medicalized.

Egrégore also relies on a Toulouse start-up specializing in participatory housing. It is up to her to take care of the legal set-up and the animation of the debates before the launch. In particular to say if such and such an idea is feasible or not: an electric car for all the inhabitants imagines Roland, the arrival of a psychologist several times a week, wishes Marie.

Also, the association gives itself until the summer of 2023 to find and buy the property of its dreams. They would keep putting their suitcases there in 2024, after renovation work. “Retirees are often left on the side of the road. We want to live right to the end of the quay”, concluded Roland.

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