Belgium’s private care homes are calling for changes in the sector, warning that they are struggling under mounting regulation and are not prepared for increasingly hot summers.
Vlozo, the Dutch-speaking umbrella for private residential care homes, made the appeal on Monday alongside its French-speaking counterpart Femarbel. The organisations say the current framework is too rigid and does not allow providers to prepare properly for future challenges.
Their call follows the late-June heatwave, after which Belgium recorded the highest excess mortality in Europe. More than 2,000 more people died than usual, including many older people affected by heat stress.
According to Vlozo, several care homes were not sufficiently equipped to deal with such extreme temperatures. With summers expected to remain hot, the organisation says care home infrastructure must be upgraded.
Calls for more air conditioning quickly emerged after the heatwave. At the time, Vlozo said it wanted the cost of cooling investments to be reflected in residents’ daily fees.
However, care homes are not free to raise those charges at will and may only index them. The proposal therefore prompted immediate criticism.
Vlozo has now sought to clarify its position. “Our message is not to increase daily fees, but to invest structurally in elderly care,” said Candice De Windt, the organisation’s managing director.
De Windt said the heatwave had once again put the care sector in the spotlight, but warned that the government could still announce cuts to care homes in its upcoming September policy statement.
For Vlozo, a long-term solution for the existing building stock is essential. Subsidies for mobile air conditioning units, as proposed by Flemish Welfare Minister Caroline Gennez, may help, it said, but will not solve the wider problem.
“I am already deeply worried about the winter and rising energy prices,” De Windt added. She called for greater flexibility, more trust and less administrative burden for the sector.
