Summary
Their aim is to maintain people’s independence and enable them to continue living at home.
Help is provided by professionals in the field of home assistance, including:
- family assistance;
- assistance for elderly people; and
- home care.
There are many forms of assistance at home available:
- help with daily tasks (housekeeping, meals, shopping, laundry, paperwork, help with getting up, moving around, getting dressed, washing, etc.);
- providing companionship and respite for family caregivers through ‘home care’.
These services are adapted to different profiles and health conditions, and have flexible working hours to ensure:
- that you can keep living at home and return home;
- companionship and support; and
- assistance with daily living for isolated, ill or disabled individuals or families.
Key points
- Home assistance services must be approved by Wallonia to operate.
- Your CPAS (social services centre – centre public d’action sociale) may also offer home assistance.
- Assistance is granted under certain conditions, which vary depending on the situation.
Find out more from the home assistance service concerned.
In detail
Family and Elderly Support Services (SAFA) provide home-based assistance to people who need it.
They are aimed in particular at:
- families in difficulty;
- older people;
- people with disabilities;
- informal caregivers.
Home assistance services offer assistance tailored to your situation and needs, to help you with:
- continuing to live at home;
- independence; and
- support for family caregivers.
What family assistance or elderly assistance can do
Family assistance or elderly assistance can, in particular:
- help with everyday activities:
- laundry and ironing
- preparing meals
- routine cleaning of the rooms you use
- shopping
- accompanying you to medical appointments;
- look out for your health, comfort and safety at home;
- provide advice on healthy living and home improvements;
- lend an ear and provide support by being present and having a conversation; and
- help with paperwork.
What home care can do
Home care provides assistance when you require continuous support, day or night, particularly due to health or disability reasons.
In particular, home care can:
- look out for your safety and hygiene;
- ensure that you take your medication correctly, in accordance with medical prescriptions;
- ensure that you eat your meals; and
- ensure a presence and moral support, for both yourself and those around you.
To receive support services for families and elderly people, contact a home assistance approved by Wallonia (see the link below):
- contact a family and elderly support service approved by Wallonia;
- a social worker will visit you at home to assess your needs, either alone or with your family and friends;
- a social file will be prepared;
- the service will provide the most appropriate assistance tailored to your situation.
To use SAFA services, the beneficiary must make a financial contribution. The amount depends on the person’s income and family situation.
For home care workers, the SAFA calculates your contribution using a scale set by Wallonia.
The documents required may vary depending on your situation.
The home assistance service will inform you of the necessary documents.
- Walloon Regulatory Code on Social Action and Health: Part 2, Book IV – Family Support, Title IV – Family and Elderly Home-Help Services, Articles 320 to 364
- Walloon Decree Code on Social Action and Health: Part 2, Book III – Title III – Family and Elderly Home-Help Services, Articles 219 to 260
- Official status of family care workers and home care attendants – Annexes to the Government of Wallonia Decree