In a world where international mobility and geographical distance between families are increasingly common, maintaining a strong family bond with elderly or disabled relatives has become a crucial issue. This need is particularly present for:
- French people living abroad
- Second or third-generation French people of foreign origin
- Second or third-generation French people of foreign origin
French people from Overseas Departments and Regions (DROM) such as Guadeloupe, Guyana, La Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte, Overseas Collectivities (COM) like Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the Overseas Territory (TOM) of Wallis-et-Futuna, and Overseas Countries within the Republic (POM) like French Polynesia and New Caledonia living in metropolitan France.
All these groups face complex challenges in supporting their relatives, especially when they are far away, whether for geographical or cultural reasons. To support these caregivers, the ergonomics of technological tools has become an essential condition. It is imperative that the digital solutions used to maintain family ties and provide remote assistance are accessible, even to those who are less tech-savvy. This would not only strengthen social bonds with relatives but also meet the growing need for remote assistance for the elderly or disabled.
Geographical Distance: A Challenge for Social Bonds and Daily Life
According to INSEE, approximately 3.6 million French people live abroad, and many of them face the need to support their aging or disabled parents who remain in France. Additionally, the population of French people from overseas territories living in metropolitan France is estimated at around 400,000, and there are nearly 10 million French people in metropolitan France of foreign origin (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, or Asia). Whether for elderly parents living in France, abroad, or in the French overseas territories, geographical distance creates a major difficulty in maintaining essential close ties, both emotionally and practically.
Elderly or disabled individuals, often dependent in their daily lives, need regular care, monitoring, and social interactions to avoid isolation. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for their children or relatives to provide direct assistance due to the distance separating them.
Caregivers: A Crucial Role, but a Heavy Burden
In France, family caregivers are at the heart of the support system for the elderly or disabled. According to the Observatoire des aidants, there are approximately 11 million caregivers in France, 70% of whom are family members. Their role is to provide daily support, whether for administering care, managing medications, or assisting with daily tasks. This support is crucial for the elderly or disabled, whose need for assistance increases with age.
However, for French people living abroad or in metropolitan France with relatives remaining in the French overseas territories or abroad, the family caregiver faces the barrier of distance. These caregivers find themselves in a delicate situation: on the one hand, they must provide emotional and logistical support to their relatives, and on the other, they are often unable to be physically present due to the distance.
Technology as a Solution for Social Bonds and Remote Assistance
In this context, technology offers innovative solutions, but for them to be truly effective, they must be accessible and easy to use, even for caregivers or elderly individuals who are not familiar with digital tools. A study conducted by the Fondation Médéric Alzheimer in 2022 shows that 40% of family caregivers in France already use digital tools to stay in touch with their relatives. However, this solution is not always suitable for everyone, especially for the elderly or less tech-savvy caregivers. Accessibility and ergonomics are therefore essential criteria.
Ergonomics and Accessibility Challenges
Technology that is accessible to all must be easy to use, intuitive, and require minimal training. Digital solutions must be designed in a way that does not discourage users who are less familiar with technology. This includes simple interfaces, clear instructions, and features adapted to the needs of the elderly or non-specialised family caregivers.
For example, remote assistance or care monitoring applications must offer highly visual interfaces with easy-to-understand voice and text options. Additionally, communication tools such as video calls must have a simple interface that allows for easy connection with minimal steps. This would facilitate social bonds between caregivers and their relatives while ensuring smoother and less constraining remote medical monitoring.
Telemedicine platforms are another essential tool, allowing caregivers to consult healthcare professionals remotely without the need to organize travel. According to a survey by the Fédération Française des Aidants, nearly 65% of caregivers in France use digital tools to ensure medical monitoring and manage the care of their relatives. These platforms must be simple to use, with personalized support for caregivers who are not familiar with technology.
Challenges for French Caregivers of Foreign Origin and Those from Overseas Territories
Second or third-generation French people of foreign origin living in metropolitan France, as well as French people from overseas territories living in metropolitan France, face a double challenge: maintaining ties with their relatives while being geographically and culturally distant. These populations, often far from their families and cultural roots, feel an even stronger need to ensure the well-being of their parents who remain in their countries of origin.
Here again, technology can meet some of these needs, provided it is designed to overcome accessibility challenges. Technological solutions must consider cultural and linguistic differences and be able to offer services tailored to the specificities of the French overseas territories and countries of origin. For example, telecare devices can be particularly useful for elderly individuals living in more isolated territories where specialized care is less accessible.
An Innovative Solution: Homelinks and Tax Credits to Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs
One of the major challenges of remote assistance lies in the costs associated with support technologies, especially for families wishing to subscribe to services such as teleassistance or video communication tools. However, solutions like Homelinks, which offers a subscription to maintain visual contact and remote monitoring between caregivers and their relatives, address this issue. In addition to providing a quality service that allows for fluid and regular communication, Homelinks allows its subscribers to benefit from a tax credit of 50% on the cost of the subscription, applicable to the entire family, whether in France or abroad. This fiscal measure aims to reduce out-of-pocket costs for families investing in these teleassistance services, making them more accessible to a greater number of caregivers.
The tax credit for services like Homelinks is a significant advancement, as it makes digital tools that facilitate bonds with elderly or disabled relatives more affordable. This fiscal support can be a valuable aid for many families, especially for less tech-savvy caregivers, by reducing the financial impact of these essential services.
Conclusion
For French people living abroad, second or third-generation French people of foreign origin, and French people from overseas territories, maintaining a strong family bond and providing support to elderly or disabled relatives is a complex challenge. Technology offers a powerful response, but to be truly effective, it must be designed to be simple and accessible, even to those who are less tech-savvy. Efforts must be made to ensure that caregivers, regardless of their geographical situation or familiarity with technology, can use these tools optimally. In doing so, we will strengthen support for the elderly and disabled while preserving family bonds across distances. The tax credit offered by solutions like Homelinks also helps to lighten this burden by making these services more financially accessible to a greater number of families and caregivers.
