Iriscare Funds Alternatives to Nursing Homes and Home Support for Brussels Seniors
The agency finances innovative projects offering seniors more living options, from alternative housing to enhanced home care services.
By Nadia Delvaux
••4 min read
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Addressing the aging population, Iriscare develops and finances diverse solutions for Brussels seniors, ranging from alternatives to nursing homes to home support services.
Iriscare works daily to improve the quality of life for seniors, both within institutions and in their own homes. The agency actively supports projects aimed at enabling seniors to remain in their homes for as long as possible, while also developing alternative housing solutions for those who can no longer live alone but do not wish to enter a nursing home directly. These varied and needs-adapted initiatives receive support and funding to offer Brussels seniors genuine living options.
The aging of the Brussels population presents new challenges, leading to evolving needs among seniors. To meet these, Iriscare has been encouraging the diversification of care structures for several years. It supports projects that offer alternatives to nursing homes or promote aging in place. Designed to better match individual desires and realities, these initiatives are accompanied and financed to provide seniors with more varied living environments across the Brussels territory.
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"For many seniors, the transition from home to a nursing home is a major step. Yet, there are many possibilities between these two realities. And it is precisely this space that we wish to develop further. Seniors are not a homogeneous group, so why should we offer them all the same solutions? Thanks to these projects, we ensure that a comprehensive range of options exists between staying at home and entering a nursing home. Because good care for seniors is based on their real needs, not on the solutions our current structures offer."
Iriscare finances these initiatives through optional subsidies, aiming to support communes and local actors who develop an integrated vision of senior policy. The goal is to encourage innovative projects offering concrete and diverse solutions, aligned with the real needs of seniors in the Brussels region. Therefore, alongside the 115 Brussels nursing homes, Iriscare finances 7 alternative projects to nursing homes, such as Maison Les Griottes – Senior at Home asbl, Abbeyfield Vice-Versa Habitat houses, Kangaroo Habitats – CPAS of Molenbeek, Andromède Antenna – CPAS of Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Social Service Residence Lemaire – CPAS of Molenbeek, and Social Service Residences "Tisseurs de liens"-Centrale des Services à Domicile. These alternatives provide diverse and interesting forms of accommodation for seniors who do not wish to directly enter a nursing home while no longer being able to live alone at home.
Concurrently, Iriscare also supports seniors who wish to remain at home by funding 15 home care services, 8 day care centers, and 5 day reception centers. This includes various initiatives promoting home support: mutual aid networks (Accolage, Bras Dessus Bras Dessous, and SamenToujours), care coordination initiatives (Dionysos), home adaptation projects (Access 1070, Ergo à domicile, and Ergo@Citisen), support for informal caregivers (Equipe mobile prévention de l’aidance (EMPSA) and Aidants Proches Bruxelles), home care services (asbl Gammes), as well as advice and information (Infor-Home-Info).
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"Our responsibility is to guarantee every Brussels senior quality support, adapted to their needs and life choices. This involves maintaining them at home for as long as possible, but also developing alternative accommodation solutions. By supporting these initiatives, we strengthen the diversity of available responses and place the autonomy, well-being, and dignity of our seniors at the heart of our health and social action policy."
Iriscare, a public interest organization with a dual mandate, serves as the primary contact point for all matters concerning social protection in the Brussels Region. Together with its partners, Iriscare ensures that all Brussels residents receive what they are entitled to, from family allowances to care and support services for seniors and people with disabilities.
Based on information from the official source: Iriscare (28/10/2026)
