It’s the end of the month and then the manager Alexandre Dobbelaere always has a stomach ache. The energy bill falls on the carpet, he tells the French-language news channel RTL TVI. “At the end of June our energy budget was already exhausted. Last year the retirement home lost a total of around 25,000 euros in gas and electricity. At the end of June the bill was already 29 thousand euros “.
He doesn’t know how to proceed. It is survival.
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Just like in the Netherlands, energy prices in Belgium are skyrocketing. 66 elderly people live in the Residence Malvina. They suffer from dementia, Alzheimer’s or are disabled. The retirement home is a family business. The Dobbelaere family refuses to pass on the high energy costs to the residents.
‘Right temperature: 22 degrees’
“It is almost impossible to reduce the energy,” says Dobbelaere. “It is important that the correct temperature of 22 degrees is maintained throughout the nursing home. Older people generally cool down earlier. We will not force them to wear woolen sweaters and socks. “
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Where you can save on costs is in the kitchen. A hot meal is cooked every day for all residents. “The only thing we can do is be smarter with our food and drink supply,” says the manager. Due to high inflation, food prices in Belgium have increased by around 20-30%. “So we have to cook smarter, but there isn’t much play anymore.”
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The distressing case in the Malvina retirement home did not go unnoticed. The Association of Nursing Homes in Belgium (Femarbel) has written a letter to Prime Minister Alexander de Croo. The union calls on the government to provide emergency support for institutions where vulnerable elderly live, so that they do not remain in the cold.
15,000 euros per month
Meanwhile, manager Alexander Dobbelaere is sleepy. “The dark and cold months of November, December and January are yet to come.” He already knows the electricity prices for those months. “It will be bills three times as much as now: 15,000 euros a month,” he says soberly. Dobbelaere still does not know what gas prices are. He hopes for leniency from the energy supplier. If not, he may have to close the family business after 23 years.
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