Senior Services in Monaco: Support at Home

Start with one phone call

Monaco has an unusually dense network of support for older residents, but it is spread across the State, the Mairie and the hospital, and almost nobody finds it by browsing. The shortcut is the Centre de Coordination Gérontologique de Monaco (CCGM) — the Principality's single front door for anyone over 60.

CCGM — 18 rue Princesse Florestine, 98000 Monaco Tel. (+377) 98 98 42 03 · freephone 8000 6000 · open 9am–5pm

Set up in 2006 and placed under the health and social action directorate, the CCGM is not a call centre that redirects you elsewhere. Its multidisciplinary team assesses the person's medical, psychological and social situation, draws up an individual support plan, coordinates the professionals involved, runs carer support groups and keeps the directory of local providers. It takes calls from seniors themselves, from families, and from doctors and social workers.

This guide covers the services that help someone stay in their own home. If residential care or hospital geriatrics is what you need, see senior care homes and geriatric services in Monaco.

The Mairie's home services

Day-to-day help at home is delivered by the Service des Seniors et de l'Action Sociale at the Mairie de Monaco, on the second floor.

Tel. (+377) 93 15 28 35 · seniors@mairie.mc · Monday to Friday from 8.30am

Three things are true of nearly all of it: you must live in the Principality, most services require a medical prescription, and the price is scaled to household income rather than fixed. Budget for producing three months of income evidence, ID or residence permits for everyone in the household, a social security card and proof of rent or ownership.

Aides au foyer — housework

Household helpers take on routine cleaning, ironing and shopping for older people and for anyone with a temporary or permanent disability. Conditions: living in Monaco and a medical prescription. Fee based on household income.

Auxiliaires de vie — personal care

A care assistant helps with the acts of daily life so that the person can stay at home. This one is routed differently: requests are centralised and assessed by the CCGM, then passed to the Mairie. Conditions: living in Monaco and being over 60. The contribution depends both on household income and on the monthly autonomy allowance granted.

Repas à domicile — meal delivery

Meals are delivered all year round, seven days a week, and they are cooked by the central kitchen of the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, which is equipped to handle the main therapeutic diets. A dietitian provides personalised follow-up. Conditions: living in Monaco, owning a fridge, and a medical prescription.

Téléalarme — the 24-hour alarm

Running since 1986 and operated with the Compagnie des Sapeurs-Pompiers, the téléalarme links a person's home to a monitored alarm around the clock. Different detectors are fitted depending on the person's autonomy and the layout of the flat — falls, fire, gas, carbon monoxide. It is as much a check on isolation as a safety device. Conditions: living in Monaco, having a landline, and a medical prescription.

The SOS services

Three small, very practical services sit alongside the main ones:

• SOS Multicourses — purchases, deliveries and administrative errands on the beneficiary's behalf. It also covers looking after, accompanying or transporting a pet, excluding veterinary care and grooming. Reserved for home-help beneficiaries; booked through the aides au foyer administrative contact, either one-off or on a set rhythm.
• SOS Administratif — a drop-in desk for help writing and filling in documents, open to Monegasques and residents over 60 on Tuesday 9am–12pm and Thursday 2pm–4.30pm, second floor of the Mairie. Free, confidential, no appointment. Tel. (+377) 93 15 45 16.
• SOS Bricolage — free small DIY and repair jobs at home for home-help beneficiaries. Appointments on (+377) 93 15 28 35.

Getting out, and staying connected

Free bus travel. CAM travel within Monaco is free for residents from age 60 — the threshold was lowered from 65 in September 2023. Practical detail on routes and passes is in the public transport guide.

The mini-bus. The Mairie runs a free minibus on reservation. It takes members to and from activities at the Espace Lamartine, and it will also take home-help beneficiaries to personal appointments, whether medical or for leisure. Book on (+377) 93 15 28 35.

Espace Lamartine. The Mairie's leisure and meeting venue, open to Monegasques, residents and people schooled in Monaco, with a year-round programme of socio-cultural and physical activities plus outings and trips. Its restaurant service is open from age 60.

HappyVisio. Home-help beneficiaries get free access to HappyVisio, an online programme of workshops and talks — live or on replay, on a computer or a phone — covering wellbeing, digital skills, health and practical living. It complements the in-person activities of the Club Le Temps de Vivre.

Croix-Rouge monégasque. Red Cross volunteers visit the Principality's retirement residences — Cap Fleuri, the Fondation Hector Otto residences, Résidence Giaume and A Qietüdine — with a regularly renewed programme of activities and daily visits. Its social service also provides moral, psychological and financial support to people facing isolation or hardship.

Who pays for what

A realistic order of operations

1. Call the CCGM. Describe the situation rather than asking for a named service; the assessment is what unlocks the right combination.
2. See the GP. Most Mairie services need a medical certificate stating the type, duration and frequency of help required — get it in one visit rather than three.
3. Gather the paperwork. ID or residence permits for the whole household, social security card, three months of income, rent receipts or proof of ownership.
4. Apply at the Mairie, Service des Seniors et de l'Action Sociale, second floor.
5. Layer the free extras once you are a beneficiary — SOS Bricolage, Multicourses, the mini-bus and HappyVisio all attach to an existing home-help file.

Where this connects

• Senior care homes and geriatric services in Monaco — residences, the Centre Rainier III and memory care
• Retiring to Monaco and residency for retirees
• The Monaco healthcare system and the CHPG hospital guide
• CCSS and social security
• Accessibility in Monaco — lifts, ramps and the vertical city
• Emergency numbers