MP proposes au pairs to help older people live at home

Icelandic MP Nanna Margrét Gunnlaugsdóttir says older people should be able to host an au pair for companionship and light help with daily life. She outlined the proposal in parliament today, according to mbl.is.

Gunnlaugsdóttir, of the Centre Party, said the arrangement could reduce loneliness, help older people remain in their homes for longer and ease pressure on health and social care services.

Under her proposal, a young person would live with an older person or couple and provide company and light assistance, but would not give nursing care or replace professional services. The au pair’s stay would be temporary and would not provide a right to permanent residence, she said.

Gunnlaugsdóttir noted that the number of people aged 67 and over in Iceland is expected to rise from just under 60,000 this year to almost 100,000 by 2050. She said demand for home help and nursing places would rise alongside that growth.

She said the arrangement would not add to housing demand because the au pair would live in the older person’s home and would not be supported by the state. She also cited France, Britain, Ireland and Germany as countries that have taken similar approaches to intergenerational living.

Gunnlaugsdóttir urged MPs to consider her proposal as the au pair system is being reviewed and not to exclude people from outside the European Economic Area. She said parliament had established an oversight duty in 2023 and that enforcing it could make the proposal a success.