ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on a double qualitative methodology since it consists of both a review of the scientific literature and institutional texts as well as interviews with key players of the French Gérontopôles and local structures working in the field of ageing of the population. Interviewing key players of Gérontopôles allowed us to obtain a general view of these structures, while the local structures gave us a vision that is more specific to each territory and more critical of these new organizations. The semi-structured interviews, which were conducted with an interview guide based on the literature review, clearly identified theoretical approaches and feedback from the field. They were transcribed and analyzed in their entirety.
The review of the literature allowed us to identify the issue of the ageing of the population as well as the various policy areas developed in France to respond to this demographic transition. We were therefore interested in the 2015 law “adapting the society to ageing”, which led to the creation of the Gérontopôles.
The purpose of this chapter is to present and understand the functioning of French Gérontopôles, their missions and their organization to identify representations related to these structures.
