"Let the State give us the means!" “: the cry from the heart of the director of the Lezoux nursing home (Puy-de-Dôme) after the Orpea scandal
The author of the book speaks of “institutionalized abuse” in nursing homes, does that shock you? “No, I completely agree with him. We are not abusers, it is the state that abuses us. We assume this term of institutionalized abuse because it is the reality, but we suffer on a daily basis. »
What is the main difficulty of an Ehpad on a daily basis? " The staff. We don't have enough. We can't even recruit for vacant positions. »
What is your explanation? “These are professions that have meaning and for which you have to put your heart. People today want jobs that save them money and require less investment. »
Isn't it also a question of salary? "The Ségur de la Santé has fixed things but the root of the problem is not there..."
What is the flaw in the system in your opinion? “Old age scares and does not interest anyone. The politicians did nothing. These poor old people, they are left to die in the hospital or at home because not all of them have the means to pay for nursing homes. We don't want to look old age in the face. Look at the magazines, you see very beautiful old people, whose age can only be seen by the white color of their hair. The reality is not that! »
Has the Covid made things worse? “It is a calamity. It drives us crazy. We work in gradient. The workforce is already limited, so when you have absences because the staff has covid or an employee's child is sick, it becomes catastrophic. By dint of pulling on the rope, I know lots of caregivers who have let go. »
The average price of a place in an Ehpad is 2,000 euros. Photo Jeremie FulleringerWhat do you think of the current “Ehpad bashing”? “It's 'state bashing' that should be done. How do you achieve quality with three nursing assistants for thirty toilets? Young people arriving from school have learned to make them in thirty minutes. Here, you have to do fifteen in the morning! Residents are not necessarily happy. We are in “taking care” professions and we don't have the time. If at least this book can push the subject up the pile, that will be a good thing. Because there is urgency. »
Abuse in Ehpad: an electroshock following the revelations of the book "Les Fossoyeurs"?
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The profitability of private groups denounced in the book “Les Fossoyeurs” raises questions? “Should private groups backed by investment funds be allowed to trade in old age? Can we benefit from the elderly? I let you be the judge…”
"It's the state that mistreats us!" »
What could be the solutions? “Old age is not a disease, on the other hand it is a consequence of a disability. Whether it's diabetes, a heart problem, a problem with walking, so many pathologies that are covered by health insurance. I have the example of a 99-year-old resident who was operated on for appendicitis without paying a cent, even though he pays 60 euros a day here at the nursing home. It's illogical. Old age should be taken care of by the state. »
Is this support feasible? “Taking care of dependency by reducing the rest to be borne by residents and by increasing the number of staff would cost 10 billion per year. It is a societal choice. Today, to change submarines, or decide to do “whatever the cost” we find the money! When we want we can. And when we give ourselves the means, we find. »
Unannounced visits, reinforced control…, do the proposals of the candidates for the election seem sufficient to you? "Let them come when they want us to explain our problems to them!" Don't get the wrong objective. The goal is not to piss off managers or employees. If people don't work well, it's because they don't have the means. And every day we scream for it! The families have understood this well. They are benevolent. In 2018, they demonstrated alongside us. »
Emmanuel Macron has yet made the promise of an autonomy law? “We're still waiting for him… Unfortunately, we've gotten used to waiting. And then you have to be wary of the effects of announcements. For example, they recently promised us 2 billion in aid over 5 years and the creation of 10,000 jobs. This may seem extraordinary, marvelous… But the reality is that 10,000 jobs over 5 years, that only makes 2,000 per year to be distributed among the 7,000 establishments. At the end of the day, it means nothing at all. In Lezoux, it would bring me the equivalent of a full-time shift. »
What keeps you going? “We love them “our little old people”. And then, what would they do without us? »
Carole Eon
