“It’s always the same thing: we have the impression that the work is done on an assembly line, with no place for people, with an obvious lack of staff. “Since the revelations about the Ehpad of the Orpea group, the relatives of people living in a retirement home are torn between the impression of finally being heard on the living conditions in the establishments, the concern of seeing their relative undergo abuse, and the awareness that understaffing in facilities leads to abuse. In any case, this is what emerges from the testimonies of readers of 20 minutes who agreed to share their experience.
“When you entrust a loved one to this type of establishment, you expect more attention and care,” continues Dominique, whose 93-year-old mother has lived in nursing homes “since last June”. Frequent loss of medical equipment, insufficient toilet, “change of drug treatment” after a crisis… The sexagenarian lists the ill-treatment and regrets “the work done at her home by a nursing practice and personal aids”.
“A deathbed”
In the Gers, Frédérique’s mother lived in a public institution. “Wake up at 11 a.m., go to bed at 3 p.m. One person for 40 residents […]. I guess my mother starved to death. It was nothing more than a bag of bones, ”says her daughter today. A lack of staff also pointed out by Thomas, whose father, before his death, resided in an Ehpad for a year in Charente-Maritime. An establishment “unfortunately chronically understaffed, forcing caregivers to [faire] the race and therefore not having the time to take care of the residents properly and with dignity”. ” It’s a shame ! I liken it to a place of death where human consideration is flouted, ”he denounces.
This term of “death”, many are the relatives to use it. This is also the term that comes to mind for Estelle, 42, to describe the establishment where her septuagenarian father lives: “We treat them badly, we don’t give them anything to drink, [ils] are not always clean…” And to add: “It hurts so much to see your loved ones like that and to feel helpless because you can’t take them back home. »
“Drug abuse”
Several of our readers believe that the lack of staff leads to “drug abuse”, as Fabienne formulates it, before describing the entry of her father, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, into a “rural communal structure”. : “Distraught by the determination and the tone of the new resident, refusing that the family come to calm things down, the team administered good doses of sedatives. “After a significant loss of autonomy, Fabienne manages to have him admitted to a specialized establishment in the Ile-de-France region. But the situation is not improving: “Pierre now weighs 53 kg for 1m75, is in a wheelchair and no longer wants to live. Accelerated grabbing of a joyful and sporty man. »
The lack of staff is sometimes compounded by other difficulties, as Christine describes: “The main concern is the meals. It’s a shame ! […] Sometimes mom can’t swallow anything, it’s so bad, and takes revenge on the milk rolls she has in her room. A check should be done on the spot. Same story for Sophie, 64, whose mother lives in a unit for people with Alzheimer’s disease: “The food is of poor quality and insufficient. Two weeks ago, 20 residents ended up in hospital after food poisoning! »
“I am happy that it is publicized”
“When I come to see my grandparents, I see elderly people abandoned in the hallways in their armchairs”, deplores Sophie, 32, who points to the faulty communication with the management of the establishment, an Ehpad of the group. Orpea located in the Paris region. “My grandparents were diagnosed with Covid-19 and my grandmother was hospitalized and put on oxygen. The manager didn’t even contact me, I found out via a distant cousin who called and had to insist. »
Marie-Josée’s mother recently suffered a fracture and was treated with “stitches on the head”. “We left her alone in the toilet while she took care of another person, and mum fell several times. For the retiree, the publication of the book Les Fossoyeurs, at the origin of the revelations in the Ehpad Orpea, has the merit of making the question of abuse audible. “Yes, I denounce the abuse and I am happy that it is finally publicized! »