Improvements to respite assistance measures have just been announced by the government, but there are also other measures.
Like every year, October 6 is National Caregivers Day. The government will on this occasion officially present, on Friday, the strategy announced by the Minister of Solidarity. Aurore Bergé wishes to develop 6,000 additional respite places in day care, for a weekend or a week to relieve caregivers, allowing caregivers to have at least 15 days of respite per year to breathe. The minister is also in favor of the creation of a one-stop shop to facilitate administrative procedures and wants to put in place better support for helping employees by companies.
Carers are those spouses, children, friends who come to the aid of their loved ones, very often a parent losing their autonomy due to age, disability or illness. In France, more than nine million people take on this role with a loved one, this represents one in six French people. Very often, they do not have specific training. However, there are some solutions to get information and support. According to the “I help you” collective, 3/4 of caregivers say they are exhausted.
Adapted training
It is possible to follow training in an association to be a caregiver. These training courses are free or require a minimal participation. Many organizations offer them, such as the French association of caregivers or the information and training center for caregivers. There are also all the associations more specific to each disease, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or even cancer.
These training courses teach you to adopt the right attitude and the right gestures depending on the situation, such as, for example, the postures to lift a person correctly. They inform you about the different pathologies, and also provide you with legal and psychological concepts: how to manage your stress, your sadness and, above all, how to reconcile your family life.‘helping with his personal and social life. This point is extremely important, because this role of caregiver is often synonymous with fatigue, feelings of isolation and helplessness. Three quarters of caregivers report being exhausted.
Respite assistance
To avoid exhaustion there is respite assistance. For example, you can take a breather by entrusting your loved one to day care or temporary accommodation, such as a foster family.‘welcome. To do this, you must contact your departmental council.
Finally, if you only want a presence at home, Baluchonnage might interest you. The “baluchoneurs” as they are called, are employees in the home help sector, they can intervene up to six consecutive days, 24 hours a day.
To find this help, check with your town hall, or on the free “Ma Boussole Aidant” platform. It lists the aid available near you, throughout the country.
The post office also offers a service called “Watch over my parents”, which aims to break isolation and maintain social ties. In fact, it is the postman who visits your relative and gives you a report. You can choose the frequency and days of visit (one to six times a week, Monday to Saturday).
Assisted leave or carer’s leave
It is also possible to go on vacation as part of an adapted stay with your loved one. Health professionals and guides are present on site and provide relays so that you too can enjoy time for rest and leisure.
- L‘National Agency for Holiday Vouchers offers a program called “Seniors on vacation”
- Manureva Répit is a specialized travel agency.
In addition to fatigue, caring for a loved one is expensive. This is often the other difficult aspect for caregivers, some progress has been made on this point. The Government has introduced “caregiver leave”, which allows employees to temporarily leave work to care for their loved one. Please note, this only concerns caregivers of disabled, elderly or loss of autonomy people. This does not concern all pathologies. This system is limited to three months throughout a lifetime, with a daily allowance of 62.44 euros.