You probably expect health care to be offered in French for you and your loved ones everywhere in Quebec?
Sorry to tell you: unfortunately this is not always possible.
In any case, not in the west of Montreal.
My elderly father, who has suffered for several years from a degenerative disease, now sees his autonomy heavily mortgaged.
Also, over various infections and falls, he had to be hospitalized most of the time in the last six months.
Since he resides on the territory of the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the paramedics sometimes transported him to the LaSalle hospital, sometimes to the Lakeshore General Hospital.
However, the offer of care in French (nurses, attendants), which was not always available in LaSalle, turned out to be almost non-existent in the Lakeshore.
You should know that in addition to French, my father spoke fluent English and Italian throughout his working life. However, given his current cognitive state, it is no longer always easy to interact with him, even in his mother tongue.
So how could he himself claim care in his own language? And how, on the other hand, can we claim to be attentive to his needs and give him the right instructions considering his condition? In short, how can he be treated adequately in a context where the staff of his care unit does not speak French?
Fortunately, my sister and I are bilingual, because English is of course required to interact with the nursing staff when it comes to hearing from our father. We did try in French, believe me.
Labor shortage, you say?
Have we really got there?
The rare exception, you might think?
No way.
The situation I am reporting here is unfortunately very commonplace and is experienced daily by dozens of sick and often vulnerable people.
Recently, my father met for three days with a French-speaking roommate. Astonished, this gentleman then said he was blessed to be, for the first time since his admission, in the presence of someone who speaks his language.
Yes, the impression is that of being sick abroad.
I am not trying here to rebel on principle in front of an untimely “Hello! Hi ! »
Nor to claim the right to buy me jeans or bubble tea in Tremblay’s language.
It is simply a question here of aspiring to be cared for with dignity.