The mother of a young man with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) laments that the lack of resources forces her to house her son in “deplorable” conditions, moving him from a CHSLD to a overflow unit in Joliette.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
“When I got back there, I was cold in the back. It was damp, it was dirty, the rooms were very small, with barely any furniture. Even the managers on site agreed with me that it’s really disgusting, ”says Joliette resident Mylène Le Breux.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The CHSLD Parphilia-Ferland is in the same place as the Lanaudière hospital center.
In the past few weeks, the CISSS de Lanaudière informed her that her son Samuel Lamarche, in his thirties, will have to leave the CHSLD Parphilia-Ferland, where he had been living and being cared for for three years already. Previously, he had been transferred from a family-type resource.
However, since Tuesday, Samuel now finds himself in what is called an “overflow unit”. This costs $1,100 monthly, according to the mother, compared to around $450 for a place at the CHSLD.
Too many moves
“My son now finds himself in a former convent, with children from the DPJ on the first floor, and adults with autism spectrum disorder on the second floor. The lack of resources is so blatant that they have no choice but to put it there”, denounces Mme Le Breux, not without emotion.
In his eyes, these numerous changes of address risk harming his son, in the short and medium term. “I often say it, but people with ASD, you don’t have to move them everywhere all the time. It’s not good for them, for their development. And all that worries me. »
The irony, says the mother, is that an installation “made for Samuel” is still waiting to be finalized.
Now, what I’m told is that his overflow unit will be temporary. But I was told that with the CHSLD too. And it ended up being three years.
Mylène Le Breux, mother of Samuel Lamarche
“We hear the government all the time saying that it is going to develop new resources for mental health, for this or that. But the reality is quite different. We don’t offer enough services to hyper-vulnerable clienteles. Just because they’re disabled doesn’t mean they have to be put in a hole. I find it so sad, ”she laments.
The so-called “overflow” unit
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY MYLÈNE LE BREUX
Overflow unit bed
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY MYLÈNE LE BREUX
Overflow Unit Corridor
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY MYLÈNE LE BREUX
Samuel Lamarche
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Photos sent to The Press show that the rooms offered to users are rudimentary to say the least. The size of the beds, for example, “leaves something to be desired”, according to Mylène Le Breux, who also denounces that the concrete corridors give the impression of a detention center.
Needs for “significant growth”
At the CISSS de Lanaudière, spokesperson Pascale Lamy immediately admits that “the need for accommodation in the Lanaudière region for the DITSADP clientele [déficience intellectuelle, trouble du spectre de l’autisme ou déficience physique] has experienced significant growth over the past two years.
Three beds were occupied by this clientele in the CHSLD Parphilia-Ferland, according to the CISSS. “After the departure of two users in recent weeks and for the sake of ensuring the safe supervision of the users accommodated, it was decided to move [Samuel Lamarche] in an environment better suited to their conditions and corresponding to their needs,” says Ms.me Lamy.
The transition of the clientele to another environment is not related to the end of a lease, nor to a resource issue.
Pascale Lamy, spokesperson for the CISSS de Lanaudière
His group concludes by affirming that it never comments on the situation “of a user in particular”, insisting however on confirming that he is “in close contact with the mother and [assure] follow-up for this user”.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) defines ASD as “a neurodevelopmental disorder that significantly affects social interactions, communication and individual behavior”. “This disorder is also manifested by the appearance of atypical behaviors and by the development of restricted interests. People with autism spectrum disorder are a very heterogeneous group: depending on the types of disabilities that manifest in people, the support needs will be different.