Today, Sunday October 6, is the 15th National Caregivers Day. What progress has been made in a France which has 8 to 11 million caregivers, 61% of whom are professionally active?
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The OCIRP caregiver observatory (Joint organization of pension and provident institutions), has just published its 4th report, based on employee testimonies. Marie-Anne Montchamp, general director of OCIRP, analyzes the advances and delays in the status of caregivers in businesses, both in the private and public sectors.
According to her, our social protection system is calibrated in such a way that without caregivers, it will not work. This means that the response at home is that caregivers persistently remain a “stop-gap” solution.
“What is not changing is the persistence of the issue of caregivers, in our social protection system, faced with the aging of the population and people with disabilities.”
Marie-Anne Montchamp, general director of OCIRPat franceinfo
This persistence of the question of caregivers in our social protection system is only increasing because the French population is aging. The effect of a demographic where caregivers are aging is a burning question. It’s a political question.”
According to the latest reports and studies, the average age of helping employees is 42 years old, and that of their first entry into caring work is 33 years old. Many of them believe that their situation as caregivers has prevented them from enjoying their youth and/or puts them in difficulty professionally. Only 29% of helping employees inform their employer of their situation.
The public decision-maker took it up and granted the principle of leave allowing caregivers to free up time to be able to help their loved ones, underlines the general director of ORCIP, provided that they do not lose their contract of work.
“Companies have understood the issue. They have learned to hear the weak signals of people who are faced with two lives.”
Marie-Anne Montchampat france info
The social partners also discovered that this was a subject that could be an object of social negotiation.
On the website of the OCIRP caregiver observatory (Common Organization of Pension and Provident Institutions) you will find its fourth report on company caregivers.
In addition, until October 20, a large-scale campaign is being led by the Public Autonomy Service and the Ministry of Solidarity to bring the reality of caregivers out of the shadows to as many people as possible.