Right of visit to nursing homes, professional home help card… Several measures on “aging well” voted by the Senate

The senators were nevertheless concerned about the vague timetable surrounding the major autonomy law promised by the government.

The bill was approved by 233 votes to 17. The Senate adopted, on Tuesday February 6, a range of measures on “aging well”, after the National Assembly in November. Among these measures is the creation of a professional card to facilitate recognition of the work of home workers. Or the inclusion in law of visiting rights in nursing homes, after the trauma of many families during the Covid-19 crisis. “A basic duty of humanity”welcomed the president of senators LR Bruno Retailleau.

The text also provides for the creation of a departmental autonomy service with a view to “decompartmentalize” policies in favor of the elderly and people with disabilities. A system for reporting cases of mistreatment is also planned.

Welcoming pets at the discretion of the establishments

Another new feature is a support fund for departments, amounting to 100 million euros, so that they can contribute to the transport costs of home help professionals, including to finance the obtaining of their driving license.

Relatively commented on, a measure introduced in the Assembly to protect the right of residents in nursing homes to welcome their pet, desired by numerous associations, was very attenuated by the Senate which chose to leave control to the establishments.

Nearly half of the articles from the Assembly deleted

Deputies and senators will now try to find a compromise on this text in the joint committee (CMP), on a date which has not been set. This will not be an easy task because the Senate deleted almost half of the articles resulting from the examination of the deputies, such as this provision which aimed to oblige private nursing homes to devote a fraction of their profits to improving well-being. be their residents.

The senators were also concerned about the vague timetable around the major autonomy law promised by the government. Promised by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron at the start of his first five-year term, the presentation of a multi-year programming law on autonomy is still being awaited by professionals in the sector.