These are figures that give more than ever the extent and seriousness of the situation: in one year, the situation of family caregiver employees, who must combine their work and the help they provide to a loved one, has clearly degraded, according to the Ocirp, the common organization of pension and provident institutions. On the occasion of National Caregiver Day, which takes place on Thursday, October 6, the organization recalls that 8 to 11 million people are considered family caregivers, and 6 out of 10 work.
>> INFO FRANCEINFO. Employment: in France, people are becoming family caregivers at younger and younger ages
This is the case of Céline, who went to pick up her son William from the medical-educational institute. The 13-year-old boy suffers from a genetic disease, Prader-Willi syndrome. His muscles lack tone and he is always hungry. “He can become obese with all the difficulties that can entail.” She stops abruptly, William has just forced open the kitchen door, which is constantly locked. “I’m sorry, but it’s dangerous, I have to go…”she apologizes.
This mom prepares, as best they could, conferences she gives on disability. On the other hand, she has done so far a beliefx about his psychology practice. “I can’tallow only one day a week because I’m too exhausted and I especially have a child who monopolizes me. There, today I have 1001 projects but I’m only doing the tenth. I am very unhappy…” she confides.
Enot France, a third of salaried carers adjust their working hours. Djamila is part-time, 70%. This resident of Villejuif (Val-de-Marne) must adapt to the schedule of her 22-year-old autistic son. “Financially, of course, I would have to resume at 100%. I am 53 years old. Everyone is asking the question of retirement… So imagine in what disarray I find myself. But reality catches up with you.”
The collective “Jand help you” in Ivry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne) accompanies carers, in particular by indicating the helpers who exist as “caregiver leave”. He their allows them to lay off their job for three months, which can be split. Instead of their salary, carers benefiting from the scheme receive an allowance of 58 euros per day. MEPs have increased the amount of this compensationsummer in 2021.
But barely 19 000 applications have been filed in a year and a half. This does not surprise Morgana hiron, the spokesperson for the “Je t’Aide” collective. According to her, this device is “still restrictive since it is not intended for all caregivers. It is paid at Smic level and it only lasts three months. But, she recalls, “taking care of a loved one lasts several years and we know that 39% of carers take care of two or more relatives”. Le collective and other associations are asking for the extension of the “leave caregiver”. Today, it is only possible to take one in his career.
Moreover, as denounced by then the National Cancer League, today one in ten French people accompanies a loved one suffering from cancer and 10% of these carers have had to stop or adapt their professional activity. However, according to Laura Lévêque, project manager at the National League against Cancer, “The majority of these caregivers are excluded from the system because the patient must have a disability or a loss of autonomy of more than 80% or be over 60 years old.“. The league is thus asking for the extension to all the sick and the possibility of taking several leaves in his career.