these “helping parents” talk about their exhaustion in the face of the crisis in the home help sector

The AFM-Téléthon and the APF France Handicap Association will contact the Defender of Rights on Wednesday October 4 for “endangering the lives of others” and “generalized failure to provide assistance to people in danger”. Hundreds of families of sick and disabled patients alerted them. They are no longer able to find home help, the sector is devastated.

>> INFO FRANCEINFO. Shortage of caregivers: AFM-Téléthon and APF France handicap will contact the Defender of Rights for “endangering the lives of others”

Families at their wits’ end can no longer provide the daily help their loved one needs. Two years ago, when the health of their son, suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, deteriorated, Jean-François and Jeanne hastily left Aix-en-Provence to go to Vincent’s bedside, at his home in Montpellier. “Since then, we haven’t been able to leave, it’s been almost two years”explains Jeanne.

“More than 50 different caregivers in two years”

Impossible to find enough home help to take care of Vincent who can no longer move and needs constant help. “The service provider is unable to provide us with serious and trained people”deplores Jeanne. “It’s been two years since Vincent was tracheotomized, says Jean-François, Vincent’s father. In two years, he had more than 50 different caregivers marching.”

“When there is someone who is not trained, we stay locked in our little apartment. We can’t even go out and stretch our legs because we don’t want to leave them with an untrained person.”

Jeanne, mother of Vincent

at franceinfo

Jean-François and Jeanne do not want these home helpers who parade, this profession is poorly paid and does not attract. But they, these “helping parents”, are exhausted today: “All our time is devoted to being with our son. We no longer have a social life. These are situations that are still quite exhausting. We are mistreated, we feel mistreated…”

If their son obviously remains their priority, Jean-François and Jeanne would also just dream of returning home from time to time, just a two-hour drive away.