For exhausted caregivers, the government promises “15 days a year to breathe”

2023-10-06 19:02:23

Published on Oct 6, 2023 at 7:02 p.m.

They exhaust themselves caring for their elderly or sick parents, cannot take vacations because their disabled child requires non-stop care: 6,000 additional “respite” places have been announced to guarantee “15 days a year to breathe” for these people, called “helpers”.

“When we take care of a parent, a spouse, we must also be able to breathe for the good of the person we are supporting and for our own health”, underlined this Friday the Minister of Solidarity, Aurore Bergé, by unveiling its “Acting for caregivers 2023-27” plan on the occasion of the National Day on this theme.

40,000 “respite places” by 2027

Some people neglect their health because they cannot leave their spouse alone to see a doctor or even have an operation. They sometimes deprive themselves of activities. And feel alone because it is difficult to find help at home or a GP, describe the associations.

To “take care of those who take care of others”, in the words of Aurore Bergé, the government promises the creation of 6,000 new “respite places” in adapted structures to which these caregivers can entrust a dependent loved one, for one or several days. For disabled people in particular, the plan promises 650 new places in temporary reception, bringing their number to 4,000. In addition, medical-social establishments or services (ESMS) will open 600 places during holidays and weekends.

There will therefore be 40,000 “respite places” by 2027 for the elderly and disabled. The government intends to “guarantee” by 2027 “at least 15 days of respite per year for each person who must help a loved one”, according to Aurore Bergé.

At least 9 million French people care for a disabled or elderly parent. There are more and more of them with the aging of the population, according to the associations. A heterogeneous population, with very varied levels of commitment, noted the Drees in a study from May 2023: the statistical service of social ministries estimated that 1.8 million were “the most impacted” – those who devote more than 20 hours per week to the person being helped.

Measures “insignificant compared to needs

A person can be a caregiver at several points in their life, to take care of a disabled child, then an aging parent. But she could only take one year of caregiver leave during her life. It will now be possible to take leave per person assisted: “You will no longer have to choose whether to be compensated for accompanying your child or for accompanying your parent,” explained the Minister responsible for Disability, Fadila Khattabi.

The Je t’Aide collective considers the extension of caregiver leave “interesting” but regrets that it is paid at the minimum wage and not the salary. And she regrets measures described as “insignificant compared to the needs of millions of caregivers, their fatigue, their isolation, their precariousness”.

For the French Association of Carers, “the announcements seem to be going in the right direction, but we remain vigilant about their operational implementation”.

Lift a “taboo”

Aurore Bergé also signed a “commitment charter” with large companies, committing them to lift the “taboo” on these situations and provide greater support to their employees. “You can be a caregiver and lead a professional life.” Because many caregivers reduce their working hours, or even resign, notes association manager Morgane Hiron. Caregivers are “poorly informed” and “little detected,” she says.