Of great sensitivity, the documentary by Martin Blanchard My child after me interferes in the heart of families whose child is handicapped. It highlights an injustice: in France, parents caring for their disabled children do not receive aid when they grow old. There is no specialized public reception structure.
Broadcast on Arte, the film is overwhelming from start to finish. Marie-Madeleine, with Down syndrome, lived alone with her 74-year-old mother before returning with her to the private reception house in Boistissandeau. The viewer follows the entry of the two women into this innovative structure in Vendée. New breath for parents who are aging, it is also the comfort of better supervision for children whose autonomy is reduced, and the future, uncertain…
The security of a specialized residence
In this moving ode to life, we understand the approach of parents who wish to accompany their children to the end. “You have to adapt to the constraints, it’s a change of life of course, but it’s also a great relief”, confides Annie, the mother of Marie-Madeleine. “There is nothing worse than being alone, abounds Pascal, suffering from mental handicap. We were in a house where we didn’t see anyone, so one day we wanted to turn on the gas to end our lives, my mother and I, “ he tells Martin Blanchard.
Meeting other parents of handicapped children makes it possible to escape this terrible loneliness. Community life saves them. And if the state of health and traumas of people with disabilities are almost constantly worrying, Annie is reassured to “to be able to leave knowing that your child is in good hands”. These residents constitute, the documentary reminds us, a tiny part of the “carers” in France, those who devote their lives to relieving the pathology of their loved ones.