How to manage addiction or disability on a daily basis without them? There would be 8 million caregivers in France, essential complements to health services. At the heart of a health crisis that has often complicated their everyday missions, they are now waiting for support and recognition. This is what Dr. Imad Sfeir, president of the RESEDA network (neuro-evolutionary diseases network) of Bourgogne-Franche Comté, who is very involved in supporting addiction, explains for Why Doctor.
– What is the situation of carers when the second wave has led to a new period of confinement?
Dr. Imad Sfeir : Caregivers need support even more today! This second wave of the epidemic and the confinement that accompanies it impacts their movements, their daily life, at the very moment when they must be even more alongside the people helped. For this reason they in turn need to be psychologically supported and to be offered respite solutions. It is for this reason that the RESEDA network offers caregivers the support of our team of psychologists, even if they can only intervene remotely due to confinement. And we have other activities, also remotely, which allow them to take good care of themselves, and above all to spend time thinking about something other than the illness or the difficulties of the people they support.
– But caregivers, especially those who accompany people at home, are sometimes very isolated. How do you manage, in the current circumstances, to stay in contact with each of them?
Dr IS : Since well before the crisis, through our network, we had organized contacts and meeting times with carers, such as museum visits for ‘carer-cared-for’ couples, but also cooking classes, sewing workshops, which we were able to continue remotely and to keep in touch with caregivers during this second wave and this new period of confinement.
– That is the action of your network. But more generally, while the role of caregivers is essential, are they given enough support and recognition?
Dr IS :Even if we have made efforts over the past few months since we have put in place measures to help caregivers financially by paying them annual lump sums to help them take a break, a kind of paid leave, we don’t didn’t go all the way to meet their needs and thank them. However, without caregivers – they represent approximately 8 million people in France if we consider as such caregivers of disabled or dependent people – we would have to finance as many new health professionals! We must recognize the very important role they play in the care of sick people in France, also recognize their status and help them in difficult times like those we are going through so that they can continue to take care of these sick.
– In your opinion, what would make it possible to support them better?
Dr IS : I insist, first of all there should be recognition of their caregiver status and this recognition goes a lot through something very important for them, the possibility of taking paid leave. They are now entitled to three months out of all the time spent with the people being helped, but it will be necessary to go well beyond that so that the caregivers can have real respite time.
– Which implies that it is also necessary to be able to replace them with the person being helped…
Dr IS : Exactly. But it will also be necessary to provide financial support to carer-carered couples so that they can go on vacation together: there are several centers in France which can accommodate them but all this costs money… It is absolutely necessary to help the helping to hold on!
– This material aid, at what level do you evaluate it?
Dr IS :We have already made things happen since we offer caregivers packages of 500 euros per year to take a break. But that is not enough. If we have improved the system, we must nevertheless go further and in what we offer financially, and in recognition in terms of status.
– Concretely, what would be the decisions, the measures to be taken?
Dr IS : For example, we could finance accommodation for temporary stays in establishments but also pay for transport for day care. Currently, a large part of the costs remains the responsibility of the carer. But for that we need laws that improve funding and care.
– Can this health crisis with its consequences on carers lead to things moving faster?
Dr IS : It is indeed the possible positive side of the crisis, there are always positive sides in a crisis! This can be an accelerator to advance certain laws, go further in certain systems if everyone has understood the stakes of assistance in difficulty… The public authorities seem to have become aware of the role of the caregiver, but it is necessary now to advance this new “old age and autonomy” law that we are still impatiently waiting for, that there are additional devices to support caregivers and give them the recognition that is due to them!
Below, our podcast on the theme: “How caregivers are coping with the health crisis”