Content
Read on a page
Sometimes time is barely enough for a bonjour. Dirty diapers can only be changed after hours. And leaden fatigue after service. Since France’s nursing staff protest against “broken-down” old homes, affected people tell of ir dramatic experiences in home. At end of January, tens of thousands of people went into streets: for first time in country’s history, residents, caregivers and relatives asked for more people to be employed in senior citizens ‘ homes.
if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile8’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile8’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–8 ad-desktop–8-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-label’, ‘Anzeige’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-8’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile8’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 8 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile3’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile3’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–3 ad-mobile–3-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-3’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile3’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 3 mobile’) } } }
The strikes have instigated French trade unions. Guillaume Gontard is a nurse at sourn of Montpellier and is pleased that “finally something is going on.” For first time in his life, he had fought and striked, even inhabitants would have encouraged him. “We want to keep going. The government would have to do our job, n it would do more for us, “says 30-year-old. He is chairman of Sourn Group in Nursing Association (FNAAS). Every day he has to decide wher to disinfect everything correctly and to clean, or rar to change a word with inhabitants. It was an eternal haste. Gontard is convinced: movement will still grow. After all, everyone will be old and every man wants to die in dignity. “We’ve been doing everything for far too long,” he says.
Will care costs be higher?
The inhabitants also find this. Neverless, trade unions of both countries concede that it is difficult to demonstrate toger with senior citizens from home. On one hand, carers are afraid that criticism of home will fall back on ir work. And residents are afraid that demand for more pay for carers in end will cost m mselves more, because ir own share for nursing costs could be greater. Neverless, this time French managed to overcome this barrier at least in part – even if seniors often do not want ir home to be called public. Marguerite went to streets toger with her carers at sourn Nice. “Our food is miserable,” she says, “lukewarm and overcooked.” Moreover, with some help, it could actually still run, very slowly, but after all. But because nurses had no time, she was sitting in a wheelchair because it was quicker. “We old must be treated better,” says 86-year-old.
In meantime, Paris government has promised to increase budget for old homes by 50 million euros this year. However, many nursing associations think this is far too little. And yet it is completely unclear where money will go. The regional health authorities should distribute it to homes that need it most. Gontard says: “All homes need more jobs and more material, without exception.” The state homes are so poorly equipped that sometimes y even mangle to washcloths. The private homes, on or hand, paid ir employees particularly poorly.
if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ !window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-desktop ad-desktop–4 ad-desktop–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘desktop’); elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-label’, ‘Anzeige’); document.getElementById(‘ad-desktop-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 desktop’) } } } if ( typeof AdController !== ‘undefined’ window.Zeit.isMobileView()) { if ( !document.getElementById( ‘iqadtile4’ ) ) { var elem = document.createElement( ‘div’ ); elem.id = ‘iqadtile4’; elem.className = “ad ad-mobile ad-mobile–4 ad-mobile–4-on-article”; elem.setAttribute(‘data-banner-type’, ‘mobile’); document.getElementById(‘ad-mobile-4’).parentNode.appendChild(elem); AdController.render(‘iqadtile4’); if ( window.console typeof window.console.info === ‘function’ ) { window.console.info(‘AdController ‘ AdController.VERSION ‘ tile 4 mobile’) } } }
More and more retirement homes and sometimes even individual rooms are sold to private investors. In meantime, many French companies have invested in German institutions: French Corian group has most nursing rooms in both countries. In September 2017, French venture capital fund, Chequers, took over total 46 homes of a Hamburg-born nursing group. Working conditions are equally hard everywhere. “In Germany too, nursing staff are doing poorly. They are much more physically and mentally ill than or professional groups and only a few can imagine being able to endure profession until retirement, “says Astrid Sauermann, health expert from Verdi union. At night in nursing homes, a person is often solely responsible for 50, 60 or even 70 residents.
Sauermann is to listen to fact that she envies French colleagues for ir strikes – so far re has been no such thing in Germany. “Strikes in old care are difficult to organize, alone because Pflegekräftedie residents or patients reluctant to leave alone.” But here too, nursing staff would be more courageous and louder.
