She wishes to testify to the disarray which strikes today the personnel and the residents of the retirement homes affected by the coronavirus, where the epidemic has already made at least 884 dead, according to the first official assessment announced this Thursday, April 2. "Elle" is the director of an autonomy residence in the Paris region, who wished to remain anonymous so as "not to have problems with her management". But since the previous week and the screening of a first resident with Covid-19, this establishment welcoming 75 elderly people, with an average age of 90 years, has turned into anguish.
“When I learned that our resident had tested positive after his transfer to the hospital, I was shot. With the rest of the staff, we experienced this news as a feeling of injustice when our residents have been confined since March 23 and we have not stopped polishing the handles, the handrails of stairs…, says the manager . Now, we are especially very afraid that this is the start of a long series. "
Since this first case, the daily life of this residence where the residents - whose dean is 102 years old - are housed in studios has become "complicated". An understatement to describe the life of an establishment where several residents develop fever phenomena, but are not tested to find out if they are carriers of the virus.
"We may be healthy carriers"
The publication, for the first time this Thursday evening, of a national assessment of deaths in Ehpad (accommodation establishments for dependent elderly) linked to the coronavirus, is not likely to reassure it. "The problem since the beginning of the crisis has been that relationships have been limited to the bare minimum, in contrast to the social bond that we have been trying to develop for two years," says the director of the residence. Today, we put meals in front of the doors and we do not linger. There is a real stress on the staff, as we may be healthy carriers and we would not want to contaminate the residents. And the other way around, we don't want them to contaminate us. "
In this structure, the employees have gradually turned into caregivers that they are not since the residence is not medicalized. “Some nurses at home let us go, which overloads the team and causes slippages in tasks that we had never done in our lives, says the manager. We still try to follow people and, in this context, we received oxygen, which allowed us to relieve an elderly lady, and an oximeter to measure the oxygen saturation of the sick. We also have FFP2 masks delivered by the Regional Health Agency. But when you see, on television, the doctors dressed like cosmonauts and that you present yourself with a simple mask, without even an overcoat, it's freaking out for the staff. "
"A small stock of medicines"
For the manager, the "big anguish" now concerns the coming days. And like many leaders of nursing homes and nursing homes, it is preparing to accompany patients with Covid-19 to death. "I hope I am wrong, but what will I do if the 15th is unable to take care of an elderly person in acute respiratory distress?" questions the director. We are at the height of the epidemic and I can understand that emergencies are no longer moving. But on our side, we have to manage the end of life. This is it, and it's system D. "
VIDEO. Coronavirus: at least 884 deaths in nursing homes, announces Jérôme Salomon
How does it anticipate? "I turned to other Ehpad directors who sent me a list of drugs to support patients at the end of their lives," explains the director. I spoke to doctors about it, some replied that we are not going to be transformed into resuscitators and others told me that it is a good solution to have a small stock of drugs. So we are working on it. Hoping that the 15th will follow up on our calls. "