Sad ballet in front of the retirement home and geriatrics of the Rothschild foundation, in Paris (12th), this Wednesday. Since the morning, the funeral services follow one another to take away the coffins of the dead residents of the coronavirus. "I've been here twice already in three days," breathes one of them, masked behind a wooden box larger than him. And the pace could further increase in the coming days. Because the management of the structure announced the death of 16 people, but also the contamination of 81 others at Covid-19. Some of these seniors are unconscious, in a state deemed "critical".
Observing these comings and goings, families wait in front of the doors of the Ehpad (accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people) that they will finally come and open them.
"But finally it is unbearable this lack of consideration, listen to me at least", plague through the grid an octogenarian came to recover information on the protocol: "The closest relatives of the deceased are in Israel, they need to know what they can do and you don't answer them on the phone. It will take him almost half an hour to catch a glimpse of a member of the Foundation's staff outside, without having a clear answer.
Twenty contaminated staff members
To add to this picture of desolation, after the hustle and bustle of the past few days to build up stocks, customers have deserted the Franprix located on the sidewalk opposite. “I prefer to travel 300 meters more and go to another mini-market, says a neighbor, who is used to the place. We know that the Foundation's carers do their shopping here. And, around twenty staff members of the Rothschild Foundation are also contaminated.
Thierry, 53, paces around the gate, waiting for news about the health of his 90-year-old mother. "She has been there for 15 years, from the time she needed medical help, because we could not continue to take turns to keep her with us," he says. With these five brothers and sisters, all from the Paris region, they opted for this establishment because it was adapted to the needs of this “Israelite” woman.
"We are left in the most total blur"
Last Thursday, Thierry received a call from the management of the establishment. "I was told that everything was fine, but that she had a little fever and was positive for the coronavirus," he recalls. Since then, we have been trying to reach someone to find out how the situation is evolving. But impossible to have an answer. We are hung up on the nose or it sounds busy. I tried up to ten times a day. And the last time, without even asking my name or my mother's room, they told me not to worry. We are left in the most total blur. It is a lack of humanity. "
A nurse paid in addition by the family, visited the nonagenarian every day to help her eat. "So that she is not left in her corner," he explains. This caregiver, well introduced to the staff, was able to enlighten the family: “She told us that my mother was in a coma. "
So when he learned more about the health situation in the nursing home through the media, too bad for confinement, he decided to move with his sister. "She was able to come back, but not me, they don't want us to come back with others," he sighs. I am angry with the management, but not the staff who are not enough to manage this crisis. "
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His sister ends up leaving the care structure. On the verge of tears, she confirms to him that their mother is "unconscious. Both keep a tiny hope.
"We cannot say goodbye to our loved ones because their bodies are probably contagious"
This is not the case for Louis who has been waiting on the street with his relatives for more than two hours. It is 2:00 p.m. and he sees the funeral adviser come out of the structure and place a coffin in his hearse. The family is getting closer. She is invited to follow the black sedan to the funeral home. "We know that we cannot say goodbye to our loved ones, to see their faces one last time because there is confinement, and also because their bodies are probably still contagious", says another bereaved family bitterly .
The staff and management, contacted, never wanted to respond. The Ile-de-France regional health agency (ARS) said that it had sent "a team on site to help set up an action plan, hygiene measures, and psychological support. Before clarifying: "When we saw the situation deteriorate this weekend, we had delivered a lot of masks in an emergency. But the Covid-19 had already affected a significant number of people at 76, rue de Picpus, as in 147 other Ehpad in Ile-de-France.
This huge nursing home accommodates 510 residents, who generally suffer from serious pathologies. Most of the deceased were over 90 years of age. The youngest of them was 75 years old, and suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The first death was recorded on March 11 in this structure, and things accelerated thereafter to reach this already terrible toll and that the next few days should weigh down further.
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