Since the start of the weekend, concern has been escalating in accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people in Paris. And the lack of places in the resuscitation services of hospitals in the region makes the situation even more tense.
"The Samu no longer comes to take residents of nursing homes sick with coronavirus," admits Galla Bridier, assistant to the mayor of Paris responsible for seniors. "The resuscitation services in the region are completely saturated," said the elected official.
18 deaths in an Ehpad in the 5th arrondissement
Some nursing homes managed by the Social Action Center of the City of Paris (CASVP) are more affected than others. This is the case of the establishment "Jardin des Plantes" in the 5th arrondissement which has 112 residents. "18 deaths have been counted there" sighs Emmanuel Grégoire, first deputy of the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo. Perhaps the cramped location, but also probably a member of staff diagnosed late. "Since then, he has been on sick leave," said the assistant responsible for seniors.
Hence the decision of the Paris city hall to generalize screening tests to all the staff of these establishments and to all their residents. "We will launch 8,000 tests this week," says Emmanuel Grégoire. The first will be carried out in two CASVP nursing homes, that of the Jardin des Plantes obviously and another in the 13th century, before being generalized to all public and… private nursing homes. In the meantime, all residents (sick or not) of establishments managed by the Paris town hall are isolated in their rooms.
Make up for the lack of equipment
The City has also embarked on a mad rush with its contacts and networks to make up for the lack of equipment faced by the carers of these establishments dedicated to the elderly. Because after the shortage of masks, today comes the shortage of blouses, gloves, charlottes. "We have placed orders, of course, but we are also making all the drawers of establishments and companies that may have equipment they do not use," explains Emmanuel Grégoire.
"The electric scooter rental company Cityscoot donated 100,000 charlottes which are usually donated to put under helmets," adds Galla Bridier.
The university assistant Marie-Christine Lemardeley also asked the laboratories of higher establishments to recover their stocks of blouses and gloves. "The ESPCI (Higher School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry of the City of Paris) delivered 1,000 blouses," says Anne Hidalgo's first assistant.
Smocks and charlottes in the canteens
The Town Hall also launched a general appeal to all the mayors of boroughs this Saturday to activate their own networks. A dozen days ago already, several of them went to collect the blouses and charlottes usually reserved for canteens in school meals.
And this weekend, several mayors (LR), in constant contact since the beginning of the crisis with the Ehpads of their districts, went to deposit boxes of masks just received from the Ile-de-France Region chaired by Valérie Pécresse (LR).
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Sick leave, childcare problems… the nursing homes lack arms and nursing staff. If you would like to volunteer to help them, contact 3975.