In the deserted corridors with bright yellow walls, a few wheelchairs make their way to the elevator in silence. Four residents came to enjoy the coolness of the large TV room, set up in a small theater. Two out of three seats were condemned, distancing requires. On this scorching day in mid-August, it is dead calm at the Residence de l'Abbaye, the nursing home in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés. The languor specific to retirement homes has been reinforced by the long months of confinement. And now we have to face the great heat.
It is almost noon and Yvette, almost 94 years old, short hair, radiant face, receives her visitors in semi-darkness. The curtains in her bedroom have been drawn to prevent the temperature from rising. Wet cloths that she has just applied to the back of her neck are drying on her walker. A fan sits in the middle of the room. The device - nicknamed "the virus machine gun" by some caregivers - must however be turned off.
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