Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet is co-founder and national treasurer of La République en Marche. She is a candidate in the legislative elections for the 4th district of Paris.
The strength of civilized societies has always been their attention to the weakest.
Pride in who we are thus depends on this collective attention that we decide to grant to those among us who need it the most.
Sick, elderly or disabled people, to take care of them is to act according to the highest laws of our conscience, and of our humanity.
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However, for too many years now, the involuntary violence that society as a whole inflicts on them has struck us in shock, from our culpable negligence in 2003 during the heat wave which caused nearly 15,000 victims, to our collective unrest in the face of the unbearable commodification of the dependence revealed by the Orpea scandal.
Faced with this moral obligation, our duty is to act, quickly and strongly, across partisan divisions: no one can tolerate that life expectancy in good health in France, although improving, remains below the European average , even going up to ten to twelve years apart from a country like Sweden for women!
This unbearable difference comes, among other things, from the inadequacy of our system to the specific problems of prevention, but also from the addiction that we have to solve.
The "all EHPAD" adds to the psychological and physical suffering of people dependent on heavy financial sacrifices.
Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet
Indeed, studies reveal a national trend of significant placement of the elderly in establishments, including nursing homes which accommodate more than 600,000 people, including 25% in lucrative private structures, well beyond European averages.
If the historical trend were to continue, it would lead to the necessary development of at least 100,000 additional places by 2030. The pursuit of such logic would run counter to the desire massively expressed by the first concerned to stay at home, while the costs of accommodation in nursing homes represent a considerable financial burden for families with an average remaining charge of €1,800/month.
The public authorities are well aware of this, and for the past twenty years, several measures that have undeniably gone in the right direction have been taken: the personalized autonomy allowance intended for people with a loss of autonomy, at home or in establishments, in place in 2001 was a cornerstone.
Since 2017, support for carers has been strengthened and future foundations have been built with the creation of the fifth branch of the general Social Security system to finance the autonomy of the elderly and people with disabilities.
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But we are still far from the mark: the challenge of aging is there, in front of us.
The elements of the report are on the table with the report of the former director of Social Security, Dominique Libault (2019), from which the presidential project was inspired with the project of constitution of a "true public service of the autonomy for our elders”.
Strong proposals are at the heart of the presidential project to allow everyone to experience old age serenely.
“Retirement being the savings of those who have no savings”, the minimum pension at the full rate of €1,100/month from 2023 is a primary condition for aging well.
The additional recruitment of 50,000 nurses and caregivers in nursing homes by 2027 will ensure the sufficient presence of qualified and valued personnel in their professions among our seniors.
The governance itself of EHPADs will have to change completely with a greater role for caregivers, families and residents of establishments with long-awaited full transparency on indicators of quality of care and rate of supervision and controls reinforced.
It is urgent to provide the means for another model, in particular through an authentic home care policy so much demanded by the elderly and their families.
Astrid Panoysan-Bouvet
Above all, it is urgent to provide the means for another model, in particular through an authentic policy of home care so much demanded by the elderly and their families: this will be the subject of the Prim'Adapt to cover up to 70% of the cost of adapting the accommodation (bathroom, stairs, etc.) to stay at home.
It will also be more presence of home helpers with our seniors, it will also be the object of the development of these third places which are residences mixing "at home with others" such as senior service residences, autonomy residences or better still the intergenerational residences.
Finally, we must continue and deepen the simplification, readability and deadlines for implementing support for the elderly and carers.
A good understanding of the aid available and the doors to be knocked on rests too often on the shoulders of the families, this is no longer possible.
A home care service with a single point of contact for the carer or the elderly appears essential today.
He is on the table of the presidential project.
This will be undeniable progress for the daily life of so many French people.
Full employment, the gradual rise in the retirement age are all avenues for fair financing that the presidential program proposes for this five-year term.
Astrid Panoysan-Bouvet
How are we going to finance this great project?
The scale of the necessary means must correspond to an increase in solidarity through economic growth and work, unless the debt is further weighed down, when other equally crucial missions, such as education or the energy transition, require entitled to their share of the collective efforts.
Full employment, the gradual raising of the retirement age, of which the time of old age and dependency is now part, are all avenues for equitable financing that the presidential program proposes for this five-year term. .
The result will be as important here as the method chosen, that of a consultation which will take place in the public square, with the elected representatives of the territories, the trade unions,
So that the time is no longer for media emotions quickly buried in the limbo of our bad conscience, so that France is there.
To paraphrase Chateaubriand, it is time for old age to once again become a dignity and not a burden.
It is by acting in this direction that we will restore all its luster to the most essential republican requirement, fraternity.