Right of visit to nursing homes, professional home help card… After the National Assembly, the Senate votes, this Tuesday, on a range of measures on “aging well”.
Debate in recent days in the hemicycle, the bill containing measures to “build the society of healthy aging in France” should be widely adopted.
Examined since mid-April by deputies then suspended on several occasions, this text, although consensual, nevertheless summarizes all of the government's difficulties in the elderly sector.
This is particularly the case for the presentation of a multi-year programming law on the autonomy promised by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron at the start of his first five-year term, which is still being awaited by professionals in the sector and which is requested by senators.
“I am committed to ensuring that such a law is presented to you.
You are free to believe me or not, but I cannot be clearer: the arbitration has been made, the commitment is made.
I would almost go so far as to tattoo it on my skin, if that were all it took to convince you!
», Launched the former Minister of Solidarity Aurore Bergé to the attention of the deputies at the end of November.
Pending an opinion from the Council of State
Two months later, with a new government and a new minister, Catherine Vautrin, the executive's words are less clear: Prime Minister Gabriel Attal did not mention this text in his general policy speech to Parliament and Catherine Vautrin explained that it was awaiting an opinion from the Council of State, scheduled for Thursday.
“I have serious concerns regarding the comments made by the minister.
Nothing guarantees this commitment,” regretted socialist senator Corinne Féret.
“In my opinion, the old age law is what is being presented to us here”, feared the rapporteur LR Jean Sol, all the same inviting us to adopt this proposed law on “aging well”. that it “only partially responds to the issues”.
The situation has even created a “sort of legislative UFO” according to the communist Céline Brulin: in fact, the text on “aging well” itself refers to this multi-annual law on old age by requiring the government to present before the end of 2024. A provision that many consider symbolic and non-binding.
Inclusion in the law of visiting rights in nursing homes
However, several strong measures are present in this text examined by the senators such as the creation of a professional card to facilitate the recognition of the work of home workers, or the inclusion in the law of the right of visitation in nursing homes, after the trauma of many families during the Covid-19 crisis.
The text also provides for the creation of a departmental autonomy service with a view to “decompartmentalizing” policies in favor of the elderly and people with disabilities.
A system for reporting cases of mistreatment is also planned.
Another new feature is a support fund for departments, amounting to 100 million euros, so that they can contribute to the transport costs of home help professionals, including to finance the obtaining of their driving license.
Relatively commented on, a measure introduced in the Assembly to protect the right of residents in nursing homes to welcome their pet, desired by numerous associations, was very attenuated in the Senate, which chose to leave control to the establishments.
“I thought I fell out of my chair... Guaranteeing such a right would pose many problems: hygiene, allergies, phobias, compatibility between animals,” worried Senator Daniel Chasseing (Radical Party), for example.
After the probable adoption of the text in the Senate, deputies and senators will try to find a compromise text during a joint joint committee (CMP).
But this will not be an easy task because the Senate deleted almost half of the articles resulting from the examination of the deputies, such as this provision which aimed to oblige private nursing homes to devote a fraction of their profits to improving the property. -be their residents.