Le Figaro Lyon
Porto waits in the entrance of the Tassin-la-Demi-Lune Respite House.
In turn, moral support, help with sleeping, or simply a comforting presence, the golden retriever is the mascot of this unique place in France.
An exceptional setting in a one-hectare wooded park which welcomes caregivers and their sick or disabled loved ones.
“In difficult situations, those around you also experience the challenges.
And caregivers are often silent because they give themselves fully to the person they love without any other recognition than a smile or a thank you.
In this context, respite is a need that few dare to express
,” explains Pascal Charmot, the mayor of the town which hosts this rest center near Lyon.
The Respite House opened its doors in 2018 in the presence of Brigitte Macron thanks to the support, among others, of the France Répit, OVE, bioMerieux foundations but also the Hôpitaux de France.
On site, 450 families are followed and helped during short stays to rest, recharge their batteries, be supported and prepare for a more peaceful return home.
Najah, mother of a boy almost nine years old suffering from an orphan disease of which there are only 30 cases in the world, came to rest this Friday afternoon.
“We found out about this place through the Women-Mother-Child Hospital in Bron.
When we first came here, we were at the end of our rope.
People have little awareness of the difficulty of having a disabled child.
Few couples resist
,” she confides to Le
Figaro
.
“Sometimes loved ones break down and we can witness forms of abuse linked to the exhaustion of caregivers
,” says Pascal Blanchard, vice-president of the Lyon metropolitan area in charge of Solidarity.
Also read: “At the age of love affairs, I managed my mother’s entry into a nursing home”: the inverted life of young caregivers
9.3 million caregivers in France
After an appointment with the mobile team of the rest home which includes a doctor, a psychologist social worker nurse, Najah, her husband and their son were received in Tassin.
“It was a breath of fresh air coming here.
Today, I come to have a real moment for myself
,” continues the mother who came for treatment.
On site, caregivers can access physiotherapy sessions, treatments or just rest.
France has 9.3 million caregivers (165,000 in the Lyon metropolitan area), 58% of whom are women.
80% of these caregivers believe that they do not receive enough support and 85% feel physical or psychological impacts of their role as caregiver, which in 60% of cases overlaps with their professional activity.
Aware of these issues, the metropolis of Lyon has set up for several years a
“one-stop shop”
to direct caregivers to more than 300 services available in the metropolitan area.
The Tassin-la-Demi-Lune Respite house seen from the outside.
OVE Foundation
The house, whose construction cost 5.5 million euros, has fifteen medical rooms, one of which is always left free for emergencies.
“Sometimes caregivers break down.
Here they can come within a few hours to drop off the person being helped when the home no longer holds up
,” indicates Henri de Rohan-Chabot, founder and general delegate of France Répit.
The person being cared for is thus taken care of by the home teams while the caregiver can spend a night's rest in another room or simply return home.
28 employees work on site accompanied by 80 volunteers.
Last year, 900 stays were recorded.
Read alsoAssist without forgetting yourself: the difficult balance of family caregivers
A respite home in Paris in 2025
On site, everything has been done to ensure that the place does not resemble a traditional hospital.
The decoration of the common areas such as the rooms has been careful and takes on the appearance of hotel rooms rather than a medical place.
“Providing a quality place also means having consideration for vulnerable people
,” assures Henri de Rohan-Chabot.
A welcomed public whose remaining charge is around twenty euros, often covered by mutual insurance companies, for one night and three meals.
The OVE foundation can also finance this modest amount for families who cannot afford it.
Also read: From dedication to exhaustion, the daily hardship of family caregivers
A similar place should see the light of day in Boulogne-Billancourt, in Hauts-de-Seine, by the end of 2025 supported by the Hôpitaux de Paris.
The France Répit foundation would like to create in the future
“at least one house in each region
” of France so “
that the country catches up that it only started to make up for in 2019”
, concludes its president.
In October 2023, the government announced the creation of 6,000 additional “respite” places to guarantee “15 days a year to breathe” for caregivers.