As a seismic indicator, the standard of the Outstretched Hand began to be agitated from the start of the crisis. “There was a spike just before the Federal Council’s announcements on March 13. We received approximately 130 calls per day. Never seen!” Director of the famous listening service in the canton of Vaud, Catherine Bezençon observes that the flow has since stabilized, but the observation remains: now, almost all calls concern the coronavirus. “We started by collecting very practical questions. People didn’t know if they could kiss, cash or buy their medicine. ” Then other anxieties appeared, between loneliness, loss of bearings, and even a feeling of stigmatization for some seniors.
Network mobilized
Just over a week ago, the cantonal authorities presented a reinforced psychological support system to cope with the moral consequences of the pandemic. Among the existing resources, the Outstretched Hand has been mobilized, but it is by far not the only one. Aimed at young people, Pro Juventute’s 147 is also on the front lines, as well as the central office for doctors on call and the Fondation de Nant telephone line for the east of Vaud.
To this listening network is now added a strengthening of the health hotline set up by the Canton as part of the pandemic. Since March 20, the doctors and nurses who answer the calls are in fact seconded by psychological respondents ready to take care of the distress specially linked to the coronavirus.
Yves Froté is the Canton’s emergency psychological aid coordinator. And if he doesn’t deliver statistics, he has noted for several days a gradual increase in calls related to a listening need on the health hotline. “The population is now fairly well informed about the epidemic, which leaves more room for other anxieties. People are looking for a relationship. ” This trend has an impact on the duration of calls, which is 25 minutes on average and which can go up to an hour in some cases.
“In this crisis, we are not facing an event clearly delimited in time, like an earthquake. The danger is as intangible as it is massive and it deeply affects social ties, ”observes Yves Froté. He evokes in particular the fragility of people who see a network already tenuous before the crisis disappear, but also that of migrants, families in difficulty or people who suffer from mental problems. “Listening is not always enough and you have to be able to refer to the appropriate services. However, it is essential in helping people reconnect to their personal resources so that they can take care of themselves. ”
Young people, families and seniors
At the Pro Juventute permanence, Florence Baltisberger welcomes the strengthening of the support network in the canton. “We don’t have an influx of calls directly related to the coronavirus,” she says, “but we find that the personal problems and fragile situations that young people experience are exacerbated.” To prevent tensions within families, the Youth Protection Service (SPJ) has for its part set up a brand new line for parents who struggle to manage the daily life with their children. “People can be confused to find themselves 24 hours a day with their family, without being able to breathe, comments Kim Carrasco, prevention manager at the SPJ. We are trying to make people understand that this is normal in a situation which is completely new. “
Densified, the cantonal support network still leaves room for local initiatives. Chavannes-près-Renens has thus succeeded in mobilizing some 30 volunteers to offer regular listening by telephone, in particular to seniors. And with three to four requests per day since the past week, the initiative has hit the mark. “There is a real need, not only to be followed, but to feel connected to a community”, observes Alain Plattet, head of the Social Cohesion Service in the commune of West Lausanne.
Created: 03.31.2020, 07:21
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