“Confinement is not easy for anyone! “, Underlines Lucie François, educator within the family Association for the assistance to the handicapped children of the agglomeration messina (Afaedam) which intervenes since the beginning of the confinement at the home of the parents of a habitual resident of one of the structures of the association, an autistic adolescent. This situation can be all the more complex or cumbersome to deal with for parents of children with disabilities because the latter have been welcoming their children in their homes permanently since March 17. “For the residents that we usually house 100%, as an intern, we explained to the parents at the very beginning of confinement that if they wanted their child to be confined to their home, there would be no possibility back to the reception structure before the measures are lifted… ”, details Gilles Muller, deputy director general of the APEI Moselle. Similarly and like other structures of the same type, day care residents were also invited to stay in their homes, the time of confinement. In the vast majority of cases, things are going well, but it is often quite cumbersome to manage.
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Mobile teams
Thus, explains Lucie François again, “in the family in which I work, I mainly offer walks. The father accompanies us and this allows the working mom at night to take a little rest, to have a breath. ” An essential break time to last over time when, despite the experience of parents, you are not a professional trained in the supervision of people with disabilities.
Within the APEI Moselle, mobile teams to provide interventions in families were trained from the start of the crisis in addition to the establishment of a toll-free number. “We also offer a platform on which there are educational supports so that we can work with children. We also offer closed Facebook groups so that children can chat with each other as they are used to. Finally, certain treatments, such as a speech therapy consultation, are accessible remotely … “, details Gilles Muller. The opportunity for the association to reinvent itself and adapt its practices by meeting these new needs.
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Successful deconfinement to come
A toolbox which contributes to achieving “fixing two to three daily meetings.” This is very important, “explains Kevin Jougleux, educator, coordinator at the Le Patio specialized home in Metz (Afaedam).
Because of this maintenance of the rhythm of activity, of the contact between residents but also with the educators who usually supervise them depends both on the good progress of the confinement period and the success of the coming deconfinement: “When it will be necessary to return within the structure, medico-educational institute or specialized foster home, this maintenance of the link will be very important, ”concludes Lucie François.
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