“Socially, we have killed more people than the Covid,” said Dr. Jean-François Villard, director of the palliative care service at Hayange Hospital. In nursing homes or at home, a first assessment is essential, more than a month after the start of confinement. The epidemic has caused collateral damage. Isolation has claimed lives. He destroyed families. Left to die alone, far from their loved ones.
In the palliative care unit at Hayange, which has ten beds, the question quickly arose. “Very early on, we thought that containment was going to be a problem. We asked the authorities. We were exceptionally given the green light to authorize visits on a case-by-case basis. “
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“Very complicated emotionally”
Despite the Covid-19, people continued to die in the service. They had to be supported taking into account the health context. “We take stock every day. Which family is to come? What family can wait? “Says Dr. Villard. “We have organized a schedule to avoid people crossing paths with the service. Time slots have been reserved. Families were forced to wear masks. In theory, we forced them not to touch their loved ones, but it was very difficult. On an emotional level, it’s very complicated, “said Sylvie Moretti, a health executive in the service.
How to justify social distancing when the outcome is certain for end-of-life patients? Doctor Villard agrees: “We were not in the privacy of the rooms. Concretely, we do not prevent them from touching their loved ones, we are not there to play the gendarmes. Our role is to call for caution. “
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“The marks of support touch us”
The organization of the service has been turned upside down. Support volunteers, art therapists, music therapists have suspended their interventions. “This is a real lack,” says Jean-François Villard. Despite the context, the nursing staff multiplied the initiatives to kill the boredom of the patients: tablets and board games were offered to them. In this test, the team tightened their ties: “At the start, there was bound to be concern. But even before confinement, we wore masks. Over time, the anxiety subsided. We are kind to each other. From the outside, we feel recognized and these marks of support touch us a lot, “says Sylvie Moretti.
At the Palliative Care Unit in Hayange, no patient died from Covid-19.
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