Célia Prioux-Schwab admires her grandmother, Annie. An 82 year old “fighter” today. She has worked since she was 14 and lives like her, in Reims. But in mid-January 2021, Annie lost her weapons to the virus and tears are not far from her granddaughter. Affected by Covid-19 and already weakened by the disease, Annie, diabetic, leukemic, is on chemotherapy. She lives alone at her home with the regular help of her only daughter, Celia’s mother. Tuesday January 19 at noon, this elderly woman was hospitalized while her general condition deteriorated. She was confused in her words with breathing difficulties, she was transported to the University Hospital of Reims, says Célia. Put on oxygen, the verdict fell. She tested positive for Covid. The rest is a nightmarish sequence, continues Célia. She wishes to alert the public authorities to this series of difficulties that could happen to other families affected by the pandemic.
“In the middle of the afternoon, Tuesday, we call back the CHU.” Your mother is out. She is coming home this evening by ambulance. ” It is 4.30 p.m. My grandmother is positive for the Covid, my mother also, bedridden. I am of course case-contact myself and have a baby. In 30 minutes, we must find home support solutions for an elderly person positive for Covid. We will learn that there is no solution, no help offered. The social workers whom we contact urgently do not unfortunately have solutions either, themselves upset by this lack of cohesion. The sentence fell: the medical decision prevails over the difficulties and the social consequences “.
The loneliness of the elderly
A social worker herself, Célia is angry. “My grandmother must therefore remain alone, sick, at her home without any help to wash herself, eat, take her medication”. She denounces a public health policy deemed expeditious. “Do not offer home hospitalization? Do not set up a return home protocol for isolated elderly people who are positive for COVID? Here is where we are 1 year after the onset of COVID. The loneliness of isolated elderly people during this period of pandemic therefore does not matter? We were just asking for a little time to organize, to organize in the best conditions its maintenance at home “.
The story of this week of hardship that is not over leaves Célia with a bitter taste. “When my mother called the emergency room at the CHU to get news, she was told, she is going home. However, my grandmother lives alone, she is 82 years old, she is diabetic, she has leukemia, she is under chemo. Going home alone without help, it was complicated, and my mother could not help her. protection FFP2. I called the CHU, very friendly. They told me, we’re going to see the emergency room doctor, but she’s out, it’s 5:30 p.m. So at 6 p.m., she’s home with the covid. only. Without help. ”The anguish begins for his family.
On the phone, helpless, Celia is busy at home. She taps on her computer, calls everywhere and heats her smartphone to find a solution quickly. Helped by a social worker, she obtains the contact details of a general medicine coordinator. “I called this lady who was touched by our situation. She called me back, she passed on to her colleagues, but my grandmother was left alone all night. My mother did not have the courage to ‘to go, my dad also has covid. He’s sick… “
I called home helpers from Reims, but no one intervenes when you are positive for covid. A single association could intervene, within three days.
A night of worry for Célia and her mother. The gnawing guilt of leaving the octogenarian alone at home with the virus and her health problems. “The next day, I called the coordinator back, continues Célia, we set up a home hospitalization, but the question of meals arises. They do the care, the toilet and the insulin treatment, check the constants, but meals… I called home help in Reims, but no one intervenes when you are positive for covid. Only one association could intervene, within three days, but by then? I managed to find a solution at 4.30 p.m. the next day, with a company that agrees to intervene even if it is positive for covid “. Relief for Célia, help came to her grandmother’s house this Thursday, January 21 at noon. Two days after Annie returned home. “Finally, my mother went there in the meantime, she had no choice”.
“A system too frozen”
Angry, Celia shared her anger and distress on social networks. With great echo, she was even supported by an influencer with 1.6 million subscribers, Mel Dedigama, on Instagram. “I denounce the isolation of families in this case. Of course, I understand the health situation, I know the medical environment. We do not keep the elderly in hospital ok, but we do not take into account the isolation, we do not offer a solution, we were just asking for a night on call, while we turn around, I denounce a system that is too rigid, on the social aspect facing the health situation “.
Not to mention the financial cost of this home help. For three hours a day, or 9 p.m. per week at 28 euros per hour, the bill is 588 euros per week for us, explains Célia. “It’s 50% tax deductible, but you have to advance the costs. And to top it off, their mutual does not cover these costs.” As of December 31, 2020, the mutual guarantees were reviewed at the decline “, they learned by chance. So the family will dip into their savings.” My grandmother has a little, my parents too, the situation has to get better. Fortunately we can cope. Maybe an isolated elderly person would be better helped, I don’t know, asks Célia. I alerted so that it doesn’t start again, it can fall on an elderly or disabled person. Would a doctor have done this, if it was his grandmother?
Célia Prioux-Schwab received attentive listening from the town hall of Reims, via Facebook, “the mayor sent me his email, I was able to tell him what had happened, he transferred to his deputy responsible for health and social affairs, and vice president of the Marne departmental council in charge of the elderly “. There, we made up for the failure on our own. But we must help us, launches the young woman, disillusioned … “We do not know if she will survive. She still has the Covid”. For its part, the town hall confirms having been made aware of the situation. The deputy mayor evokes an unprecedented situation, and promises to take news, so that such a series of disappointments does not happen again.
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