Time stands still today, silence reigns in the residential area of Bois-Guillaume. Sunday June 7, 2020, Jacqueline Goullé celebrates its hundred years. ” I do not go out of my amazement! “, She confides. She herself does not believe it. During this deconfinement, some of his children visited him at the La Boiseraie retirement home: “ It turns out that it falls on Mother’s Day, it’s an absolutely extraordinary symbol “Says her son, Jérôme Le François. Visits to Ehpad are authorized since June 5 to more than two people at the same time and to minors, a golden moment for them.
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Compulsory preparation
Mask, over-blouse, visor and hydroalcoholic gel, Jacqueline’s guide prepares us before entering the room. It is located on the ground floor of the retirement home. This Ehpad, which has not seen any cases of Covid-19 since the start of the crisis, is doing everything to protect its fragile residents, even if it is not to the taste of Jérôme Le François, a doctor for thirty years, who fought to see his mother: ” I am fully equipped, wipes, mask, visor, I would still like to be able to kiss my mother! She needs this emotional contact. “No more than six people in the room, the goal being to respect the barrier gestures:” Everything has been done to celebrate her birthday with dignity “, Explains the director, Madame Sageot.
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Isabelle, Jérôme Le François’s sister, and his niece try to drink their cup with the visor. (Photo: Mélina Le Corre)
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Isabelle, Jérôme Le François’s sister, and his niece try to drink their cup with the visor. (Photo: Mélina Le Corre)
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Hugs from afar
Large table with white tablecloth, strawberry and champagne ” prescribed by prescription “Laughs the nurse. The birthday party must last 90 minutes. A huge bouquet of flowers sits behind Jacqueline and everyone gathers around the table. A very surprising spectacle, between visors and sip of champagne. The laughter is shy, but the emotion is present: ” Time flies », Jacqueline slips to her son. A human moment that his children and grandchildren savor every minute. They contemplate her, smile at her, take a picture of her, to immortalize this intimate moment.
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Jacqueline poses with her guide for a photo. (Photo: Mélina Le Corre)
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Jacqueline poses with her guide for a photo. (Photo: Mélina Le Corre)
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The obstacle course
Bright and well-groomed gaze, Jacqueline, born June 7, 1920 in Déville-lès-Rouen and nurse by profession, experienced war. But she knew how to keep “A healthy lifestyle” rigorous: “I have all my teeth!” “, she smiles. The guide does not hide his joy in living this moment: “I have been here for six years, like Madame Goullé and it is a pleasure to be able to celebrate this. “
For Jérôme, the balloons on the ceiling and the gifts brought the day before – flowers, watch, perfume – are not enough to make people forget the health crisis.
After various email exchanges regarding his mother’s birthday with the principal, he and the rest of the siblings were able to reach a compromise. They have already been able to see Jacqueline may’s beginning : ” The planned meeting was through the plexiglass, it is very good that they take precautions. She was very happy to see us. “
The measures imposed by the government have, according to Jacqueline’s children, impacted the centenary. Before, she could move with her walker, but the two months of confinement tired her and she is now using a wheelchair.
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The Plexiglas airlock installed for visits during confinement. (Photo: La Boiseraie retirement home)
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The Plexiglas airlock installed for visits during confinement. (Photo: La Boiseraie retirement home)
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Madame Sageot tried to bring the residence to life to alleviate the isolation: ” We set up activities on the terrace in small groups and there was particular attention to dining in the room ” From the outside, Jérôme Le François find these conditions “ ashamed and inhumans. Total deconfinement could bring residents’ lives back to normal, to the delight of the family.
Jacqueline, who ” flourishes in its ultra-old age According to his son, will soon resume his favorite activities: theater and quizzes. This smiling woman with sparkling eyes is a real ” train-in-train ” here. So : ” Let’s drink! “
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