An “Observatory of the great age” (Ogra) has just been born in France, in the wake of the scandal of the accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (Ehpad) private Orpea and Korian. The association, in which lawyers, nursing home employees, journalists and architects meet, wants to participate in the debate on autonomy policies for the elderly.
It is Laurent Garcia, health executive in a public Ehpad and whistleblower at the origin of the investigation into the group of retirement homes Orpea, who launched this Friday an “Observatory of old age” (Ogra) sponsored by investigative journalists Victor Castanet and Florence Aubenas.
The association wants to be the pebble in the shoe “, the ” itching powder which will help keep the issue of nursing homes and old age in the public debate after the publication in January of the book-investigation The Gravediggers by Victor Castanet on the private group Orpea.
Association ” independent »
This association ” independent » wants to feed the debate on old age by publishing a report every December, fueled by « interviews “carried out in particular in nursing homes” who will open their doors to them “, with residents, their families, caregivers or officials, explained Laurent Garcia during a press conference in Paris attended by AFP.
A place where we meet eyes
Aurélie Aulagnon is a member of the executive office of the Observatory of the Great Age. She details at the microphone of Stéphane Duguet the objectives of the association which are intended to be constructive. ” The objective of Ogra is to be a relay, an observatory, a place where we meet eyes, where we can make proposals, proposals that come from the field, but from the field on the part families, on the part of caregivers, nursing home management, groups and anyone in fact who is in a position, legitimately to question the policies of old age, and to be able to really continue to ensure that this theme, this problem that affects us all is really permanently in our heads. »
Bringing up good practices
It will also be interested in the home help sector supporting dependent elderly people, said Mr. Garcia, who worked eight months at the Orpea nursing home. Banks of the Seine in Neuilly-sur-Seine, where Victor Castanet’s investigation began. ” There have been a lot of complaints since the release of the book, including against caregivers “said Mr. Garcia, who also wants” share good practices » and bring « appeasement “.
A desire confirmed by Aurélie Aulagnon to our journalist Stéphane Duguet: “ The nursing home is a system, we need it. Anyway, we know it very well, the Ehpad has its place when you have cognitive disorders, when you have a dependency that is much more advanced. (…) We don’t want to do Ehpad bashing [dénigrement d’Ehpad, NDLR], on the contrary. (…) There are other associations that have this role, at least relaying really pure and hard mistreatment. But we refuse to do that. On the contrary, we are still supporting nursing homes. We also have this role of relaying positive mechanisms, of things that are being created, of this role, of transmitting information, because, yes, there is institutional mistreatment, but there are also things extraordinary things that happen in nursing homes “.
To respond to the excitement aroused by the publication of the Gravediggersthe government announced at the beginning of March that the 7,500 nursing homes in France would be checked within two years.