The Vaudois Home Help and Care Association wants to address the growing challenges in mental health. Medical-social centers (CMS) can detect the first psychological disorders and implement actions to promote mental health among seniors, but not only that. They also plan to be available to young people.
“Mental health is the great challenge facing our society. We want to make it a powerful strategic axis, a pillar, within the Vaudois Association for Home Assistance and Care (AVASAD),” explains Keystone -ATS Tristan Gratier, president of the Board of Directors of the CMS umbrella organization.
“With its approximately 5,000 employees, AVASAD is well placed to detect mental health problems as quickly as possible in the field. And not only among seniors, but also among young people and active people,” says he. “This must become an axis of prevention for all of life.”
Important link
This is also one of the major objectives for 2025: to pass on the information that the CMS are also available to young people and their parents. To do this, it is necessary to strengthen “solid and professional” partnerships with pediatricians and family doctors in particular, according to him.
It is less known, but 98% of Vaud families affected by the arrival of a baby are contacted by CMS early childhood nurses, in an approach to health promotion and prevention. And 70% of them receive a benefit.
“AVASAD is a link between the world of health and the social world. The goal is to act early before mental health, associated or not with psychiatric disorders, deteriorates, or to support the client in its recovery, at all ages, and does not become a psychological problem”, notes Mr. Gratier.
The idea is that everyone does not hesitate to talk about their discomfort, stress, anxiety, anguish, loss of confidence and esteem, low morale, depression, depression or even dark thoughts, in order to prevent the onset of a crisis, and to support the person according to their resources. “It is undoubtedly less intimidating to speak to a collaborator of a CMS than to a psychiatrist,” summarizes Mr. Gratier.
Internal training
For several years, AVASAD employees have followed internal training on the concept and basic tools of mental health. Nearly 100 full-time positions concern mental health specialists who can intervene on more specific problems. In the canton of Vaud, around 3,000 CMS clients are supported each month for care needs linked to psychological disorders.
-Practicing a sporting or creative activity, maintaining social ties, organizing common meals, asking for support or even assisting in the acquisition of strategies to manage the illness or crisis, are concrete examples to promote and preserve mental well-being, cites Mr. Gratier.
Clearly, just as for the help and care provided at the physical level, mental health services are fully part of the mission of the CMS. They contribute to maintaining good health for the population, as part of a sustainable health approach and in the perspective of aging well at home.
Positive approach to well-being
It has been around four years since the theme of mental health emerged alongside that of the aging population. “Today, it has become obvious. Even the Vaud government has made it one of its priorities in its health program,” underlines the president of AVASAD.
According to the definition given by the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health corresponds to “a state of mental well-being which allows us to cope with the sources of stress in life, to realize our potential, to well learn and work well, and contribute to the life of the community. Essential to personal and community development, mental well-being is an integral part of general health, and is not defined only by the absence of psychological disorders, according to the WHO.
In Switzerland and according to the report on mental health from the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan), nearly 15% of people are affected by medium to serious psychological problems.”If life expectancy places the Switzerland at the top of the European ranking with an average of 83 years, life expectancy in good general, mental and physical health, brings the average down to 72 years. There is therefore still a lot of progress to be made”, notes Tristan Gratier. .
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
