FIGAROVOX/Tribune – The decline of our health system directly affects the elderly, silent victims of the lack of resources and personnel, warns the Vendée MP Véronique Besse (various right), who calls on the next government to make this issue a national priority.
Véronique Besse is a member of parliament for Vendée (various right), former vice-president of the General Council of Vendée in charge of social affairs.
Whether the next government is purely technical, or whether it is destined to “fall” in a few days, one thing is certain: no one, neither at Matignon, nor at the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, will open the file that everyone has pretended to ignore for years: that of old age.
It must be said that it is easy: elderly dependents and their families do not march in the streets, nor do they go on strike. The distress of the healthcare workers is drowning in the decay of the healthcare system. However, in all the departments of France, the same observation is necessary: the establishments that take care of our elders are on the brink of the abyss, bankruptcies are multiplying, the staff have long since exceeded all the limits of what can be supported, the families and in particular the family caregiver, a daughter, a son, are desperate, and our elders… die in silence, after very often a long ordeal, inconceivable in a developed country like ours.
The chronic lack of resources, combined with a shortage of qualified labor, humiliates our elders who nevertheless built the France in which we live today. This dramatic situation is no longer simply a matter of managing a sector, (moreover), in difficulty. It is now a national crisis, which questions our very conception of solidarity, yet on everyone’s lips.
These are not technical, accounting decisions, but decisions that impact the end of life of our elders, and touch on the very essence of our humanity.
Veronique Besse
The next government will not be short of work, given the number of emergencies the country is facing. However, refusing to classify old age as a priority would be a mistake. We are in fact facing a historical responsibility. The promises repeated many times, never kept by previous governments, are responsible for a continuous deterioration in the living conditions, or rather the survival conditions now, of our elders. It is no longer possible to ignore, any longer, the suffering and distress behind the walls of our EHPADs.
As for home services, which are the responsibility of the departments, with the almost exponential growth in expenditure, the situation is the same. Yes. It is urgent that the issue of old age, so long relegated to the margins of political agendas when it was not simply absent, becomes a central and non-negotiable priority!
To make matters worse, inflation in recent years has made the situation considerably worse. The costs of raw materials, energy and personnel costs have exploded, further weakening already struggling facilities. Budgets have become insoluble puzzles, forcing some to make impossible choices: reduce staff, reduce meal portions, or sacrifice activities that bring a little comfort to residents. In reality, it is often all three levers that are pulled, simultaneously or consecutively. However, these are not technical, accounting decisions, but decisions that impact the end of life of our elders, and touch the very essence of our humanity.
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The next government will therefore have to equip itself with an immediate and ambitious action plan to start to redress the situation. It is crucial to release funding that meets real needs, to promote healthcare professions, and to thoroughly reform a system that has become obsolete. And to find these essential financial resources, we will have to innovate, knowing that, oh, luckily, these expenses cannot be relocated. A euro invested in old age is a euro that stays in France, creates jobs, and supports domestic consumption.
An ambitious old age policy is not only a moral imperative, it is also an economic and social necessity to ensure the cohesion of our country. Because that is what it is all about: national cohesion, the kind that keeps a society standing, is rooted in the way it treats the most vulnerable.
The issue of old age affects all families in France. We are all concerned. This subject must not be seen only through the small end of the accounting “telescope”. It must be approached with empathy, recognition and kindness.
Veronique Besse
As for French families, they are at their wit’s end. They no longer accept that their parents, their grandparents, live in fear of abandonment, in institutions where care, although essential, is sometimes reduced to its simplest expression. This silent suffering is a shame for our nation. It reveals a deep-seated evil, that of growing indifference towards those who can no longer make their voices heard.
It is no longer a question of making fine promises or drawing up technical reports. Old age can no longer be satisfied with minor reforms or marginal adjustments. What is needed is a real national awakening. It is time to put people back at the heart of public policies.
This requires concrete actions, adequate funding, and genuine recognition of those who, day after day, support our elders with courage and dedication. The challenge is immense, but it is also an opportunity. The opportunity to show that France is a nation that leaves no one behind, a nation that knows how to take care of its elders with the respect and dignity they deserve.
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The new Prime Minister will have to demonstrate determination, political courage, and a clear vision to meet this challenge. The future of our society, its ability to remain faithful to its values of solidarity and justice, depends on it. The time for words is over, but for action. Old age can no longer be the poor relation of political choices. The way in which France addresses this issue in the months and years to come will define the face of our nation for years to come. The time has come to act, and to act with the urgency and determination that this situation demands.
The issue of old age affects all families in France. We are all concerned. This subject must not be seen only through the small end of the accounting “telescope”. It must be approached with empathy, recognition and kindness. It is the heart that must speak! Because a nation that neglects its elders condemns itself to oblivion.
