French social care for elderly

A bit of a change this morning as Gill arrived at 8.30 while I was still here, as she is coming for half an hour in the evenings this week anyway I can’t skedaddle twice a day so just have to play it cool.

Anyway, away she went to get Fran up but was back to me 10 minutes later saying she couldn’t do anything with her. She was totally refusing to get out of bed, or even have a bed wash and change. So I went through and eventually she did allow me to get her up and I then left her to Gill to take her to the bathroom.

I don’t know what brought this on, perhaps she has suffered Gill in silence before in contrast to the way she loves to see Christine and Christelle but I hope it isn’t that she has percieved the tension between Gill and me.

Anyway, I was quite surprised that Gill did not lose her cool with her in the way that she hectors me, talking in a much quieter manner to Fran than her often shouty voice. We have to get along with it though, with Christine on holiday again, apart from Christelle’s 2 hours on Wednesday afternoon, it is wall to wall Gill all this week although she is complaining about the impossibility of her schedule. They seem in the office not to allow travelling time between appointments, quite bizarre.

No paid travelling time between calls is, apparently, one of the biggest gripes in UK.

2 Likes

Professional behaviour towards the patient. Getting shouty with a patient may be unthinkable for her, even though she gives everyone else a hard time.

2 Likes

She does sound professional and caring in her dealings with a patient

Yes, but I don’t think it is the money, they are scheduled to leave here at 9.30 for instance and commence with the next patient, 5 kms away, at the same time.

I was just pointing out that it is not just in France that social help has problems with the administration.

1 Like

You’re telling me, all last week Christine was only marked as cancelled, the day after she was supposed to be here, hardly the definition of planning and, as I have to get up early each time in order to be ready, very irritating.

The medical bed man finally arrived just now. 3rd attempt because he won’t make rdvs, turns up at the drop of a hat and twice I have not been here. Anyway it was not what Christine said, a change as a result of that infamous meeting, or as Gill said, to replace the mattress with an inflatable one, but simply an annual check. Can’t believe it has been here that long, January 7th last year it was delivered. :astonished:

1 Like

Gill has just been for the evening ‘shift’ and once again Fran refused to budge for her. She is in her wheelchair, not bed, but Gill didn’t want to push it in case it makes her awkward for me later and she will mention it (as opposed to ‘report’ it) to the office. She needn’t worry as if Fran had allowed herself to be changed now it is less likely that I would have to do it at her bedtime. I have mentioned that to Fran and said it might be better if she went along with Gill in the future.

It does occur to me that this ‘mention’ to the office might work in my favour if they have options in the future in not sending Gill here if it can be helped. We get along ok now but only because I am making an effort to not rise to any sllghts that she might make.

4 Likes

Things are getting worse between Fran and Gill, Fran is openly hostile and refusing to allow herself to be taken to the bathroom, even refused to get up one morning and I have been in the strange position of going through to the kitchen several times to persuade her to move if only to help me in having less to do later.

So far that has done the trick but just now she had the same attitude towards me after Gill left.

I walked Gill to the gate and said I was worried that overhearing our 2 rows had had an influence on Fran but Gill said no, it is just a feature of the disease and can’t be helped. I can’t help feeling though that Gill’s loud sing song baby talk voice is not helping the situation, it certainly grates on me.

Apart from the 2 hour stint tomorrow afternoon with Christelle, that Fran is looking forward to, it is Gill wall to wall twice a day all this week. Can’t wait till it’s over. Next week Gill is on holiday so it is mainly Christine back and a couple of shifts with 2 newbies Annabel, who is English but Christelle says darkly is ‘autoritaire et pire que Gill’ :roll_eyes:, and Kathleen who is French.

A week to look forward to. :joy:

1 Like

Thanks for giving such insight on the provision of care and the adventures of Gill and the others.
Ok for some more postings.

Thanks @Wozza , you know how the system works. :smiley:
I’m back in good books by the way, got a smile as I passed to switch the steamer on and risked, and got, a kiss. :joy:
Bit of a roller coaster ride here though. :roll_eyes:

6 Likes

“autoritaire et pire que Gill”

I can’t wait :slight_smile:

Seriously though, it must be hard work they have to do with their overall patient load and at least some of it may be their own way of coping.

You are doing well to combat it with the nonreactive killer charm technique :slight_smile: . At least it’s not always the same person

1 Like

:open_mouth::open_mouth::open_mouth::open_mouth::open_mouth:

I love that, could make a nice motto I reckon. :rofl:

4 Likes

We are recent (2022) arrivals as intending permanent residents in France. We have had a house here since 2018 but have only been visitors under the 90-day rule until our arrival with long-stay visas. My wife has had a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for many years; this was (in the UK) upgraded’ to permanent status. The present position is that these payments will now cease as they are excluded in the Brexit agreement. I have a recollection however that this situation might be reviewed or subject to appeal in the UK. Can anyone bring me up to date on this, please?

You can get the PIP daily living component, but not mobility.

Here:

As Jane said the likes of PIP daily living component, carers allowance, attendance allowance, ESA, industrial injuries benefits etc are classed as exportable benefits along with a S1.

Worth looking forward to. Annabel is tall, as Christelle said but not at all ‘authoritaire’ but after 10 minutes we both realised that we knew each other. It was her, as a cat fosterer for Phoenix, that I made a trip to Hungary back in October 2015 to deliver 2 Siamese to a Canadian lady living there. Pleased to find out that both are still alive and now living in Canada. :joy: She obviously enjoyed her 2 shifts here with us too as she said that it was possible to make preferences known to the bureau. I am reluctant to mess with such things, you never know when you are jumping out of the drying pan into the fire.

Kathleen, non English speaking and the total opposite of Annabel in that while one is tall and willowy, the other is short and chubby. But nontheless delightful and efficient for all that. Also a dog lover, the first thing she did when she saw our 2 was pull out her phone and show me her 2, a Collie X and a Jack R. :heart_eyes:

Also, for 2 days, another newbie. Francoise is a neighbour of many years but rather withdrawn, I thought perhaps shy. But not here, I had to show her the ropes somewhat as she has not been doing it long and at one point I think she made a rude joke about herself. There was one important word I couldn’t understand so made her write it down, couldn’t read her writing (it was something like ‘mannard’) so she laughingly swiftly scribbled over the whole phrase ‘so nobody else could read it’. What on earth could it be that was that bad? Here it is from memory ‘Est-que tu pense en (m(n)anarred) quand tu me voir?’. Any ideas? :thinking:

Gill has been off sick and then on holiday (did you know in France that it is against the law to have a holiday immediately following sick leave?) There must be at least one day worked in between. :astonished:

Anyway, I have not complained about her and have reached an accommodation, absenting myself from her presence wherever possible (as opposed to joyfully conversing with absolutely all the others) and resisting the urge to respond to her 2 most frequent and irritating faults, interrupting and disagreeing, both seemingly simply on principle. I am a little worried about Fran’s attitude to her, That could have repercussions.

A surprise meeting today (well it would have been had not Christine got wind of it and rung me :roll_eyes:) when no less than 6 people turned up in 3 cars to further discuss Fran’s problems and the way forward re improvements, largely in the way of improved wheelchair and shower access. I couldn’t believe it was not arranged and agreed with us, communication is definitely not their strong point, but I hope some improvement does come out of it. One idea is a medically trained professional to shower Fran which is very difficult for the aides due to the confined space.

Jules dutifully sang long, loud and mournfully to them as they all departed. :rofl:

2 Likes

It was were I worked in UK too.

Glad the changing of the guards was not all bad. Things will evolve and it’s good that they are tryimg to fimd Fran English speakers.

As for lack of notice etc, it seems to be a thing that once you are in the hands of a care association they feel they can come and go as they please as your house is now partly their house and you lose some personal boundaries (like a front door!)

1 Like

Fair enough Jane, but I was thinking more of them than me really. 6 people in 3 cars doing a total distance each of 30 kms is hardly a good or productive use of skilled peoples’ time if we hadn’t been here I would have thought.

Until it was cancelled last night, we had all 4 of us planned to be away from 10am till 6pm on Monday delivering a dog to Montlucon. If that had not been cancelled, and had been today, they all would have arrived en masse to find an open gate but locked house with no-one in it. :roll_eyes: