Toulouse. Following the Orpea scandal, three friends create a collective to “humanize the Ephad”
By Guilhem Pouiol
Published on
They decided to fight for improve the quality of life of our seniors who live in Ephad. Three friends from Toulouse created the collective “Occitanie solidaires – Initiatives Ephad”. The aim is to highlight the malfunctions establishments in Haute-Garonne and to take action to “humanize the nursing homes”.
Karine Rigaldie, Jean-Léon Bouraoui and Linda Terrier work together at the University Toulouse Jean-Jaures. All three have parents who live in nursing homes located in the Toulouse region. They decided to create their collective following the release of the book The Gravediggerswhich highlighted the mistreatment of elders in certain establishments of the Orpea group.
Influencing the public debate
This book gave me the effect of an electric shock, because my mother lives in an Orpea establishment. I found myself in some testimonials. My mom, for example, was deprived of a real shower for three weeks. We realized that all the families who have elders in nursing homes are faced with the same problems. The system put in place dehumanizes our seniors, it is not acceptable.
One of the missions of the “Occitanie Solidarités – Initiatives Ephad” collective is to meet elected officials as well as members of the presidential candidates’ campaign teams, in order to raise their awareness of the subject of abuse in nursing homes. Jean-Léon Bouraoui, one of the members of the collective, notably exchanged with Jérôme Guedj, a relative of Anne Hidalgo.
An online petition
“We want to install the subject of dysfunctions in the Ephad in the public debate, says Linda Terrier. We are also sending proposals to elected officials in an attempt to get things moving. Currently we are facing a systemic abuse of our elders, this cannot last”.
The collective has notably create an online petition to ask for the establishment of a referendum of shared initiative on the subject of the creation of a large public service in favor of our elders. The three friends also sent an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron on the subject of Ephad, which will be published in the coming days.
To support the collective, go to the page Facebook Occitanie Solidarity – Ephad Initiatives
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