Colmar: Sad experience at the Diaconate for a 98-year-old woman

Although the Diaconate of Colmar received the highest rating (with distinction) during the visit by experts from the High Authority for Health, this is not a comprehensive insurance policy against unpleasant surprises. "When I read in the article that the patient experience had been taken into account in particular in the rating, I couldn't help but react," says Marie-Claude Gully.

Because, in terms of experience, this resident of Turckheim is far from being satisfied with the time her 98-year-old mother spent in the services of the Diaconate Colmar from January 5 to mid-February.

"I wrote a letter to management on April 26, without a response, then a second one at the beginning of July with a copy to the ARS. Management then contacted me to tell me that they would investigate my grievances." At the beginning of August, Marie-Claude Gully finally obtained an appointment with the Diaconate, on September 17, to discuss her unfortunate experience at the beginning of the year.

The story begins in a fairly ordinary way, with a fall at home, a head injury, a stay in the emergency room, and then a transfer to the Diaconate on January 5 for care and rehabilitation. This was followed by a loss of autonomy and finally a transfer to a nursing home in Turckheim, where her mother is now a resident. "But this story at the Diaconate taught me a lesson, I'm not giving up anymore," says Marie-Claude, who is no longer afraid of being seen as "the troublemaker on duty."

Above all, she wants to prevent her mother from reliving what she experienced at the Diaconate: "Mother only showered twice in six weeks at their house. One Saturday, she told me her head was itching, and I noticed she had lice. Can you imagine! Lice, in the hospital! We had to wait until Monday, when the doctor came back, for them to shampoo her hair. Eight days later, they still hadn't shampooed her hair again. She had nits. It took them two weeks in the end to eradicate both lice and nits."

During her visits, the Turckheim resident also noted that her mother was never dressed, even though her daughter brought her clean clothes: "They would leave her sitting in front of the window in an armchair, with a hospital gown open at the back. She complained of the cold. I brought a blanket, but the next time it was gone."

One Sunday afternoon, Marie-Claude noticed that her mother "had been put to bed for the night at 4 p.m., without her dentures. I don't even know how she would have been able to eat her dinner if we hadn't been there."

Marie-Claude understands that most of the problems encountered are undoubtedly linked to human resources, which are lacking. But she deplores the poor communication with the healthcare team "whom I was never able to see during my visits to report problems. The only person with whom I had pleasant contact was a little foreign lady in charge of cleaning, who had two floors to do all by herself."

Above all, she cannot bring herself to give up in the face of what she describes as a lack of respect: "My mother is 98 years old, she has always worked, she raised seven children and lost her husband at the age of 50. Seeing her treated like this is sad, really." So, three times a week, she goes to Turckheim to check that her mother is being washed and given enough to drink. She has been struggling to stay in good spirits lately: "She asks when he is going to call her upstairs. I think she is giving up."