“That the virus has entered the retirement home, we can not really blame it. What I regret is that I was not informed by the establishment that my father presented symptoms of Covid-19. We discovered it for ourselves, my mother and I, by talking to her on the phone, ”says Caroline *. His father, resident of Coteaux de l’Yvette in Bures-sur-Yvette, died on March 28, 2020 at the age of 77. He is one of 18 resident deaths (out of a total of 88 residents) linked to the coronavirus confirmed on April 10 by Korian, the group managing the retirement home where Caroline’s father * had occupied a room since last February.
“Her state of health having declined at the start of the year, I found her a place in a retirement home near my home,” says Caroline *. On March 25, my mom got him on the phone and he was breathing very badly. I got it the next day, and he was coughing so much that he almost couldn’t speak. “
“We can’t let them suffer like that”
Caroline then asked her general practitioner to come and see her father. “The nursing home informed us on March 22 that the establishment’s coordinating doctor had tested positive (Editor’s note: this is a priori the first case), she justifies. My GP placed my father on oxygen and prescribed morphine for him. He died a few days later. If I hadn’t asked my doctor to intervene, he would be in pain. We can’t let them suffer like that. “
Locally, many residents have been alerting for several days about the “opacity” around the establishment located rue de la Guyonnerie in Bures, where all the shutters remain closed even in broad daylight. The heavy toll (more than 30 deaths) announced in another retirement home of the same group in Mougins (Alpes-Maritimes) has stirred fears in Essonne. A family from this establishment has filed a complaint against X for endangering the lives of others and the local prosecution has opened an investigation.
The Ehpad recognizes a communication fault
In Bures-sur-Yvette, the mayor (UDI) Jean-François Vigier had to split a press release on the evening of April 9 to obtain clear answers, after alerting the Ile Regional Health Agency (ARS) -from France, the prefect of Essonne and the national direction of Korian. “It took me several days to obtain information,” laments the elected official. Even having confirmation of the number of cases. We were talking about 20 or more, others have advanced 19 deaths, not counting suspicious cases, which would be 14. The priority is to secure the establishment and protect residents and non-contaminated staff. Korian seems to be on this path. “
The management of the establishment confirms this Friday, April 10 that “18 residents died because of the Covid-19”. “All our thoughts go out to the families, as well as the teams that are mobilized to deal with this crisis,” continues the management. The violence of the epidemic is such that contact with families and information may not have been adequate at first. “
Tests for 100% of residents
But the group assures him: “Everything is done to stem the situation”. “Since April 6, the ARS has launched tests for 100% of residents,” indicates the management of Coteaux de l’Yvette. A dedicated team has been seconded since Friday to lead them. From April 14, personnel will in turn be screened at a specific collection center. “
As of February 25, the Ehpad claims to have implemented measures and activated the epidemic vigilance plan. “On March 6, phase 3 of this plan was launched, with a ban on outside visits,” said a spokesman for Korian. The first case was detected on March 21, the confinement of residents in their rooms was then decreed, all families were informed of these measures. “
This did not stop the virus from spreading and wreaking havoc on residents, without sparing staff. And the balance sheet is likely to get heavier. “Five of our residents are hospitalized and we have requested the hospitalization of four others,” continues the management of the nursing home. The tests will allow us to know precisely who is affected. And create specific units to further separate Covid-19 positive and negative residents. Knowing that we already have a floor dedicated to residents with symptoms of the disease. “
The prefecture announces a reinforcement of personnel
After remaining silent or unreachable for several days, state authorities have been communicating on the subject since Friday. “Ile-de-France has 700 Ehpad, reminds a director of communication at ARS Ile-de-France. We cannot keep daily accounts, it is up to the establishments to communicate. We deploy 10,000 tests per day, a third of which are in nursing homes where the severity of the situation requires, as in Bures. “
