On February 9, 2022, following the Orpea scandal, the socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced an inspection of the city’s establishments and an audit entrusted to state councillor Jean-Marie Delarue, “to ensure that such shocking events never happen again”. However, two years later, Sabrina Deliry, co-founder of the association L’Observatoire du grand âge, established during the Covid-19 pandemic to protest against the isolation of seniors, claims that nothing has been implemented except for communication.
Véronique Levieux, deputy in charge of seniors, disagrees with this assessment. The Delarue report, submitted in February 2023, criticized the “indifference” towards nursing home residents and called for better consideration of their rights and dignity. The city has taken steps to address this by creating dialogue mechanisms between management, caregivers, and families, as well as a “data collection unit” to better identify abuse.
According to Sabrina Deliry, another issue stems from “supervision concerns” and an “overabundance of norms and rules” forcing managers to focus on reports and accounts rather than being present on the ground. However, Levieux praises the commitment of staff and management, emphasizing the need to strike a balance between inspections and report requirements. Despite acknowledging recruitment challenges, especially for doctors, Levieux highlights a 5.14% increase in the budget for Paris’s nursing homes in 2024 and the creation of thirty-eight new positions.
Levieux also mentions that 57% of the 7,800 residents in Paris nursing homes are eligible for social assistance, and she refuses to consider raising fees, as this would effectively force residents out. Instead, she urges the government to finally invest the promised resources. She also mentions ongoing discussions on career development and training to improve staff retention in nursing homes.
In conclusion, while there have been efforts to address issues raised by the Orpea scandal, such as improving the treatment of seniors in nursing homes and providing better support for staff, challenges remain in terms of supervision, recruitment of medical personnel, and funding. The city of Paris continues to work on creating a supportive environment for seniors in nursing homes, but further investment and support from the government are needed to ensure the well-being and dignity of elderly residents.
