EHPAD La Madelon à COURNONSEC

I was a nursing student at this facility a few years ago. With the hindsight I have now, as an accomplished healthcare professional, I realize the shortcomings I witnessed and experienced at the time. In particular, the inappropriate behavior of the psychologist. Both towards me and some of the residents. I also remember, among other things, being left alone without supervision to provide hygiene care to a hemiplegic patient. Indeed, the presence of interns was very useful in lightening the workload of the overwhelmed team, which is not normally the goal when one is in a learning situation. This internship demoralized me, and when you are a young student, that can have serious consequences.

A head nurse who doesn't assert herself, seemingly stifled by management, which suits them just fine; A psychologist who comes looking for someone to verbalize her woes; Who comes on weekends to make up her hours, but is always in the secretary's office wondering why the drawers are closed... "I'm looking for a notebook and a pen..."; The executive secretary, steadfast in her position, but struggling to hide the stress caused by the director, and who takes it out on those at the bottom of the hierarchy—us; The director: nonchalant, indifferent, she knows neither the residents nor the rules of the secure area; she should be called Ms. Wind, Ms. Mistral, Ms. Ghost, Ms. Revenant... In short, La Madelon, quite a story.

Don't put your loved ones in this facility!!! It's been five months since my mother died due to negligence on the part of the staff. The head nurse on Monday admitted there had been a lack of communication with our family and that the nursing staff should have recognized her critical condition. The nursing staff told us they were overwhelmed and understaffed. The director, however, has denied everything despite the overwhelming evidence. It's Saturday, September 16th, and my brothers and I have come to pick up our mother to take her to a restaurant. There, we find her extremely weak, unable to get out of bed and unable to speak. I am completely baffled. We visited her on September 3rd, and she was fine... No one had informed us that her health had deteriorated. They have my number to call me about a €15 bill adjustment, but not to tell me my mother is dying!? We were told she saw the doctor on Friday and that it was just a case of low spirits... We're not doctors, but we could see she was suffering and that there was something else going on. After much insistence, we finally saw an overwhelmed nurse who was alone for the entire ward... We took turns visiting her over the weekend, and her condition worsened... We were desperately seeking help and support in this situation; we felt helpless. We were told not to send her to the emergency room under any circumstances, that she wouldn't be seen and would just wait for hours on a stretcher, which would likely weaken her even further. It took the staff over 40 minutes to come and change her... Shameful. Sunday afternoon, everything escalated rapidly; the scene was horrifying. My brother finally called the fire department. The firefighter had a heated exchange with the nurse and demanded she provide emergency care. The verdict came down: she was suffering a pulmonary embolism. She was immediately taken to the La Peyronie University Hospital, and passed away a few hours later... She was only 71 years old...

My father spent the last six years of his life at La Madelon, and I sincerely thank the care teams who looked after him with such dedication! During his stay, we always found a solution with the staff to address the challenges he faced due to his advanced age and his very independent nature. Thank you all for your kind cards of condolence and expressions of sympathy.

My father and his entire family join me in thanking you all for your support until the end of our mother's life. During the five months we spent with him, we appreciated the thoughtfulness, attentiveness, smiles, and care of each and every one of you, from the healthcare team to the day-to-day care team and the activity team. Your constant support for our father was invaluable during his difficult time. Thank you again.