Disability support at Lab Santé Midi Libre

A subject as vast as it is significant in today's society, disability was at the heart of the debates during three round tables organized at the time of the last Lab Santé Midi Libre of the year 2024, at the newspaper's headquarters in Saint-Jean-de-Védas, on Wednesday, with the exceptional participation of Didier Jaffre, president of ARS Occitanie.

The first round table of the Lab Santé, this Wednesday, brought together five health professionals who discussed the needs and expectations of people with disabilities.

“When we talk about disability, we are talking about people who experience disability in everyday life with different realities depending on what the situation will limit in their activities and in their participation in social life.” With these introductory words, Emilie Barlas, general practitioner at the Fontcaude UGECAM Occitanie medical center, emphasizes that there are multiple realities. “We often forget that disability requires a health pathway that depends on common law. And that accessibility will make everything very complex.”

Difficulty accessing care

Bernard Dessimoulie, president of Unapei 34, an association that supports people with mental and psychological disabilities, responds to the difficulty of accessing care: “People with mental disabilities need on average 2.5 times more care because the disability adds pathologies and it is complicated to access care. Prevention is difficult to implement, as is screening for diseases. Medical staff are not sufficiently trained to receive this public.”

But then, are we short of healthcare staff?? “Yes, replies Sophie Frilley-Michel, Occitanie regional representative of APF France Handicap. For example, we have just been contacted by a midwifery school in Toulouse because they are not trained to accommodate mothers with disabilities. And often, the premises are not suitable. There is an inequality of access to care, it is a right that is flouted.”

Comete, an adapted system

As for the need for home services, the aim is to compensate with human assistance, which people with disabilities cannot do alone. “We must think about the continuity of the service, explains Clément Bareau, general manager of Présence Verte Services. Disability does not stop at the weekend, we must join forces to continuously provide the service that compensates for the disability situation.”Finally, the speakers at this first round table discussed the professional inclusion of people with disabilities with the Comete system.

“It all started with a doctor's observation in the 1990s that hospitalized people found themselves disengaged from their professional lives upon leaving, explains Christine Verollet Angot, a physical medicine doctor at Propara. The idea is therefore to take an early approach to integration during the rehabilitation phase with a professional or study project. In this way, the person is an actor in their own journey. Comete is involved in the search for new solutions in the job search with a multidisciplinary team in partner establishments. In 2023, 10,000 people were supported by the system Comete.”

 

How the different actors of disability interact ?

Didier Jaffre from ARS Occitanie spoke at the second round table.

Around Didier Jaffre (in the center) quality speakers to describe the functioning between the different actors.. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

According to Didier Jaffre, Director General of the Regional Health Agency in Occitanie, “all the stakeholders are already working together. A number of bodies exist: the Regional Health Conference, the Territorial Health Councils and many others that define disability policy. We are already in real interaction.”

For Emmanuel Rouault, director of the Departmental House of Autonomy in the Hérault department, “the different stakeholders are already thinking together about what's next. The establishments that accommodate people with disabilities in Hérault are experiencing tense situations. We are also working with the institutions on the solutions to be provided.”

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Implementing better support

From his On the other hand, Jerôme Larramona, director of the CME Fontcaude UGECAM Occitanie, believes that the administrative plan should be simplified: “We have several specialized establishments, cross-disciplinary pathways for children. Simplification is underway and this will be a real relaxation to put in place better support. It must also be said that we are experiencing a crisis of attractiveness in our professions. How we must rethink our professions and how we communicate on the positive aspects of working in the medico-social sector.”

Finally, Thierry Jammes from the liaison and coordination committee of the pluriel handicap associations of Hérault underlines the importance of the associative in disability: “It is the link between the services, the associations bring the human side to these very structured medico-social services. We are in the middle of the game because we represent the people disabled.”

Inclusion, accessibility, schooling, what are the prospects ?

The third round table presented some important measures.

Three professionals described the concrete solutions provided. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

The self-regulation system (DAR). Myriam Faure from the Fontcaude Ugecam Occitanie medical center presented DAR: “In September 2023, a self-regulation school integrated a 17-class school in Castelnau-le-Lez. The team is made up of an educator, a medical-psychological assistant, a neuropsychologist, and a teacher. Six children are involved in this system. We work with the entire school.”

Human Lab of the Institut Saint-Pierre. The Human Lab of the Institut Saint-Pierre in Palavas-les-Flots is a space created to find technical aids. “We start with the need and work to find the technical solution,” explains Benoît Sisjobert, a prominent member of the Human Lab. “This will be documented and freely shared.”For example, the MoldFinger project allows Michel, an astrophysicist and quadriplegic, to use his iPad on a daily basis with an ergonomic finger cot.

The Fratsa project. The Fratsa project was based on the observation that the prevalence of developmental disorders is high, even more so among relatives of autistic children. “This involves assessing the relevance of a simple system with a questionnaire completed by parents,” explains Amaria Baghdadi, professor in charge of the Peyre Plantade child and adolescent psychiatry department at Montpellier University Hospital. Detecting disorders in children as early as possible allows for appropriate care and helps caregivers gain a better understanding. In Occitanie, around 100 families were consulted and 60 children were identified as suffering from disorders. The system is already relevant.”

Find the interviews with the speakers present:

Didier Jaffre

Clément Bareau

Jerome Larramona

Christine Verrolet-Angot