Burst closures for establishments managed by the municipal center for social action (CCAS) in Nice. The Fornero-Meneï nursing home, rue Sorgentino, and the Alzheimer reception center on rue des Orangers are living their last hours. It had been in the pipeline for some time, the technical committee, which met on March 3 at the town hall, confirmed it: it’s the end.
These structures are no longer suitable, justifies Jennifer Salles-Barbosa, vice-president of the CCAS and deputy mayor Christian Estrosi.
The Fornero-Meneï retirement home (50 beds) “is an establishment that has existed since 1920. The corridors are narrow: two wheelchairs cannot pass each other there. The toilets are shared upstairs. We are far from current standards: it is no longer adapted to the needs of residents and staff working in very difficult conditions”.
“A poorly anticipated project”, according to the CGT
Same observation for the Alzheimer day center (AJA) which had been suspended for several months: a two-storey villa in Nice located at the end of a narrow lane with no lift or PMR accessibility. “A situation that involves the safety of users and agents”, summarizes the chosen one. who also points “a declining occupancy rate since the Covid: we have an authorization for 15 places but, in practice, the structure only accommodates on average seven people per day”.
The closure of the two places is scheduled “between next September and November”.
For the CGT, Andrew Renault denounces “a badly put together and badly anticipated project: initially, these establishments were to move to Nice-Méridia. But it fell through, the management says that it is too expensive. There is no relocation but we closed anyway pending a possible solution”.
He is worried: “We have known about the problem of dilapidation for years. What has the City done all this time? Nothing. And today, we are in a hurry to redeploy the staff and the forty residents of the Ehpad to other structures. Among the agents [39 pour l’Ehpad, 8 pour l’AJA], many are contractual, there will be non-renewals of contracts, damage. And for the elderly, it is brutal: the fact of leaving quickly, of being separated can cause suffering and perhaps even slip syndromes”.
“No one will be left by the wayside”
Opposite, Jennifer Salles-Barbosa disagrees: “All the residents will be transferred to other CCAS structures, in Grosso, Valrose or Veterans Affairs, at the same rate. All the families have been received, we will do it on a case-by-case basis. The same for the staff: all situations will be analysed. No one will be left behind”.
And the support of these audiences does not stop, she assures. “Indeed, we were supposed to settle in Nice-Méridia. But that will not happen: in the meantime, the Covid and the war in Ukraine have caused prices to explode. We are working to create a new retirement home for 120-125 beds”defends the chosen one without specifying a place or a timetable.
“On the Alzheimer’s side, she continues, we are thinking about meeting the needs for home care and support for caregivers. We don’t want to add a structure that wouldn’t work”.
She has the trade unionist’s criticisms across: “These establishments were dilapidated, you had to have the courage to close them. Moreover, many agents are in favor of them. The other unions voted for them and, on the Alzheimer reception, the CGT abstained. When we abstains, it’s because we’re not entirely against…”
What will become of these two sites? “There are no projects at the moment”assures the elected official.