After the death of a loved one, it is not easy to cope with the many tasks to be done. Aids exist. Sophie Javelaud is Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Ressources Mutuelles Assistance (RMA), a company specializing in health and welfare assistance, personal services and psychosocial support. She explains how mutual assistance works for relatives of a deceased.
What is an assistance system?
We are the only mutual assistance company in France. As part of the assistance contract that is attached to the funeral home, we will accompany the recipient of a funeral contract, but especially his family. It is a remote accompaniment, everything is done by phone. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
So people call you after the death of a loved one?
Often, we accompany the family after the death but we are also in an approach of anticipation, for example when a person knows that his vital prognosis is engaged. Before the death, a telephone accompaniment and listening service is proposed, which is rather psychological. The beneficiary and / or his relatives can call us to talk about it, to try to make this period as serene as possible.
50% of our calls come from members and 50% from relatives. We receive, per year, about 20,000 calls around the death (preparation, information, assistance). 1,500 applications generate support (help with the organization of funerals, etc.), of which 200 involve the provision of assistance services (body transfer, home help).
How do you accompany people who have just lost someone?
Our goal is to support, reassure and help families in this difficult ordeal. You can, for example, unlock support services, such as accommodation for relatives who want to attend the funeral but come from far away. The care of children or dependents who were dependent on the deceased beneficiary is also organized. It is also possible to have the deceased person's home guarded during the ceremony because, unfortunately, it is known that malicious people wait for death notices to commit burglary during burial. Moreover, when the death occurs far from home, everything is put in place for the management of the transfer of the body, even its repatriation, and we help the families in this heavy ordeal.
And administratively, what help can you offer?
From a legal point of view, all that is related to the death is informed: inheritance, inheritance, family rights, donations, measures for minor heirs, social protection, survivors' pensions, bank accounts ... Needle also on all the actions to be carried out in the week following a death: transmission of the death certificate to the social security, to the pension fund, to the bank, etc. Our teams can take certain steps directly with the administrative bodies.
And after the death, what is your role?
We try to keep the relatives of the deceased in motion. That they can verbalize what they feel, go through the various stages of mourning by being accompanied psychologically and supported. In particular, ten telephone interviews are being set up according to the rhythm of the person who needs help.
We can also provide home help or support services during the weeks following the death: cleaning, help with the boxing of the deceased's belongings, carrying meals, grocery delivery, small gardening, pet care , home hairdressing, chiropody, etc. The goal is for the person to maintain their previous life, their social bonds, while accepting the situation they are facing. We do not have a list. We adapt our services to the needs.
For example, a woman who lost her husband asked that she be given a bouquet of flowers each week for a period of time. Because when returning from the market, during her lifetime, her husband always offered her a bouquet of flowers. It was important to her.