"What are the words to say?": training to better support a loved one at the end of life

Yasmina Kattou, edited by Gauthier Delomez 06h12, 02 April 2023

Will Emmanuel Macron decide to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide? This Sunday, a "citizens' convention", bringing together nearly 200 French people drawn by lot, will decide on this issue with the idea of guiding the action of the State. Other actors have already spoken, such as the French Society of Accompaniment and Palliative Care for whom it should not change the law, but improve the care and communicate on the existence of this care in France.

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To answer questions, training is organized throughout the country, such as "first aid" to help those who wish to better accompany a loved one at the end of life, where with the age of advanced parents, some wish to prepare for the inevitable. This free training, supported by the French Society for Palliative Care and imported from abroad, is provided in twenty countries. Europe 1 was able to attend one of them in Paris.

Practical issues

Pad of paper and pencil in hand, the 20 participants note the valuable advice of Catherine Renard, the founder of the training. "What happens when the person dies? There are things to put in place: calling a doctor to certify the death is mandatory, "she explains first.

In this training, the majority of registrants have a loved one at the end of life. That is why the questions are practical. "Does the patient's consent require or can the doctor decide alone to put the person to sleep before he dies?" asked one participant. For Natasha, who is also taking this training, this information is necessary because she wants to prepare for her mother's departure. "Some days she's really dying. I would like to accompany her as it should be until the end: what are the words to say, the appropriate words?", lists Natasha.

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After five hours of training, Agnès now knows how to react to the distress of her parents, now at the end of their lives. "One thing I have to change, for example, is to listen more than trying to reassure the person. You just have to listen to her, and once she has spoken, she is already better, "says Agnès, who leaves with the right gestures for better support, as well as the right contacts in case of questions.