- While rugby is on hiatus for an indefinite period, the captain of the XV of France Gaëlle Hermet has strengthened her presence in the Ehpad of Cadours, in Haute-Garonne, where she works as an occupational therapist.
- Its director praises the human and professional qualities of the young player from Stade Toulousain.
She is one of those who could not remain confined. By continuing to go out, every day, to go to work, they allowed everyone to heal, to eat, and to save the economy from collapsing. Captain of the XV of France, Gaëlle Hermet, 23, also works as an occupational therapist in an Ehpad in Cadours, in Haute-Garonne. The Stade Toulousain player talks to 20 Minutes about this two-month period apart.
Championship frozen since the end of March, international calendar on hold ... Whether or not she is deceived, Gaëlle Hermet still does not know when she will be able to resume rugby competitions, with Stade Toulousain as with the XV of France, of which she is the captain. While waiting to find the field, the third line of 23 years talks at home, when it does not practice "a profession passion, a vocation": occupational therapist in an Ehpad of 60 residents in Cadours, about forty kilometers north -west of the Pink City.
"It's about helping people regain a certain amount of autonomy in their daily lives, whether after an accident or because of a pathology," she explains. I chose to work with the elderly people for whom I had a crush during my studies. They have a lot to teach us. "
In January, Gaëlle Hermet started her CDD in the establishment where she had already completed a two-month internship last spring, just before graduating. "It is very accessible, very simple, very helpful," said Didier Carles, the director of the Saint-Jacques residence, which also has a site welcoming 165 people in Granada, still in Haute-Garonne. She demonstrates the values of solidarity in her sport. On the other hand, if she is a warrior on the ground, she is very gentle in her approach. "
Three days a week instead of just one
Initially, the captain of the Blue was only to intervene one day a week at the Ehpad. Her forced availability, in the absence of rugby, and the needs of the establishment have led her to work three days a week since April. "Being there more often allows you to take your bearings more in relation to the teams and residents," says Gaëlle Hermet.
The Toulousaine found herself confronted from the start with the exceptional, with the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, even if "her" Ehpad was not directly affected. “No one is prepared for this. We try to do our best to limit the distress, the anxiety of the elderly, to support them as well as possible. "In this anxiety-provoking period, I held several information meetings," continues Didier Carles. I sometimes said to myself that I should give her the floor, because she would do better than me! "
If he readily admits that he did not know Gaëlle Hermet's sports career before last year, the director has since made up for it, watching some matches of the XV of France women on TV. After the grand slam 2018, the Stadiste wants to lead her Blue to the heights during the World Cup in New Zealand, scheduled (for now) from September 18 to October 16, 2021. Hence her choice to put in " break ”his job as an occupational therapist at the end of his contract at the end of June.
"We would have kept it well," admits Didier Carles. For Gaëlle Hermet, it will only be a “goodbye” to this job, one of those that many French people applaud every night. "It's very good, but it's a shame not to realize it until now," she observes. People on the front lines today, whether caregivers, transporters or supermarket employees, do this daily. Once we are out of this situation, we must not forget them. "
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