2023-08-01 17:11:00
She has been a speech therapist there for a few months already, part-time. In September, the Wanzoise Dominique Servais will spend there full time. With lots of projects and the desire to help the residents of the Center Saint-Lambert, in Bonneville, which has been welcoming adults with disabilities since the 1960s. If she works with them on language, memory, cognitive structuring; if she tries to develop their skills, the Wanz speech therapist hopes above all to enable them to integrate society as much as possible. To help them in their ideas, their projects.
And there, recently, Jérémie, one of the residents, passionate regarding comics and manga, suggested the creation of a library and a toy library within the institution itself. Residents of Saint-Lambert do have games and books, but not in a fixed place. Now, that’s what the Wanz speech therapist wants to offer them: a space where they can consult books and play games. A place supervised by the educators but that the residents will have to manage. The place ? He is found. “We have a room where equipment is stored. A clean space that we can easily arrange, she explains. The development is in progress.” All that remains is to provide it with books and games.
And today, the residents are appealing to anyone who would have something to make them happy. “We are looking for books and games in good condition that correspond to a level between 4 and 10 years old so that all residents can find their account, explains Dominique Servais. They will manage themselves. We really want to try management by them with a calendar of who takes what. They all have calendars that resume their activities.” And that one would be an extra. They want their space of books and games, it’s up to them to learn how to manage it.
The Saint-Lambert Center has around a hundred residents in the various buildings of the Bonneville estate, as well as 140 residents living in thirteen living spaces – in houses and apartments – in Andenne itself. How many residents might be affected by this toy library-library? “Potentially 25, explains director Marc Palate. But maybe others will hang on. If it works, it can spread.” And the project might also be of interest to residents who are in Andenne. “The common thread in Andenne is to take advantage of the environment. Learning to read makes sense for getting around town.” But to develop this project, we need everyone’s help by contributing books and games. There is more than now…
“We are having difficulty recruiting educators”
The Saint-Lambert Center is looking for educators because there, it works at a tight flow. “We are looking for people who like human contact.”
The Center Saint-Lambert welcomes approximately 240 people, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. More than 250 men and women are there to supervise them, to help them on a daily basis, to offer them activities, to provide them with medical and paramedical care as well. Not to mention the administrative and logistics staff.
Of these workers, 80% are educators. Dedicated men and women, who help residents lead as normal a life as possible, fulfilling in any case. “Educators must support our residents towards autonomy,” explains director Marc Palate. With three main pedagogical principles, self-determination (the person takes ownership of their life), appreciation and a positive approach. Many of these educators come from the Huy region. “The Sainte-Marie Institute, in Huy, is a supplier of trainees, continues the director. And the trainees, they are hired as students and then as employees.”
But now it gets stuck. “We are starting to have difficulties in terms of recruitment.” Clearly, the Center Saint-Lambert needs a large number of educators because it is non-stop, day and night. “We must operate without failure 24 hours a day.”
Among the educators, two thirds are in class 2, secondary education and one third in class 1, ie higher education. If the diploma is useful, the director is above all looking for “a person who likes human contact, who wants to invest himself, who has no problem with the relationship to the body. And we can train him. We have initiated ten years ago a process of alternating training, but it is running out of steam.”
And there, the institution lacks educators, or in any case is on a tightrope. “We feel that it is tending, that we are on the margins. We are in a tense operating system.” Which is accentuated during the holiday period even if it then welcomes students to compensate for the lack of educators then on leave.
In other words, the Center Saint-Lambert seeks to hire future educators. Interested ? service.personnel@saintlambert.ofc.be or 085/849382.
This content is not available in this configuration.
Find out here.
Want to help with the project? You can drop off books and games at reception or go through Dominique Servais (0492/72.21.30 or dominique.servais@saintlambert.ofc.be)
1690933235
#Andenne #residents #SaintLambert #books #games #library
