2023-10-20 13:21:00
Two years following the closure of the Senior Reference rest home following acts of mistreatment, are we reliving the same scandal in the reception and accommodation of the most vulnerable people a few kilometers away, within of the institution “Les Aquarelles”, located along the Chaussée de Lille in Hertain?
No authorization, neither from the AVIQ, nor from the municipal authorities
In any case, this is the fear of the municipal authorities, the AViQ, the CSC/CNE already questioned regarding possible shortcomings within this reception and accommodation establishment for people in difficulty which opened there ago a few weeks. The union organized an action this Friday to alert people to the situation.
“We were contacted by a worker who denounced the deplorable working and living conditions due to a lack of human and material resources to be able to take charge and provide the necessary care to the beneficiaries, explains Kara Delrue, permanent CSC Hainaut Occidental. Questions arise both for the safety of workers and for that of residents… Especially since the establishment does not have any approval or recognition from the AViQ (Agency for Quality Life), and municipal authorities. This structure opened without any authorization! This is pure and simple piracy of the regulations on the control of reception structures. Residents and workers are in danger! We cannot stand by and do nothing…”
Like father, like son ?
Even more intriguing is when we learn the identity of the owner of this new establishment, “Les Aquarelles”. This is Guillaume Rapez, the son of Jean-Robert Rapez (see opposite), owner of the Senior Reference rest home (previously Le Centenaire) which had to close in 2021 following a decision by the mayor of Tournai. “This decision followed a damning report drawn up by AViQ which highlighted numerous elements: lack of hygiene, failure to respect the privacy of residents, dirt in the rooms, defective heating, non-compliance with standards fire safety… recalls Sylvie Pottiez, permanent CNE Non-Merchant. Even if today Les Aquarelles is managed by the son, it remains the same family well known to the courts… We cannot accept that an entrepreneur chooses to do business by chaining his business on the profits sought on the backs of the most fragile: the elderly and then fall back on the exploitation of people in difficulty. This situation is particularly shocking and scandalous!”
Currently, there are nearly forty people welcomed, for one educator, a full-time equivalent for a nurse and a cleaning technician. These residents arrived in Tournaisis following the closure of their reception structure in Braine-le-Comte. “These are people who do not find their place in rest homes or in institutions for disabled people for various reasons, adds the permanent CNE. There are therefore elderly people, but also younger people, disabled people… but also people undergoing medical monitoring, particularly for psychological disorders. Since there is no approval or authorization, these people are currently not protected by standards and regulations, whether in terms of the number of people to supervise them, the care that must be provided to them, etc. .”
Under threat of a closure order
The services of the Picardy Wallonia emergency zone also deplored non-compliance with safety compliance. Faced with these shortcomings, the mayor of Tournai, Paul-Olivier Delannois, questioned the owner. “I sent him a draft closure order, and he still has a few days to send me certain elements and documents to certify that security is ensured within the establishment. If necessary, I will take my responsibilities, and I continue to follow the file.” Following the illegal opening of the establishment, the AViQ should soon carry out an inspection of the premises.
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