Lecture followed by a book signing by Vincent Valinducq
AMPA association is pleased to invite you to a lecture followed by a book signing for the book ‘Je suis devenu le parent de mes parents’ (I became my parents’ parent), in the presence of its author Vincent Valinducq, doctor of medicine and health columnist.
Through his personal experience and medical expertise, Vincent Valinducq takes a humane and accurate look at the sometimes unexpected role we may find ourselves playing when our parents grow old or become dependent. This event promises to be a rich exchange, designed to help us better understand, anticipate and cope with these family upheavals.
> Saturday 14 February at 3pm
> Fnac Monaco
> Lecture followed by book signing
> Event organised by the AMPA association
Free admission
Summary
“During the fourteen years I spent fighting alongside my sick mother, I often felt the urge to write a book to give a voice to carers. I wanted to scream for her to be heard outside the walls of our home, as I felt so alone, misunderstood and helpless in the face of a young mother who was gradually forgetting me and taking a part of me with her. In the end, I was unable to do so because the gap between wanting and being able was too great. I lived day to day, trying to avoid the projections that I knew medically would come to pass. These were years during which my father, my brother and I literally and figuratively carried my mother, who was affected by a disease usually reserved for the elderly. Being a carer is often exhausting and painful, but until you are faced with it, you can imagine it but not understand it. It is an issue that affects and will affect more and more people in the years to come, whether on an occasional, temporary or full-time basis. By 2030, one in four working people will be a carer. An ageing population and a collapsing healthcare system are making it increasingly difficult to care for a sick relative in good conditions, particularly at home. This situation is forcing us to develop skills as nurses, carers and social workers. By 2030, one in four working people will be a carer. An ageing population and a collapsing healthcare system are making it increasingly difficult to care for a sick relative in good conditions, particularly at home. This situation is forcing us to develop skills as nurses, carers, social workers, doctors, occupational therapists or physiotherapists to compensate for the shortage of professionals, thereby forgetting our role as sons, daughters, spouses or friends. Many carers sacrifice themselves and become institutionalised in their own homes with their sick loved ones to fill this gap, but today, who is helping the carers?
Vincent Valinducq, a doctor well known on television thanks to his health column on Télématin, recounts his struggle to care for his mother, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. In doing so, he offers practical, psychological and even administrative advice to help those who devote part of their lives to caring for others.