The Village brasserie took on the air of a piano bar on the morning of Tuesday, September 21, World Alzheimer's Day. The pianist Vincent Lajus connects the tubes there. Usually, this music therapist works with the France Alzheimer Landes association every week. But for World Alzheimer's Day, he opened the doors of the Village: “it's a good way to demonstrate what we can do with music with this disease”.
Before going to work, “Framboise”, a young volunteer from the association, distributes the words to the twenty or so elderly people present: “I started to invest myself during confinement but there it is. first time I come to the Village. The music, we see it every time, it seems to do them a lot of good ”. A certainty even, when we see them all singing in chorus, and some dancing, to the sound of "the walk of happy people", "Aline" or "No, nothing nothing. No, I do not regret anything. It is paid, swept away, forgotten. I do not care about the past !".
Touching returns from families
During this time, in a room on the first floor of the bastide, symbolically took place on this world day, the General Assembly and the Board of Directors of the GIP (public interest group) of the Landes Alzheimer Village. In front of the representatives of the communities and associations involved in the project (France Alzheimer, UDAF, Mutualité française, Génération Mouvement, etc.), Xavier Fortinon, president of the Departmental Council and of the GIP VLA, recalled that “the Village which was opened in June 2020 during a pandemic period but has still not been officially inaugurated, does not yet operate as initially planned ”.
However, "the drop in the Covid incidence rate - today at less than 30 in the Landes when the alert threshold is at 50 - soon gives rise to a freer reception" within the VLA, he said. said, in front of Didier Couteaud, departmental director of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) who particularly praised "the good feedback on the functioning of the structure".
“The most satisfying thing was the return of the families,” added Mr. Fortinon. This innovative structure provides answers to their expectations, with touching feedback which testifies to the very important work of the services ”.
Volunteers returned since June
Forced by the health crisis to leave the Village in October 2020 which they had joined in July, the volunteers have been able to return since June 8, like Bernadette who was accompanying the village women this morning to do some shopping at the mini-market on site for lunch: tomatoes, basil, grapes to accompany the hearts of ducks and sautéed potatoes made by the cooks.
Every day, there are, in any case, activities planned: vegetable garden, dynamic walking, media library, astronomy conference with the Dax Observatory, etc. “On the volunteer side, we are starting to get closer to the overall project. This afternoon, for the sports workshops with the UFOLEP (obstacle course, pétanque, precision challenges, adapted dance ...), there will be a dozen of them coming to share these moments with the Villagers. Very regularly, some come to offer board games at the brewery, it works well, ”emphasizes Florence Laudouar, volunteer-animation coordinator, who will relaunch the welcome days to soon integrate new volunteers.
In the meantime, everyone - villagers, staff, volunteers, elected officials - was able to hang, at the end of the morning, a wish on the dedicated tree, Place de la Bastide, on the initiative of France Alzheimer. On the blue paper compass, Josette wrote “laugh and dance”; Andrée, "chocolate"; another, "to party": Xavier Fortinon, "Solidarity, Innovation, Hope". After the big demonstration Saturday to defend the traditional hunts, the elected Paul Carrère, him, simply put "Alouettes"...
Françoise Diris, President of France Alzheimer Landes, also took the opportunity to distribute small sachets filled with seeds. History of continuing to "grow solidarity".
