Queries over Poste鈥檚 elderly welfare checks
A new service by La Poste, in which postal workers check on the welfare of elderly people has been met with mixed reactions from workers and unions.
鈥�Veiller sur mes parents鈥� (Check on my parents) costs 鈧�39.90 to 鈧�139.90 a month for checking one to six times a week, involving the postman or women speaking to the elderly resident to 鈥榮ee if they鈥檙e alright鈥�.
However a union official at the SUD-PTT said not everyone would be able to pay and they were monetising something most postal workers did anyway.
Some workers have also expressed concerns about their ability to know if 鈥渢he person is alright鈥�, as they are not medically trained. One postman said he was disciplined by his superior about this and told: 鈥淚f he鈥檚 upright, then he鈥檚 alright鈥�.
The service includes a telephone helpline for the elderly person (the call centre can call a relative or emergency services if necessary) and a service which helps find workers to do small jobs around the home.
La Poste鈥檚 personal services head Eric Bau颅dril颅lard says most postmen and women have had training and are 鈥渄edicated, enthusiastic and patient鈥�.
One user told Le Monde she used it for her father, aged 94. She found it 鈥渞eassuring鈥� and preferred knowing it was their postwoman who was checking rather than another care worker.
The service could also help people who live far from elderly relatives, including outside France. An adviser said it is possible for a person in another country such as the UK to sign up and have their bank debited.
