Consideration
Show respect and consideration to every individual for whom we care and their loved ones, as well as every one of our employees and stakeholders while also fighting all forms of discrimination.
Positive Care
Implement the Positive Care approach across all the activities of the Group in order to promote the personalisation of care, protect the humanity and autonomy of patients and residents, and improve their quality of life.
As a reflection of Clariane’s humanist purpose, Positive Care guides all of the Group’s activities and businesses. It applies as much to residents and patients and to their families, as to employees, and is based on two aspects that are inextricably linked:
- a state of mind: consider and respect each person in what makes them unique – who they are, what they want, what they are able to do;
- concrete practices and actions: supporting and providing individual support to each person in the fulfilment of their aspirations, expectations and desires, and the fulfilment of their potential.
The Positive Care approach offers person-centred care in medical-social and health facilities. Its objective is to care for people with the aim of maintaining health, as defined by the World Health Organization: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, [which] does not consist only in the absence of disease or disability.”
The operational embodiment of Positive Care is based on three dimensions:
- respect for people’s sensory and social environment as part of an ethical approach;
- individual support based on a personalized project;
- preferential use of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), notably to limit the impact of certain medication.
Initially developed in the Group’s care homes in 2019, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are an important condition for implementing Positive Care. They correspond to a set of care techniques, environmental approaches and human approaches that aim to:
- Improve people’s well-being and quality of life
- Maintain cognitive, motor and sensory skills
- Solicit social skills
- Reduce psychological and behavioural symptoms
Clariane offers three types of non-pharmaceutical interventions. Each includes solutions that can be combined according to residents’ needs and capabilities.
- Functional therapies (Silverfit, adapted gymnastics, dance therapy, etc.)
- Cognitive therapies (FormaCube, orthotherapy, HAPPYneuron etc.)
- Behavioural therapies (Ludospace, flash cart, pet therapy, music therapy, art therapy, etc.)
By the end of 2023, in line with the target set in 2019, non-pharmaceutical interventions and associated training have been rolled out in all nursing homes in the Group for more than two years.
The Positive Care approach has been extended to meet the challenge of creating a place that is both a healthcare and a living space
Positive Care is about going beyond “technical” care to focus on the person’s psychological, social and spiritual needs, as well as on their likes and desires. Caring in the spirit of Positive Care must allow the person to remain in control of their life thanks to their preserved capacities, and to be able to make decisions that affect them.
This means paying particular attention to the framework and rhythms of life, whether physiological, mental, institutional, or organisational. The social and architectural environment in which people are welcomed must also contribute to creating the conditions for such a philosophy of support.
The result of a process of reflection and work that brought together representatives from the six countries in which we operate, Positive Care now has a European dimension, drawing on the best practices implemented locally.
Next steps
Clariane has set two primary goals for 2024:
- Continue to implement the three dimensions of the Positive Care approach in care homes
- For rehabilitation care clinics, mental health clinics and hospital home care: define the procedures for implementing the Positive Care approach specific to these activities, capitalising on the expertise acquired in the field of extreme vulnerability in care homes.
Advice and guidance for people in situations of vulnerability
Develop advice and guidance services to help people who are in vulnerable situations and enable them to understand and access the support and help available, whether it is within our Group or in other networks.
“Taking care of each person’s humanity in times of vulnerability” requires a presence that goes beyond the provision of care and the boundaries of our network. This presence has multiple dimensions: listening, psychological support, information and advice, including before and after care is provided.
In our facilities, psychologists and all the teams are available to families on a daily basis to discuss various issues, provide explanations, and train family carers. “Carers’ cafés” and “Alzheimer’s cafés” are organised to answer any questions family members may have. Our “Family Relations” service can also be reached via a dedicated hotline.
We hope to go further by helping to inform as many people as possible about the solutions and resources that are available, both inside and outside the Clariane Group.
Next steps
- Create a dedicated help and advice line, which will be set up in France from 1 July 2023 and will subsequently be deployed in several other countries; it will enable anyone facing a situation of vulnerability to understand the solutions and mechanisms that are available, both inside and outside the Clariane Group, so they may choose the most suitable solution.
- Strengthen the guidance and counselling services that our network offers for patients and their families throughout the care process, in particular through staff training.
Solidarity and social support for employees
Help our employees who are going through times of vulnerability by providing psychological and social assistance as well as temporary support, whether financial or in kind, in order to limit the short-term impact on their lives and prevent the medium-term deterioration of their situation.
Our employees work tirelessly, day in and day out, to support and care for patients and residents. Clariane is committed to supporting its employees when they themselves are in difficulty.
In 2022, our Group developed a standard for social and psychological support for employees, defined by a transnational working group. It describes the different types of support that the Group would like to be able to offer to all its employees: psychological support through a helpline, social support through a dedicated internal department or partnerships with public authorities and associations, financial support through endowment funds, and the prevention and management of crisis situations through training, coaching and mediation.
In France, a social department offers a neutral and confidential place where employees can benefit from information, advice, listening and guidance, whatever the problem encountered (social or family situation, finances, health, professional situation, housing, access to rights, etc.). In 2022, the social department established contact with almost 2,250 individuals and provided long-term follow-up for 230. In terms of psychological support, the anonymous and confidential Stimulus helpline, which is accessible 24/7, is available to all employees. It allows them to exchange experiences, be supported, and take a step back from the difficulties they are going through or witnessing.
In Belgium, “trusted persons” are appointed on each site and are available to listen to the problems encountered by employees. The “PETRA” fund, which is financed by the company, also helps alleviate emergency situations for families that have suffered a tragedy in their lives. For example, the solidarity fund created in 2020 to help families and employees in difficulty was able to raise money for Clariane’s Belgian families who were victims of the serious floods that took place in 2021.
Next steps
- Create a solidarity scheme in all our countries of operation, similar to the solidarity fund that has existed since 2020 in Belgium, enabling us to provide employees in emergency situations with temporary financial or in-kind support. In France, the solidarity fund will be available as of the last quarter of 2023, and will be endowed with €700,000.
- Strengthen the psychological and social support system for employees by rolling out the Group standard. In 2022, the social department established contact with almost 2,250 individuals and provided long-term follow-up for 230. In 2023, the social department team was strengthened.
Health prevention and promotion for our employees
Develop health prevention activities for staff, in terms of both regularity and quality, to contribute to the early detection and treatment of potential illnesses while encouraging employees to take care of their own well-being.
Just like its high-quality care policy for its residents and patients, Clariane makes the preservation of each employee’s physical and psychological integrity a top priority.
In November 2021, with a view to continuously improving health and safety conditions for its employees, Clariane’s management and the members of the European Works Council (EWC) adopted a European protocol on health and safety at work, aiming to reduce the risk of work accidents. This was the first time that such a protocol had been signed in the sector. The protocol is based on the Group’s occupational health and safety charter and includes 25 measures intended to raise the Group’s standards in all countries.
Next steps
- Strengthen existing health prevention and promotion actions and evaluate how relevant they are to our employees’ needs. Depending on the priorities identified in our various countries of operation, these actions may take the form of awareness-raising or screening campaigns, the training of health/safety officers responsible for relaying these actions in the field, or health check-ups offered to the most at-risk populations.