The “Caregivers’ Café,” a place for listening and sharing

When a person faces a sudden or gradual loss of independence, it is often a loved one who provides daily care. This essential role comes with many challenges and can prove to be a heavy burden. At times, this can lead to feelings of loneliness in the face of these difficulties. Therefore, as part of the Territorial Resource Center (CRT), the Irénée de Bruyn Hospital and the Bethany Home long-term care facility for dependent seniors in Saint-Martin have created the “Caregivers’ Café.” It is a space for listening and sharing experiences, and its first meeting was held on Wednesday, August 26, in the Eugénie Blanchard Room at the Saint-Barthélemy Hospital.
Warmly welcomed by Aurélie Firmin, the nursing coordinator for SSIAD (Home Nursing Services) and CRT liaison in Saint-Barth, as well as by neuropsychopractitioner Ahmel Lemarchand, six women from the island participated in this first meeting of the Caregivers’ Café. Understanding the concept of support as a caregiver, promoting well-being and personal fulfillment, preventing abuse, harmonizing caregiving practices, and knowing one’s rights as a caregiver—these are the objectives of these meetings, which will take place every three months. For this first session, Ahmel Lemarchand chose to explore the identity of the caregiver—or, more precisely, on the morning of Wednesday, August 26, that of female caregivers.
On the board, a question: “Who am I?” Calmly, Ahmel Lemarchand broke down the various components of a caregiver’s identity. Whether family-related, health-related, social, or relationship-based, these diverse identities are shaped by factors such as upbringing, beliefs, parenting styles, emotional wounds, personal values, sexuality, self-image, and friends… “With all these identities, you can create something fluid,” Ahmel Lemarchand murmurs. “And besides, you see, you’re not alone.”
At each meeting of the Caregivers’ Café (the next one is scheduled for October), the neuropsychotherapist will explore each of the caregiver’s identities in detail—in the same warm, welcoming spirit that characterized this first gathering. Over coffee and a few pastries, any caregiver on the island is welcome to accept the invitation.