Residential facility visits

The Fondation Primeroche represents an undertaking by four municipalities in West Lausanne in the 1990s to “fill a void in terms of geriatric facilities in the region”. The establishment did more than just that, and in 2010, for the first time in Switzerland, proposed an “alternative accommodation centre”. Today, the two medical-welfare establishments (107 beds), the two temporary reception centres (22 places), the sheltered housing (18) and the “halte-relais” or short-stay respite centre (the new name for the alternative accommodation centre) make Primeroche a perfect example of the broad range of geriatric medical-welfare services in the Vaud region. The trip will include a visit to the Primeroche medical-welfare facility (psychogeriatrics), the sheltered housing and the halte-relais, a place described as an intermediate step between home and a specialist psychogeriatric medical-welfare establishment. A presentation of the Fondation and how it operates will complete the programme. The visit will end with a light meal.

Strong points:

• Psychogeriatrics
• Diverse missions
• Innovative logistical set-up (elderly persons' centre in the suburbs)

Established in 1983, the Fondation Beau-Site has a history dating back 50 years and runs four medical welfare facilities in the Montreux region: Beau-Site and Montbrillant are dedicated to long stays, the latter specialising in treating psycho-geriatric patients. Coteau-Muraz also welcomes elderly, long-stay patients but also offers day care. Finally, le Maillon, in the mountains, specialises in short stays. A fifth establishment (Maillon II) is currently under construction. In terms of catering, the four (soon to be five) facilities have been supplied by a new, centralised kitchen since 2014 which is also used for meals delivered externally.

Fondation Beau Site offers an overview of the various care and support missions assigned to medical welfare facilities in the Vaud canton. A tour in the morning will allow participants to look around and see how the places are run. After this, management will give a presentation on the main areas considered, innovations, successes and failures, and will answer any questions that participants may have. The visit will end with aperitifs. – www.fondation-beau-site.ch

Strong points:

• Proximity to the conference venue
• Diversity of the missions
• Ongoing construction project

Inaugurated in January 2017, Stella is the latest of the Geneva medical-welfare establishments. The facility has capacity for sixty residents, each in individual, en suite rooms, plus apartments and a shared apartment block for seniors. Stella owes its name to the former automotive plant that occupied the site at the beginning of the 20th century and made the world’s first hybrid car: the Stella.
More than just a medical-welfare facility, Stella is a place to live that forges links between its residents and the locals. Socio-cultural connections have also been made between the establishment, the local school, crèche and neighbouring properties.
The visit will start with a meal at the nearby Les Lauriers restaurant which is run by another medical-welfare facility belonging to the same foundation as Stella. A finalist for the “2015 prize for innovation in medical-welfare facilities”, this establishment holds the honour of being as popular with its residents as with the public (rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor).

The Fondation Butini is a charitable organisation that first came into existence in 1859. What is striking to visitors, however, is the modernity of its buildings: respectively constructed in 2007 and fully rebuilt in 2013, the Résidence de la Rive and the Résidence Butini were designed to reflect the changing needs of the elderly in Geneva. The Résidence de la Rive results from a consideration of the specific needs of people with serious cognitive disorders, whilst the design of the Résidence Butini is based on changing customs and traditions and the vulnerability of its residents. Like the Résidences, which accommodate long-stay elderly people, the Pavillons de la Rive and the Pavillon Butini offer both day and night-time care.

Having these four facilities together under one roof means that synergies can be achieved in terms of laundry, catering, purchasing and the continued training of staff, along with best use of management, IT and maintenance resources. An afternoon visit will allow participants to appreciate the architectural and support concepts, both of which are closely linked. Afterwards, management will present the history of the buildings and projects and will answer any questions. The programme will end with drinks. – www.butini.ch

Strong points:

• Easy to get to the airport at the end of the day
• Innovative and integral architectural design
• Diversity of the missions