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Par
nbesse
Dans Health
FR – Founded in 2012 on the initiative of Hélène Milan, the charity Les Roses du Gard works day in, day out to support and assist people affected by cancer and their families.
Indeed, having realised “during her own period of treatment and whilst spending time with women with cancer that nothing was in place to provide support beyond the standard medical pathway”, Hélène Milan decided to take matters into her own hands.
The unanswered questions (How to manage the side effects of treatment? How to continue living life as a woman? How to come to terms with physical changes? How to cope with mental and physical exhaustion?…) needed to be addressed in order to alleviate stress and anxiety about the future”…
The support provided by Les Roses du Gard is therefore vital in helping patients in the Gard region and enabling them to ‘access supportive care and wellbeing services’, which were, in fact, rather under-represented when the association was first set up.
The opening of the Rose & Olivier centres
Hélène Milan’s visit to the Maison Rose in Bordeaux (set up by the Rose Up charity) in 2017 gave her the idea of trying out the concept in the Gard. Thus, the first Maison Rose & Olivier – “a cosy space dedicated to supportive care and wellbeing for women and men with cancer, and open to their families” – was established in La Rouvière in 2022, a town deliberately situated close to Nîmes, Alès and Sommières.
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Throughout the course of cancer treatment, patients experience ups and downs due to a care journey that is often long and difficult. Having a place to stay outside the walls of the hospital or one’s own home – where they can recharge their batteries, meet people, take part in activities and be surrounded by caring individuals – means striving for a better quality of life in terms of energy, physical well-being, mental health and social interaction. “In June 2024, a second Maison Rose et Olivier opened its doors, this time in Générac, south of Nîmes, expanding Les Roses du Gard’s range of supportive care and now covering a large part of the Gard department.”
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“In June 2024, a second Maison Rose & Olivier opened its doors, this time in Générac, south of Nîmes, expanding Les Roses du Gard’s range of supportive care and now covering a large part of the Gard department.”
What is the role of these two care homes? To take over from the medical teams, offering support and understanding to patients and their families. They therefore offer a ‘wide range of supportive and wellbeing care provided by qualified or certified therapists and practitioners: adapted physical activity (yoga, sophrology, foot reflexology, shiatsu, osteopathy, socio-aesthetic care), complementary therapies (art therapy, equine therapy, music therapy), psychological support, dietary and cookery workshops’… An extremely varied range of support services that complement one another, helping people to approach their daily lives, their illness and its management in a different way.
The teams at the Maisons are also on hand to help with returning to or remaining in employment and rebuilding one’s sense of identity by offering coaching sessions. ‘Free legal and social support’ is thus provided thanks to the collaboration of a solicitor affiliated with Les Roses du Gard: ‘Free legal consultations for members and social support to help with day-to-day administrative procedures’.
How does it work? Workshops, one-to-one or group sessions… Service users have access to an appointment-booking system that allows them to plan activities three months in advance. Appointments are confirmed by the administrative team. These may be one-to-one appointments or group workshops such as cookery workshops, art therapy or exercise sessions.
Support for family members, companions and carers is not overlooked. Children, partners, carers… can also receive free support from the Maisons’ psychotherapists.
Les Roses du Gard: a close-knit team
As the association’s Chief Executive and founder, Hélène Milan has built a close-knit, multidisciplinary team to provide support to patients.
Thus, the Chair, Véronique Dalbert, a nurse, along with the two Vice-Chairs, David Baudin (psychotherapist) and Eric Monney (physiotherapist and osteopath), and all the members of the board of trustees “are stepping up their efforts to find benefactors to ensure the long-term future of the Maisons Rose & Olivier in La Rouvière and Générac and ensure they continue to operate, so that women – and men – affected by cancer have a place where they can look after themselves and find answers to their various questions”.
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Core values: Kindness, mutual aid, vitality, support,
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How to support the charity
There are several ways to help and support the charity. You can make a donation, whether as an individual or a business, or become a member. “By becoming a member of the Les Roses du Gard Association, you are helping to ensure it can continue its work in its two centres.”
Les Roses du Gard network: essential partners in the fight against cancer
The Rose & Olivier Centres also rely on a network of partners who are essential to the fight against cancer. These include, amongst others, the endowment fund of the Nîmes Rugby Club, Rugby Cœur Nîmois, the Nîmes Olympique football club, the Gard-based association La Vie Rose de Saint-Laurent-d’Aigouze and
the Ardèche-based association La Salvicruzienne Gardichoise, which, through walks and hikes, raises awareness and forges links between participants and the fight against cancer.
Gard-based companies providing support through sponsorship: the Maurin Automobile Group (Toyota Veyrunes in Nîmes and Alès), Océan Propreté, the FIC Group, Le Nîmois (T-shirts), Transports Berthaud in Générac, Electro Dépôt in Nîmes, Crédit Agricole du Languedoc, the Pomona Group (Passion Froid), Patric Durand Aubord Recyclage, Edipoles in Alès, etc.
Many thanks to Hélène Milan, Founder & CEO of Les Roses du Gard for her collaboration with this article.
The place to go: Les Roses du Gard, Les Maisons Rose & Olivier: 225, rue des Grès, 30190 La Rouvière and 3 rue de la Monnaie, 30510 Générac. Contact: asso.rosesdugard@gmail.com, Tel: 04 49 05 56 05, 06 21 68 17 51. Find Les Roses du Gard on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.