On November 20, 2023, Prof. Roman Rouzier, General Manager of the Centre François Baclesse, signed an agreement with Marie-Line HEMERY, a hospital biographer trained by the association "Passeurs de mots et d'histoires", to offer patients a new form of supportive care.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Valéria MILEWSKI, hospital biographer, General Manager and founder of the association "Passeur de mots et d'histoires".
What is hospital biography?
Hospital biography enables a seriously ill and/or palliative patient, hospitalized in a care facility or at home, to tell his or her story to a professional biographer who is an integral part of the care team, and to receive the story of his or her life, free of charge, in the form of a beautiful art book (text, photos, illustrations, etc.).
Care through biography
The aim of hospital biography is to relieve and alleviate physical suffering and to take account of psychological, social and spiritual suffering, while safeguarding the dignity of the sick person.
This is supportive care:
- being evaluated and recognized as such (Passeur de mots et d'histoires® was welcomed by the Ministry of Health in April 2023 to promote this supportive care)
- which is part of an overall approach to care for the patient and complements all the care and support required throughout the disease, in conjunction with specific treatments;
- offered to people in the very advanced stages of their illness and/or in palliative care;
- which is moving society forward by putting the end of life back at the heart of our concerns.
Pr Roman ROUZIER expressed his satisfaction with the project's completion:
"It's important for our patients to be able to put their life stories into words, to retrace who they are and who they have been.
Michael CANOVAS, Deputy General Manager of the Centre Baclesse, which initiated the project, pointed out that
"Offering hospital biography care is part of the DNA of cancer centers, and of course of the humanist DNA of the Centre François Baclesse. This care enables us to understand the person as a whole, and not just as a patient".
The signing ceremony was attended by Valéria MILEWSKI, CEO and founder of the association Passeur de mots et d'histoires, the first association of hospital biographers in France. She thanked the Centre Baclesse for its confidence and Michael CANOVAS for his conviction in the project.
She explained " that in 2024, a university diploma in hospital biography will be set up within the Strasbourg Faculty of Medicine ". Valéria MILEWSKI also spoke of the essence of her profession: " if the book can ward off oblivion, it also enables the patient to regain his or her dignity and self-esteem ". She also mentioned the fact that hospital biography can also benefit caregivers " it gives them a breath of fresh air ".
Marie-Line HEMERY thanked the Centre Baclesse for welcoming her to its teams. She paid tribute to the members of ASPEC, the Association de Soins Palliatifs en Calvados, of which she is also a member, and who were behind her commitment to cancer patients.
Marie-Line HEMERY also thanked the patrons and philanthropists, Mr. and Mrs. ASSHTON, who fund this care offered to patients. She also recalled that, in her profession, the most important thing was to " keep my word and give my word "she said, expressing her belief that we have to find the person in their biographical book as they are, with their expressions of language and personality ".
Details of operation
- The hospital biography will cover 10 patients for one year. The service is financed by the sponsors mentioned above.
- The story will be transmitted in a book produced by a Master Craftsman in a single copy, as well as on a USB key or other dematerialized version.
- The Hospital Biographer is an integral part of the care team, and may, with the patient's consent, attend weekly team meetings, and is therefore bound by professional secrecy and the duty of professional reserve and discretion.
- To produce the final document, several meetings with the biographer must be scheduled. A session lasts between 15 minutes and 1 hour, at a rate of 1 to 2 meetings per week, spread over an average of 6 to 8 sessions.
- The hospital biographer organizes her team of "shapers" (proofreader if necessary, graphic designer, printer and binder) to produce the final book (graphic design, printing, art binding), which will be given to the "biographer" or to a person designated by him or her.
- A contract has been signed with Anne LIEGARD, "Les Liens de la Mémoire" Master Craftsman in Baron-sur-Odon.
- Bound books will be delivered two months after completion of the service.
- An evaluation of the hospital biography activity will be carried out by the Center with families at the end of the past year.
