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DAY 10 - PARIS - LA POSTE

On a quiet Thursday morning Anne Moreau—a mail carrier for the French postal service La Poste—followed her route through the streets of Saint Suliac. As Anne stopped in front of the home of 85-year-old Valerie Dubois, she prepared to deliver more than just the post: she was there to provide friendship. Through the Veiller Sur Mes Parents (Watch Over My Parents) program, older adults like Valerie are visited regularly by postal workers to ensure they are healthy and happy. Anne visits Valarie often, doing more than just dropping off mail. She chats with Valerie over coffee and cake, sends parcels to Valarie’s daughter, performs small tasks around the house and even picks up prescriptions. After the two finished their conversation and said their goodbyes, Anne sent a short report to Valerie’s daughter in Paris. The message “Your mother is very well” with a photo of the cake they had shared was enough to assure Valerie’s daughter that her mother was in good hands.

Konexons 3 years ago

2 MIN READ

On a quiet Thursday morning Anne Moreau—a mail carrier for the French postal service La Poste—followed her route through the streets of Saint Suliac. As Anne stopped in front of the home of 85-year-old Valerie Dubois, she prepared to deliver more than just the post: she was there to provide friendship. Through the Veiller Sur Mes Parents (Watch Over My Parents) program, older adults like Valerie are visited regularly by postal workers to ensure they are healthy and happy.

Anne visits Valarie often, doing more than just dropping off mail. She chats with Valerie over coffee and cake, sends parcels to Valarie’s daughter, performs small tasks around the house and even picks up prescriptions.

After the two finished their conversation and said their goodbyes, Anne sent a short report to Valerie’s daughter in Paris. The message “Your mother is very well” with a photo of the cake they had shared was enough to assure Valerie’s daughter that her mother was in good hands.

The Concept

France’s postal service La Poste offers a program that allows postal workers to check up on aging relatives. Through Veiller Sur Mes Parents (Watch Over My Parents), one to six visits can be scheduled each week.

Visits last about 10 minutes, enough time for a chat and check in. After the visit, family members are updated on how their loved one is doing. The postal worker also prints and delivers a monthly personalized newsletter made from family messages and photos.

The Result

Over 6,000 seniors between the ages of 82 and 98 are using the service across France with almost 12,000 customers reached in the past year. It is especially popular in rural areas, as the children living in cities can’t easily access their parents to ensure their health and safety.

Since the beginning of COVID the number of users has more than quadrupled, and new customer satisfaction is 87% positive. The program has been extended to include additional services like meal delivery, accessing cash, and delivery of personal protective equipment. In a national poll 90% of participants consider the program an important offering of La Poste. Visit www.laposte.fr/particulier/veiller-sur-mes-parents and watch the videos to learn more!