In the late afternoon it is already dark outside. Through the large window facing the street we see the children swinging in the schoolyard opposite.
But there is also no lack of action in the dining room of the Les Jardins Le Flandre retirement home in Limoilou. There is a lot of activity. It’s dinner time.
A small man slips through the white heads sitting quietly at the tables and the black uniforms of the waiters laden with plates.
Laurent Hudon serves those of the 148 residents who eat their meals in the dining room on the ground floor.
The boy is seven years old. Now there are eight. His birthday is this Saturday.
His new friends are called Georgette, Jean-Claude, Firmin, Murielle, Henriette, Zéphirin. They live in the residence for independent seniors near the Saint-François-d’Assise hospital in Quebec. In his second year he attends the Grande Hermine School right next door.
The oldest resident is 102 years old. Two others are centenarians.
A cure for boredom
“I am very happy when he is here. Because I’m bored, all alone. My eyes disappear and I get even more bored. I have children and grandchildren and when I see the little one I feel good,” admits Pierrette St-Hilaire in her gentle voice.
Le Soleil told Ms. St-Hilaire that Laurent was not the son of a kitchen employee. He is there of his own accord. The lady is even more impressed.
“He is very small. Otherwise he’s nice. I love it,” she adds, summing up the overall feeling.
His mother, Karine Hudon, explains that Laurent “always had a special contact with older people.”
When he was younger, he would come home from daycare and every evening he would walk past the Flanders window and wave goodbye to the people on the other side.
Like a job interview
That fall, with the help of one of his mother’s friends, Stéphanie Olivier, he volunteered.
“I have been a nursing assistant since 1983 and have been managing director for four years. “I have never seen such a young volunteer,” says the head of the place, Alain Daigle.
After a meeting that resembled a real job interview, Mr. Daigle and Laurent agreed to volunteer for an hour and a half on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school. “Everyone is waiting for him there. The world loves it! » says the managing director of the residence and sees Laurent as a future successor.
The waiter not only delivers the cabarets upstairs and serves the tables in the dining room.
“He runs through our legs… He is part of all of us!” exclaims Pollène Simard, who warns the journalist not to come and steal “our child”.
“I have several nieces and nephews and I never see them. Imagine having the pleasure of seeing this child! When he grows up, he won’t leave anyone in misery. He has too beautiful a heart for that,” Ms. Simard continues, before hugging Laurent to her.
“Everyone does that,” he explains on the subject of hugs. “It doesn’t bother me, I know her. It’s not like someone I don’t know on the street. »
Mr. Daigle admits that even after more than two months, the employees do not agree with the young person’s presence on duty. Even if we forbid him hot dishes. Some residents also expressed their displeasure.
“He’s the one who wants it!” And I didn’t circumcise anyone,” emphasizes the managing director, with the mother’s approval.
“It brings a smile. It’s so calming for seniors. That’s why I won’t stop him,” says Mr. Daigle, who will invite him to the employees’ Christmas party.
“It’s just beneficial. I think all dorms should have at least one. »
— Alain Daigle, general manager of the Le Flandre residence
Three men at a table in the corner. It’s funny.
“We saw that the boy was capable of doing the job. We wonder if he is capable, if he can get carried away… Pantoute! He goes between each other’s legs,” explains Claude Couture.
His neighbor at the table, Firmin Champagne, compares the little one to a “wasp” that goes everywhere.
Laurent wants other young people his age to like him. But not his friends. At least not with him. “Otherwise we would just talk to each other and do nothing!” he agrees.
For security reasons, Mr. Daigle does not plan to welcome several young volunteers at the same time.
A child who is not so different
Be assured. Laurent is like children his age. Her mother also needs to limit her screen time.
“He is a child who always wants to be useful. When we are alone at home, he prefers to help me with the housework. Yes, he has to have his moments to play. Otherwise it would worry me! But he likes to feel useful. »
— Karine Hudon, mother of Laurent
Every week she asks him if he still wants to go. He is always ready for it.
Not far away, Henriette Néron firmly believes that Laurent “is a reincarnation. He’s not old enough to live up to his size.”
“He functions like an adult who knows everything. I am sure this is not his first life. It gives older people the courage to carry on and hope that life is better than elsewhere,” concludes the lady with shining eyes.