By Bernard Peyre
Published on
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Simone Bordes has just celebrated her 98e birthday at Saint-Symphorien (Gironde), near Bazas. She was born on May 16, 1925. “In my head, I’m younger,” she slips smiling.
A year ago, she decided to treat herself to a electric scooter on four wheels to go to the market on Wednesdays and get around in his neighborhood. He lets her stay autonomous in his travels and to maintain a social life.
“I spent years without leaving the house, with the walker, says Simone. 6 years ago, I had surgery femur. In 2022, I fell again in the garden, on the side of the road and broke my other femur. I have been very lucky. A gentleman stopped and saved my life. He brought me the phone to call my son and the emergency services and waited for them to arrive before leaving then, discreetly. Alas, I didn’t ask him his name, but I want to thank him here.”
Stable, manoeuvrable and fully equipped
After her second operation, Simone went to rehabilitation at Cenon. In June 2022, she goes to a large medical equipment pharmacy in Bordeaux. Inside is exposed the electric scooter.
I said to myself: this is what I need! Like a little girl in a toy store. I would have borrowed if I couldn’t afford it. I wanted someone to come and try it out for me at home, on the grass.
The retiree tries it on and adopts it. “It is stable, easy to handle and fully equipped, with a headlight, a rotating seat, a small basket for shopping, a fluorescent orange vest for safety. He hits well. It has three speeds and goes up to 25 km/h. »
“It really takes willpower”
Before buying it, Simone must prove her driving ability to the company that provided him with the scooter and to the medical adviser.
The scooter allows me to remain independent. Last year, after these two femur fractures, many would have gone to a retirement home. But with good will, one can remain independent. I shower, I wash. For the housework, I have a housekeeper who also keeps me company. You have to hang on, it really takes willpower.
What does this electric scooter do to him? “I go to the market, do my races at the butcher, I walk around the neighborhood being very careful. I found my girlfriends that I had not seen for years. Those of my generation come to say hello to me, it boosts morale. That’s great. It changes life. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out on my bike. When I was 60, retired, I started cycling. We went hiking with my husband Gilbert and the club Villandraut. We did the 24 hours of La Rochelle, Agen, Dax, the Tourmalet…”
Born in the forest
Simone Bordes was born on May 16, 1925 under the pines in Bourideys. She knows everything about the forest and the people who lived there. “I started working at 15, during the war, with my father who was a lumberjack, she says. I replaced my brother. I sawed the trees. I then worked with my husband Gilbert on a farm. He was a gemmer in Balizac. We had a hard job. Simone never stopped caring for her family, flushing out mushrooms, visiting the woodpigeons with her husband (now deceased) and his family.
She appreciates the stability of the machine. ” When the trucks pass me, I hold my right and it does not move. In the village, the kids were happy to see my scooter. They surrounded me. They wanted to get on it…”
Simone Bordes has three childrenSylvie, Claudine and Jean-Pierre, five grandchildren And eight great-grandchildren. “I am well surrounded by my children, she underlines. I have a digital tablet to chat with them. »
“It’s good for home care”
She has a message to pass: “a scooter is good for all people with reduced mobility and for home care. This allows you to stay at home as long as possible. There is never better than home. »
Happy birthday, Simone!
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