Vancouver Island Health Authority
I can’t recall who set this up, it was either under the NDP or the previous Social Credit governments, that split up health care, into regions. Could even have been the Campbell Liberals, but the fact is, it is a mistake.
There is an old saying, “too many cooks, spoil the broth” and that is the case here.
Dealing with VIHA is not simple. The buracrcy of it all, is just another layer to insulate the big shots in Victoria, such as the Minister of Health. And that makes it hard for people like me, to effect change, or to deal with issues.
I mean when you contact the liaison worker, to find out what the qualifications of home support workers are, and she can’t answer, because somehow it is a secret. Oh, she would like to know, but the powers that be, well, that seems to be information not for public consumption.
WHY?
It is our tax dollars being spent, to allow some private outfit, to make a buck. I think they make a lot more than a buck, and am wondering, if they aren’t cutting too many corners, that have some serious ramifications for those under their care?
Like my Mother.
I am seeing bruisng on her thigh, and this morning blood on her panties. Now, I don’t know, could be from hemmoroids, or a sore that popped, but then, the worker didn’t note them in the sacred yellow book, or tell me either. So how did it happen? Where did it come from? Just magically appeared?
And now, try to find out what to do. Called Ida Chong, our MLA, and was given the complaint number for VIHA. Nice answering machine, but not helpful, now is it. Wrote an email, even made a note on twitter, but what concerns me, is what about those who don’t have a family member to go to bat for them?
Are they simply left, to fall through the cracks, or in the harsh realities of life, simply fade away without anyone the wiser?
Being Tricky
Sad really, that one has to resort to tricks, to insure that a loved one actually eats enough.
It is super hot here, for us, and it zaps a person. It also effects the appetite a great deal, and factor in that you aren’t feeling good. Well, it becomes a struggle to eat enough to keep your strength up. And boy, can Mom be stubborn.
So breakfast, not so many pieces, is the one trick, now for dinner, another.
She likes sandwhiches, and in this weather, so do I. I mean it’s not fun cooking over a hot stove, when its 90 in the house, never mind outside. So instead of a sandwhich with two pieces of bread, I make it one slice. She thinks its half a sandwhich.
I then load it up with one full can of tuna or salmon, and again, she thinks it is less. Funny thing is, she eats it all, and that is the end result I am looking for.
Also, instead of putting the yogurt in a bowl, I use the small little cups it comes in. This way, she thinks it is less, which I guess it is, but truth is, it is the same amount. Yet in a bowl, she thinks it is more, so again, end result is she eats it all.
Now to just figure out, how to get her drinking more, to keep her from getting dehydrated.
Blind Trust
I wonder, if when Governments grant licenses or contracts to Private Firms, for health care, if they realize the amount of BLIND TRUST they are asking from us. I mean we have Beacon Community Services providing home support for Mom, twice a day, every day of the week. Rarely do we ge the same worker, it seems, so either this company has a ton of employees that they cycle, or they keep hiring new one’s to replace those who leave.
And we are expected to accept that they know what they are doing.
Somehow, that simply isn’t sitting well with me. Like last night, nice lady, not old, but in conversation she’s only been in Victoria a little bit, moved from Nova Scotia, and has been with Beacon for a few days.
How does that sound to you? Any FLAGS popping up?
Does for me, because the aftermath is, she was nice, but not with the program. Her technique wasn’t the best, and well, we all know the old saying “Hell is paved with good intentions” and when it comes to my Mother, just how much trust, should I be asked to give, to nameless workers that just show up?
I wonder how Carol James, or Gordon Campbell, would feel, if they had to rely on Home Support from a private firm, and NOT know anything about the company, or its hiring policies, or its qualifications? Would they intrust their loved one’s to their care, or would they demand some form of checks?
Now, maybe the Government is satisfied, but again, more BLIND TRUST HERE. I mean they are asking us, to TRUST that they are insuring tough regulations & requirements from the firms they hire, to help us out. I don’t know, if perhaps we aren’t really just shooting ourselves in the foot, because let’s face it, a private company has one major goal, AND THAT IS TO MAKE MONEY.
So where are they cutting costs, in tough economic times? Is it in the training? How about the education requirements of its workers? How about their strength? I mean seriously, these people have to lift others, and not everyone is a tiny lady like my mom, so are they given any formal and explicit training, on how to properly lift up an elderly patient?
Time to ask, what is our Government expecting, demanding, from these private firms, if anything but a cheap contract price?
Battle to Eat Enough
One thing I have noticed, is that Mom’s eating habits have changed a great deal over time. Especially when she’s not feeling well, like now. And it becomes a battle really, to get her to eat enough, drink enough, in order to just sustain herself.
Now most suggest adding supplements, like as if she needs to take more pills. In some cases, not much of a choice, but there are other ways. For example, having fruit. The less she sees in her plate, the more likely she is to eat it all, but then comes the other headache. Chewing.
Older people have limited use of their hands, their teeth may not be in the best shape, so chewing is a hard task. Cutting up large pieces of food is painful, so it gets left behind.
The balancing comes, in making the pieces just small enough to chew easily, and yet isn’t so small, that it seems like the plate is overflowing with goodies. Using a larger than average plate, can also help, in giving a perception of less food. ( That’s a trick I have to try, if possible. )
I notice that by not slicing her toast, using smaller bread slices, she eats what she used. I cut the strawberries into just manageable sizes, not fours or sixes, but halves, which seems to work. I want her eating the toast too, because of the jam on it, and the bread is filled with fruit as well. I love it, because it also has some holes in it, which I fill with jam, which adds to her sugar/starches.
Who knew, that at 54 years of age, I’d be using trickery to get her to eat more. I always thought my food was tasty enough, but at her age, she just doesn’t want to make a production. Then too, she is watching her weight, and I gotta say, this is one tough balancing act.
Bull In A China Shop
Even though Mythbuster’s showed that a bull in a china shop actually is more careful than one would expect, it is an old saying, implying crashing and bumping and breaking of things. While a broken dinner plate is just that, it isn’t the case with people. Grab them too hard, push them too hard, and bones break.
When you have Brittle Bones (osteoporosis) it is even more important to take care when you lift, turn, or twist a person. How you hold them counts big time into protecting them from unnecessary damage.
I suppose what frustrates me the most, is not knowing just what qualifications these home support workers have. Are they trained to any degree? I know from one worker, she had a full year’s of training, and was saying how today, new workers receive about a month at a community type college setting.
So how did what took a year, suddenly be able to be condensed into a single month long course?
Do they show them the right way to hold a person? I rather doubt it, from what I have seen of the support workers provided by Beacon Community Services. In fact, I worry more now, about how safe Mother is, under their care, than when it was just up to me. AND, that isn’t how it is supposed to work, now is it?
Family or caregivers, of a loved one, are asked to place a great deal of trust in these private support services. I know that to be working for the Government, there are proper qualifications that have to be met, and even though some sneak through, for the most part, they have the skills.
What assurances do I have that, that is the case with these Privately Hired & Paid Workers?
