You are currently browsing all posts tagged with 'accountability'.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 entries.

Home Support is for…

  • Posted on February 3, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Share|

I wonder at times, just who is Home Support services supposed to help?

If the Patient is lucky enough to have an in home caregiver, then I suppose Home Support serves a dual purpose.

It allows for a brief respite for that Caregiver, as well as for the Patient, in providing services like washing, cleaning, etc.

Thing is, what about those who have no regular caregiver, such as a Son or Daughter, who lives there?

Today’s Health Services are greatly stretched, but are we using what resources we have, efficiently?

The longer we have in home support from Beacon Community Services, the more I wonder if perhaps the Government has too quickly abdicated its responsibility, under the guise of saving money.

Can a private organization actually provide better service than a Government run agency?

What about accountability? 

This is the problem today, not just in Home Support, Health Care, but in all aspects of our lives. We have suddenly gone from having a Government that provides services to the Citizens, to one that simply PAY FOR THOSE SERVICES.     Take the Food Industry.  CIFA has no teeth anymore, and as a result we have much more food recalls than when Government OVERSAW the entire Industry.

Is this also not what is happening to our Health Care System?

When was the last time that VIHA officials actually called on some of those patients, to check up on the care they have been receiving from Beacon Community Services?

I have never received a visit, in over 2½ years.  Consider that the taxpayer pays approximately $37 per hour of service.  In two years, Mom has received a minimum of 912 hours of service.  That equals about $33,744.00  in taxpayer money.   Doesn’t it just seem prudent, and proper to check up to insure that all that money was wisely spent?   And if you consider it, the Gross return on that money is 50% to Beacon, based on them only paying about $20 an hour for their employees.

So here is a private NON PROFIT company receiving about $15,000.00 for one old lady’s home support care over the last 2½ years.  Doesn’t it make sense to be checking up on that?

I don’t know, all these so called Conservatives, like Christie Clark, Stephen Harper, talk a good game about fiscal responsibility, and yet they seem unconcerned about the companies they have hired to provide services to us.  They are unconcerned about checking up on them, on insuring that these private firms are actually adhering to their contracts.

I don’t know, but to me that just seems the exact opposite of what a so called Fiscal Conservative should be doing.

Continue reading Home Support is for… »

Care to leave a comment?

Fostering Fear not Compassion

  • Posted on November 4, 2010 at 10:26 am
Share|
This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series Follow The Money

It isn’t just the Patient, who is subject to the fear, created by the insensitive attitude of Beacon Community Services, & VIHA, but is also the Primary Care Givers, and THE REGULAR WORKERS.

When every phone call, elicits a tensing of nerves, wondering if  you are being sent elsewhere, or that a regular worker isn’t coming, it eventually drags you down. It wears you out.

This Climate of Fear, is how BCS (Beacon Community Services) and VIHA (Vancouver Island Health Authority) are able to get away with providing sub standard care to our Seniors.  The people involved are worn into submission, their energy to do battle with the cruel & mean spiritness of these organizations, is zapped from them, daily.

We need to return to our roots, to where it mattered how we treated people, how we treated employees.  It is time to stop being victims of a group of greedy leeches.

Continue reading Fostering Fear not Compassion »

Care to leave a comment?

Sixteen Years of Experience but of what

  • Posted on November 3, 2010 at 11:12 am
Share|
This entry is part 6 of 12 in the series Making A Difference

So today’s delightful substitute was Agnes.

She claimed to have many years of experience, in providing home support care for people, but I wonder, for what kind of people?  Were they bed ridden, or mentally challenged? Were they actually HUMAN?

When you enter a home, with a chip on your shoulder, rest assured, I’ll be quick to knock it off.  Rudeness & Arrogance will only get you a steely stare and I will STAND LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER.

One might warm up to her, over time, but you know, I doubt it.  This is one substitute, in a long list of many, that is never going to set foot in our home again.  I don’t give a rat’s ass at how much experience she claims to have, because frankly she doesn’t know a damn thing about caring for an elderly women.

When MOM has to tell her to go easy, to walk behind her, I tend to doubt that she knows squat about working with an older person, and that is just the beginning.  Like uh, you dont force runnes on a person with brittle bones, you take your time and work it on.  NOT AGNES.

No, there is no doubt in my mind now, that it is time to take the gloves back off, to unleash all I can, to insure that Beacon Community Services is put under a microscope, and that those who cover for them, are put under an even more intense public scrutiny.

It is time to try and make VIHA, and our Government, ACCOUNTABLE.

Continue reading Sixteen Years of Experience but of what »

Care to leave a comment?

At Last One Reply

  • Posted on June 19, 2010 at 9:25 am
Share|

Elected RepresentativesStill waiting on the scheduling office for the BC Minister of Health to respond, but not holding my breath.  Somehow I don’t believe that they will, simply as I am not a contributor or some Corporate Big Shot.

On the other hand, Rob Fleming’s office finally got back to me, and I have a meeting with him set up for early July.  Barring a cancellation, which can happen.

I suppose they have to do things this way, as there are only so many hours in a day, and a ton of people wanting a piece of their time.  You’d think that there would be an easier way for our Elected Officials to keep in touch with the people.  Mind you that assumes that they want to keep in touch.

There once was a time when we had access, us common ordinary joe’s & jane’s. Now it is all so computerized, so many rules and steps, that it seems like they deliberately DON’T want to inter act with the Public.  Strange, because you know, it is OUR Government, or was.

Maybe I am out of step on this, like so many other things. Perhaps I am just living in the past, not moving ahead. Perhaps today it isn’t about US, THE PEOPLE, but is about the Corporate Entity.  After all, while they DON’T VOTE, they do seem to have better access, better AUTHORITY over those WE SUPPOSEDLY DO ELECT.

Continue reading At Last One Reply »

Care to leave a comment?

Price of Inconsistent Care

  • Posted on September 2, 2009 at 10:05 am
Share|

Granted, scheduling multiple workers, for numerous patients, some only on a temporary basis, is not simple or easy. After all you have to take into account the experience levels, the type of care being required by the worker, as well as seniority & location, but it is a doable task. Naturally that assumes that you have sufficient workers, that you have qualified staff at all levels, with appropriate skills for the needed tasks.

Beacon Community Services seems to have none of that.

In approximately six weeks of twice daily service, where I cannot even begin to count the number of workers that have shown up here, one has to assume that they simply DO NOT have the right schedulign personnel, or programs, or simply DO NOT care about their Patients, but are only concerned with meeting their basic contract requirements.

Which brings up the question, exactly what are those terms in the contract?

With workers showing up twice a day, seven days a week, you would assume that it would simply be a matter of assigning one to three people for each shift.  In other words, you get a person who is available, for four or three days, at that time, and assign them to ONE SINGLE PATIENT.

That Assumes You Care About Quality of Service.

Old people are not easy, that is a given. In addition, routine is very important to them, so it would make sense, that if you truly cared about them, you would move heaven & earth to insure they had some sort of consistent care. THAT MEANS REGULAR WORKERS NOT A CONSTANT INFLUX OF NEW FACES & PERSONALITIES.

It would be nice too, if workers were INFORMED of the care plan, which is in place, and that when those plans are changed, altered, THEY ARE UPDATED.

AGAIN, something Beacon Community Services isn’t very good at.

YET, I think the whole situation is not just letting the blame lie on a corporate entity, but on the Government Agency that actually CONTRACTS THIS WORK OUT. It would seem to me, that some form of OVERSIGHT would be in order, and yet from I have seen IN NEALRY SIX WEEKS, there really isn’t any.

NO ONE from VIHA has bothered to call, never mind show up, to check on the quality of service, even though there have been several complaints made about that service. It boggles my mind, to think of how UNCARING VIHA is in doing it duty.

The price of all this, is added stress to everyone involved. That includes the personnel from Beacon, from VIHA but more importantly, the PATIENT HIS/HERSELF.  As well, it is the stress that is added to the 24/7 caregiver.

Do you know what it is like, to sit and wonder if someone will show up, or if they do, who it will be? Oh sure, they have a schedule you can check, but that doesn’t guarantee that it’ll be the person listed, who shows up. Then too, there is the time factor. A person may be scheduled for 9AM, but Beacon has until 1PM to have someone show up. 

In other words, it is like the Cable Guy.  Be home between Noon & 4PM as someone will eventually show up.

I don’t know how others handle this. For myself, for mother, it is a tough and arduous situation. It has even reached the point where she is asking me, would I mind helping her wash her private region, so as to simply avoid the stress of incompetent staff, of incomplete washing, of being rushed, and of rough handling.  AND THAT IS JUST AFTER SIX WEEKS !

HOW IS THIS HOME SUPPORT?

Continue reading Price of Inconsistent Care »

Care to leave a comment?

Vancouver Island Health Authority

  • Posted on July 30, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Share|

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?

Continue reading Vancouver Island Health Authority »

Care to leave a comment?

SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline