Aah, Trudy
Well Substitute #1 for the week is gone, and even Mom agrees, NOT one of the better workers.
To begin with, I really don’t think making personal calls at the end of your time, is appropriate, especially when you haven’t finished the assignment. I know that time is precious, but really, things need to be done right, not half assed.
Secondly, sorry but depends aren’t designed to be flying half mast. It leads to leakage, which leads to more laundry, but more importantly, leads to discomfort and skin irritations. It means, my dear Trudy, that right after Breakfast, I had to change Mom’s nightshirt, plus her depends.
IT also meant that I had to wash her, in her privates, which is why you were sent here in the first place. I then had to dry her, and once more apply the skin lotion, to avoid discomfort, and irritations. In other words, YOUR TIME HERE WAS BASICALLY A WASTED EXERCISE.
While I can understand not knowing the procedures, given its a first time, there are some things that really don’t require instructions, or maybe they do? Such as how to properly put depends on a person, such as not letting someone unsteady on their feet walk unattended to the dining room, while you make a phone call.
These SHOULD BE common sense, something that is obviously lacking with many women being sent into our homes. And you know what surprises me, is that these aren’t young women, but in their late forties, early fifties. THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER.
I suppose the real problem is, that I expect too much. Call it a sense of entitlement, or whatever, but really I was taught that no matter what, I should ALWAYS do my best in whatever task I am assigned. I was taught, that I may fail, but as long as I could honestly say I had tried my best, then I had succeeded.
Funny how today that isn’t the case. IF it truly is that these people are doing their best, then we really are in deep shit, because they simply aren’t up to snuff. IT does come down to training, but it also comes down to using common sense.
Makes me wonder, how the younger generation is going to be, in handling the aged, which means, how they gonna care for US.
I Must Be Dense
I really must be, as we have a new worker this morning and I am listening in, and really, have to wonder, where does Beacon find these people? How can they send them into a home, when they don’t have a clue?
Yes, you do need to remove the night clothing before beginning a sponge bath, especially when fresh one is laid out for you to use.
No, you are not here to supervise a 92 year old from washing her own feet, body. The whole reason you are here, is to ASSIST HER IN DOING WHAT SHE IS NO LONGER ABLE TO DO.
Least that is how I would look at it. Or am I perhaps, dense?
Do I have it wrong, and people request workers to watch them clean themselves? Do they have home support because, well gee, they can do the job of washing up, but are too lazy to do it?
So far we have about twelve (12) ’stand up now’ for a lady that needs a walker to move around, who is unsteady on her feet along with a weakened arm strength. She has been here before, when Mom had the cast on, and I am almost certain I kicked her out, or at least complainted about not sending her again.
Problem is, they sent so many INCOMPETENT WORKERS it is very hard to keep track of them all. Now who knows, so I am at a loss, but I know I’ll be dealing with this for the rest of the day, and longer. That is the major complication of things like this, it doesn’t just end when the worker leaves, but festers, and becomes a huge distraction for Mom, which translates into a more stressful time for me. I have to calm her down.
BUT WHO CALMS ME DOWN?
Swallowing Assessment
Our Doctor had a swallowing assessment done for mom. It cost us $165.00 to have some lady show up, all fermished (yiddish for mixed up, confused) as she had lost her keys. Long and short of it, is she assessed mom for about an hour, then supposedly consulted with the Doctor.
Now that is well and good, but in all honesty, not really value for my money.
I mean the one page report was a bit, well, strange. Like telling me to not give her greens, like lettuce because she would choke on it. Something she’s never done. Also to take small sips of juice, or to put her pills, one at a time, in a spoonful of yogurt.
Okay, makes sense, if her swallowing was at a sub par. I mean it is too random to be just the food or how she eats it, that makes her choke. Frankly I think she simply forgets what is already in her mouth, and that is why she suddenly chokes.
I also think that stress, worrying, is another major cause. And when she’s calm, relaxed, she can gulp that juice down, with the best of us. Seriously, she really does gulp the juice, and yet, the choking spells are a bit less.
Only thing we’ve basically followed, has been cutting out the coffee. Now maybe that had some effect, but her choking is considerably less than before the assessment.
Kind of makes me wonder, just what was worth $110 an hour? Frankly, who is worth that kind of money? And Government wonders why health care costs are so much? Geez, maybe they should look at the money they are paying for some of these tests, or assessments.
