You are currently browsing all posts tagged with 'home support'.
Displaying 7 - 12 of 70 entries.

Mom got a Xmas gift

  • Posted on December 26, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Share|

Today Mom got a Christmas Gift from Beacon Community Services.     A WORKER WHO KNEW WHAT TO DO!

This afternoon, we had another new home worker, Trinity, and this time around, it was a pleasure.  In fact, if she was to become a regular, I’d not object one little bit.

To begin with, she was nice, and made Mom feel comfortable.

Secondly, she listened to my explanation of the routine, and UNDERSTOOD IT!

Thirdly, she actually did it.

That is a rare thing with Beacon Community Service workers, so today was indeed a good day.  Mom had her regular morning worker, Tracy, and this afternoon, a qualified and knowledgeable worker.

Continue reading Mom got a Xmas gift »

Care to leave a comment?

Workers Who Make Assumptions Can Kill Their Patients

  • Posted on December 25, 2011 at 10:09 am
Share|

IF you were going on a flight, from Victoria to Rome, would you want your Pilot to rely on Dead Reckoning to get you there, or would you like him to use the Navigational Aids provided for Airline?    Would you prefer a Pilot that PASSED FLIGHT SCHOOL or one who is a whiz at using Microsoft’s Flight Simulator?

Myself, I’d like a Pilot who Graduated Flight School, and who used all the latest Navigational Aids to get me to Rome, but IF you are Beacon Community Services, well it seems you wouldn’t mind flying to ROME with someone who played Microsoft’s Flight Simulator game rather than graduate from any formal flight school.

This mornings substitute was Lily.

She had been here a long time ago, but hey, that didn’t matter because she remembered what was needed.  Course things have changed dramatically from two years ago.  But hey not to worry, she is a trained professional, as Beacon Community Services can attest to.   And that is good enough for VIHA.   After all, why would BCS lie?

If I tell you, that the person you are to assist, has trouble standing, of keeping her balance, and that the standing needs to be kept to a minimum, would you have stand for several minutes, without any support?

Would you expect her to stand up to brush her teeth?

How about let’s get her to stand up while we remove the soiled nightshirt, and remove one hand from holding onto any support?

Maybe I need to take a refresher course in speaking the English Language.   I mean I would think that if you say “keep to a minimum” it would be sufficient words to insure that you don’t have her being a jumping jack, or have her stand for a long length of time.   Obviously, for Lily, those words had no meaning.

Then let’s make her get up with minimal assistance, and sit in a wheelchair, when she has trouble standing, never mind moving her feet.  After all, you gotta get going, and this is just, well one stop in a long day of helping old people.  One can’t wait around all day for them to move, now can one?

Course my favorite of the morning, was in wondering why I was handing her the walker, while she had Mom in the bathroom.  She hadn’t a clue as to what it was for.  In fact she wanted to know if that was for Mom to sit on.

WORKERS LIKE THIS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY TO PATIENTS, SERIOUS ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY CAUSE DEATH.   THIS IS WHAT BEACON COMMUNITY SERVICES SENDS TO OUR HOMES.    THANK YOU PREMIER CAMPBELL AND CURRENT PREMIER CLARK.

 

 

Continue reading Workers Who Make Assumptions Can Kill Their Patients »

Care to leave a comment?

Do NO Harm

  • Posted on November 5, 2011 at 9:21 am
Share|
This entry is part 24 of 24 in the series Quality of Life

Google has this philosophy, of Do No Evil, but you know, there is another motto that our Provincial Government, Vancouver Island Health Authority, and Beacon Community Services should adopt.

DO NO HARM

It really would make life simpler for Seniors and for their caregivers.  Today we had a very nice lady, Nerissa, who was here back in 2010.  Guess what Nerissa, OLD PEOPLE CHANGE RAPIDLY!.

  1. When people are going to someone’s home, it is fine to park in front of it, to use their driveway if they have one, to even park across the street.  But IT IS NOT OKAY to block off neighbours driveways, and think it doesn’t matter.
  2. Read the CARE PLAN BEFORE you show up. It might let you know that there is a dog on the premises, so walking in immediately after ringing the door bell IS NOT A SMART MOVE.
  3. If the dog doesn’t bite you, rest assured…  I WILL.
  4. Wear the provided for IDENTIFICATION BADGE.  Like you really think you impressed me enough a year ago, that I’ll remember your face?
  5. Introduce yourself, might be nice to let the people whose home you are entering, who you are, and so they too, can introduce themselves.
  6. Wait for the person who let you in, to show you the way,.
  7. ASK if there is anything new since the care plan was made up, or any special things they should know BEFORE they start pulling on people’s arms and getting them out of bed.

It is nice to come early, but in this case, I think I know why you are early.  Others couldn’t wait for you to leave. OH you are nice, smile a lot, say thank you a lot, but the quality of service provided will haunt me for several days now.  And that is assuming the regular workers all show up, as scheduled.

Here is the deal Beacon Community Services, Vancouver Island Health Authority.

  • We are people, not nameless numbers.
  • People you are caring for are elderly, frail, and fragile.
  • No two Seniors are alike, even if they have basically the same infirmaties, or ailments.
  • English speaking people cannot understand foreign languages. If workers are unable to fully communicate with the Patient, ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN.
  • OLD PEOPLE DO NOT MOVE FAST
  • You may have 50 minutes to accomplish your task, an old person doesn’t care about that. They simply do not move at your speed.  You need to move at THEIR SPEED.
  • Seniors are deathly afraid of falling, which is why they MOVE SLOWLY.
  • Commands from the brain DO NOT move as quickly to an old person’s limbs as they do for your or me.
  • Seniors are set in their ways.
  • They hold onto their routine, so YOU ADAPT TO THEM, not the other way around.
  • Old people are scared, they know they are facing death, DON’T RUSH THEM TO MEET IT.
  • Aged people are embarassed and afraid of losing their dignity, and independance, so let them do things THEIR WAY, so they can hold onto something.

Here is the deal.  The TAXPAYERS are the one’s shelling out over $37 an hour to Beacon Community Services, for home support.  As nice as Nerissa was, she was not capable of doing the simple job of giving a 94 year old a sponge bath.   She did not know how to properly support an old person that is shaky, and unsteady on her feet.

Through the Grace of GOD, Mom did not fall and crack her head, or worse, DIE.   When you send people who cannot communicate clearly, you are putting that PATIENT AT RISK.  Proper training is essential, but if the people being trained have limited understanding of English, are limited in their ability to issue clear and concise instructions, all the training in the world is useless.

Every PERSON is different, even if they have the same ailments, have the same basic needs.  When a caregiver is there, ASK THEM QUESTIONS so you can properly attend to the needs of the PATIENT ENTRUSTED INTO YOUR CARE.

Looking after an old person is not easy. I can attest to that, and yet I also know that the vast majority of issues in dealing with an old person, is simply common sense.  They are shaky, so you have to be on your toes, ready to steady them BEFORE THEY FALL.  You need to talk loudly, SO THEY CAN HEAR YOU.  You need to SPEAK CLEARLY so they can understand the instructions, directions.

But most of all, YOU NEED TO CARE ABOUT THEM.

 

Continue reading Do NO Harm »

Care to leave a comment?

It Is the Aftermath That Will Kill

  • Posted on September 27, 2011 at 8:51 am
Share|

How do the people of Beacon Community Services sleep at night? For that matter how does the head honcho at VIHA sleep at night? 

After all, they MUST know that their decisions literally impact thousands of people, and NOT in a good way. I constantly worry about how good of a care I am providing for my 94 year old Mother. I think I do okay, but still, I worry, and yet I see stupid decisions by VIHA and BCS ( Beacon Community Services ) that makes me wonder, if they even know what it means to PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO THE ELDERLY.

Sunday’s worker was nice, bubbly, but totally useless when it came to bathing Mom and helping her get dressed.  The lack of caring to even read the care plan PRIOR to arriving, or to even ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE COMMENCING, shows that once again Beacon Community Services are hiring untrained, unqualified, uncaring personnel, to care for Seniors.

What Beacon and VIHA fail to get, is that this type of attitude creates unnecessary stress for the elder person, ( not to mention the primary caregiver ) that doesn’t just end when the worker leaves the home. IT LINGERS, and has serious implications, that can, over time, KILL THE SENIOR.

It takes Mom about 2 or 3 days to regain her composure, and that is assuming nothing else shows up to rock the boat.  In those 2 or 3 days, her system reacts to the stress, by increased tremors of the body, that CAN lead to a serious fall, and injury.  It plays games with her mind, and in Mom’s case, also leads to a serious of ( what the doctor calls ) mini strokes.

Eventually those mini strokes can develop into a full blown one, and that could most certainly KILL HER.

The aftermath also includes worry, fear, that preys on her fragile mind, that makes her fixate on things, that make her nervous, that impact my day too. I have to spend a lot more time cajoling, and reassuring her, than normal.

Some may say that is part of the job, part of the hazards of caring for one’s elderly parent, but the thing is, IT IS TOTALLY UNNECESSARY.

  1. IF VIHA DID ITS JOB, IT WOULD INSURE THAT ANY PRIVATE COMPANY SENDING WORKERS INTO THE HOME, WERE ALL 100% QUALIFIED.
  2. IF BEACON COMMUNITY SERVICES WERE ABOUT HOME CARE, THEY WOULD INSURE THAT THEIR WORKERS WERE FULLY TRAINED AND QUALIFIED BEFORE SENDING THEM OUT ON THE JOB.

The reality is, that VIHA is merely looking for a way to lessen its responsibilities to the people of this region, and to SAVE MONEY.   Beacon Community Services isn’t about home support, or care, but is about PROFITS ONLY.

The aftermath of a rotten worker, isn’t just added stress to me, or even to my Mother.  It is that over time, depending on how strong Mom’s character is, the aftermath of the policies of the Vancouver Island Health Authority, and of their partner and co-conspirator Beacon Community Services is 

DEATH FOR THE ELDERLY

Guess that is how they plan to save money, kill them off, and wash their hands of it. 

Today, without warning, once more Beacon Community Services pulled another of its famous SWITCHES.

A substitute was sent, without any notice.  Just as we enter the 2nd day of dealing with the aftermath from Sunday, we begin the process all over again today.  My day now becomes filled with having to be extra cautious, extra aware, in order to try and prevent any serious repercussions, of a sudden, unexpected change in Mom’s routine.

When a person can afford private care, these issues don’t really exist. If the assigned worker is sub standard, they are simply fired from the job.  A new agency can be hired, if the old one is not living up to its contract.

  • Neither the owner of Beacon Community Services, nor the upper echelon of VIHA have to worry on that score, They all can afford Private Health Care, as can our Premier and Health Minister.

And yet, VIHA continues to pour MILLIONS of dollars into Beacon Community Services, despite KNOWING that the care they supply to Vancouver Island Seniors is not just SUB STANDARD but borders on ELDER ABUSE.

We will have more MINI STROKES, that hopefully she’ll recover from, as she usually does. BUT, there is coming a time when she won’t, and that means a lower quality of life for a 94 year old lady, that has done nothing wrong, to deserve such misery.  AND that is the best we can hope for, because it could also mean she will die.

No one gives a shit, not the personnel at VIHA who implement these stupid contracts, and most certainly not the people at Beacon Community Services, who simply are looking towards that paycheck. They want the shiny new cars, the iPhones and Blackberry’s, so what if it means old people are hurt, are stressed out and driven into fear and worry 24/7. 

Least they get their new shiny toys.

Continue reading It Is the Aftermath That Will Kill »

Care to leave a comment?

Old People Deserve Better

  • Posted on September 25, 2011 at 9:35 am
Share|

A winning smile, a bubbly personality are all well and good, if you are selling cosmetics, or clothing, or even a car. It works if you are a waitress, or desk clerk at a Hotel, and it can HELP if you are a home support worker, but that is all it can do. 

Old people, are unique.  They have lived a bit, and yeah, they can be ornery, cranky even as they get older, but honestly that is from fear of the unknown. No matter how strong your faith in GOD is, the closer you are to those final days, the harder it is to believe.  So you wind up taking it out on those around you, it is human nature.

Yes Mom can be a handful, can make life exasperating even, and difficult, but you know what, she is entitled to. She is after all 94 and to be honest, I don’t see her making it to 95.  She is tired, of the pain, of the difficulties in just doing simple tasks like getting out of bed, of standing up to go to the bathroom.

She isn’t feeble, or stupid. She knows it is hard on those around her, but she keeps fighting, fearing when her last bit of independence goes, when she becomes bed ridden.  Even I, find myself thinking about that, and I am only 56 years old.  I see how it impacts me, and I know David won’t have the patience, or the strength to cope with what I am dealing with.  So yes, it weighs on a person’s mind a lot, so how must it feel to be 94, and in such a condition?

Sure, there are other old people who are in better shape, and most in worse shape, but the last thing they need, is unwarranted stress added to their already complicated life.  They have enough pain, enough tzuris ( Yiddish for troubles ) that additional burdens are just, well cruel.

Perhaps I have a different interpretation of what Home Support is about.  Maybe that is why I am so disgusted with Beacon Community Services, and the people who run it, along with VIHA ( Vancouver Island Health Authority ) who enable outfits like Beacon Community Services to not just exist, but actually thrive.

In about ten minutes from now, I have to take Mom to the bedroom, not for a change, but to redo what the worker that was here at 9am did, so that Mom is free from pain. So that she can sit and read her book, in comfort, and be clean too.

  • VIHA needs to stop giving contracts to private businesses, without having a proper check and balance system in place. They need to insure that those who are sent into people’s homes, are qualified in proper procedures on how to get an elderly patient up out of bed, and into a bathroom for a wash and dressing.  
  • VIHA needs to take charge, and to deny contracts, or revoke contracts, from firms who place profits above quality of service.

IF you want to be in Home Care, then you need to hire staff that is qualified to do the task assigned. That means actually knowing what you are supposed to do for a Patient, BEFORE YOU ARRIVE AT THEIR DOOR.

I do this 24/7 and perhaps I am too picky, as has been mentioned to me from BCS, but hey, guess what, this is my Mother.  She is 94 and is ENTITLED to be given some consideration.  She is ENTITLED to be cared for, with respect, and with competent care.

Home Support, to me, means that you come in, to HELP, to bolster the primary caregiver by giving them a chance to rest, to be free from doing their job, even if it is for a short FIFTY MINUTES.   That means you come PREPARED to do the tasks listed in the Care Plan. 

You DO NOT use the excuse that it is your first visit, so no, you haven’t read the care plan.  HELL, if it is a first time, that SHOULD BE THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN ASSIGNED A NEW PATIENT.

As a business, providing such care, it is YOUR OBLIGATION to hire qualified personnel, and to follow up and INSURE that they are doing the assigned tasks, and doing them PROPERLY.

OLD PEOPLE, cranky or ornery or whatever, DESERVES IT.

too bad VIHA and Christy Clark, along with Isabel McKenzie and Beacon Community Services, disagree with me on that.   Their one and only concern, is how much money they can pocket on the backs of OLD PEOPLE.

Continue reading Old People Deserve Better »

Care to leave a comment?

It’s Just One Day, Right?

  • Posted on August 14, 2011 at 9:04 am
Share|

What does one day of inconvenience matter to a person who is 94?

Shit happens, right? I mean a worker gets sick, or goes on holidays, so its life, not a big deal, right? 

Uh, NO!

You can’t help it when people get sick, nor can you expect them to not take vacations, but IF ( and in the case of Beacon Community Services, that is a HUGE IF ) you are a responsible business, you plan for those occurrences.  After all, you know it will happen, so smart business people plan for it.

Obvious that Beacon Community Services is not run by Smart People.  Just GREEDY ones.

Today’s debacle was slightly muted by the fact that the substitute was familiar and competent.  The regular worker however, wasn’t informed of the change until this morning, nor was the substitute.   Isn’t that nice, a great way to treat your employees. 

Thing is, I saw the change on the schedule Friday evening.   How come the workers weren’t informed then?

Only reason I found out, and checked the schedule was that my normal sleep in day was changing. David needed to so something this morning, so we swapped sleep in days.  First I checked to insure we had the regular worker.  As there was a change for today, it worked out okay to swap sleep in days.

Course, NO CALL FROM BEACON to inform us of the change, so IF I hadn’t checked the schedule, this would have been a surprise.  It also means, that if I hadn’t changed days with David, I’d have lost my sleep in day, because when it’s a substitute, I have to be up, to handle it.

And they wonder why I get upset at them?  When you get only one day per week, to sleep in, it is a big deal. It is the only time for it, when you can let your guard down, for a few extra hours.  Doesn’t mean the sleep is any more restful, just that you get more of it.  That helps a guy get through the rest of the week, but that is about me, not Mom.

AND THAT IS WHAT MATTERS…  MOM

Seniors of her advanced years are more prone to having things go wrong. Upsetting the routine, only acerbates those conditions she is dealing with, on a daily basis. Right now for example, her groin infection has a sore within it. It is extremely tender, and so extra care has to be taken in the cleaning & drying. Something a regular worker would know, and handle.  A substitute, no matter how good, isn’t going to know it as well, or do it as well.  

Add into that, the lack of knowledge on the routine, on how to assist Mom in being washed, and you have a needless painful experience for someone, first thing in the morning.  Now today’s worker is good, but hasn’t been here for awhile. And so she isn’t quite sure how to get Mom in and out of the bathroom, how to handle her.  It isn’t her fault, but it is BCS’s fault, because the regular worker wasn’t sick, she was simply swapped over elsewhere.

I repeat myself, but it is critical for the care of Seniors, that routine be kept in tact, as much as is humanly possible. It is also very critical that when substitutes are necessary, that they are capable to handle all contingencies, not just be treating people all the same.  Each person is different, and advance notice for both the patient, the caregiver, the support worker, is vital to insure that the disruption of the routine is mitigated as much as possible.

Again, something Beacon Community Services UTTERLY FAILS AT ACCOMPLISHING.

But then, should anyone be surprised, as this is about business,

not about caring for people.

Continue reading It’s Just One Day, Right? »

Care to leave a comment?

SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline