Things happen, and there are days when the regular worker is not going to be able to attend. For days like that, one needs to keep track of who is sent, and make notes about them, so that if they show up again, you have a reference. One of the things I learned the hard way, as until recently, BCS was notorious for pulling our regular workers, and sending whoever was floating around that day.
Today & Tomorrow, we have substitutes schedule.
Let me say, that on Friday, BCS scheduler did contact us, to go through who was available to be sent for the weekend. I was informed that our regular worker had booked off, for family reasons. So kudos to her (MaryAnne I think was the name) for taking the time to call, to inform me, and to work with me, in getting a qualified substitute.
By keeping a list, of past substitutes, I could avoid having the ‘bad apples’ being sent, by error.
In an ideal world, it shouldn’t matter, but we do not live in an ideal world. So in all honesty, if you are the primary caregiver, you need to keep track of who is sent, and whether or not they are competent to do the job.
I use an Excel worksheet, in my dedicated workbook for Health. In that workbook, I keep track of Doctor visits, the bp readings, and other notes involved in Mom’s health. Example, the medications she takes, how often she takes them, the dose amount etc.
I also use it to track the workers.
I include things like date, name, and then the details. Do they have their ID visible, do they attempt to just walk in, or wait for me to put the dog away. How long do they spend in the home, have the read the careplan? These are important things to note.
Also, can they speak English clearly, able to communicate distinctly?
You also need memo fields, to add remarks about how well they did the job, or didn’t. You should set a rating scale too, so a quick glance will tell you, they are okay to have sent, or not.
Make sure the date & name are correct, and keep your criteria constant. If you make changes, additions, make a note when you changed it, for obvious reasons.
It would be nice to not have to do, but this is reality. Start it now, because I guarantee you, you are going to need it at some point, in your journey with BCS or any home support group.
Should also make note of when Nurses or other agents show up on any regular basis. Having the information, can save you a lot of grief when something goes wrong, and trust me, it will.
That is just how it is today.