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The Aftermath

  • Posted on May 3, 2011 at 1:44 pm
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Sorry, no I am not talking about the aftermath of the Federal Election. That’s for my other blog.  I am talking about the aftermath of having a substitute, who simply didn’t read the care plan, before showing up.

I suppose my biggest beef, is in the quality of staff being hired by Beacon Community Services, in their training, and in their willingness to actually care for an older person, such as Mom, who is going ot be 94 this month.

To begin with, BCS needs to have qualified staff who can step in, when a regularly assigned worker is sidelined.  Ours was today, and one hopes she’ll be back tomorrow, but the issue is, that BCS needs to have specially trained workers, who can float, go from new client to new client.

It isn’t fair to the Worker to take them from a regular, then dump them into a new situation. Nor is it fair on the Patient.  What is worse though, is the lack of actual caring for the Patient.

I mean, NO you don’t take a naked 93 year old to the bedroom to change her, when she tells you to do it in the bathroom. Never mind that she is standing naked, door open, and staring out at the street.

NO you don’t make a 93 year old walk more than she needs to, or stand more than she should. Especially when you have been told that she has trouble walking, has trouble standing.

NO you don’t make a 93 year old stand unattended, when she is prone to tremors, shakes, that effect her ability to maintain her balance.

NO you don’t rush her along, simply because you want to get the hell out.

NO you don’t pull on the walker, when she isn’t supported, or aware you are doing that.

NO you don’t PUSH on the walker, to push the door open more.

NO you don’t leave her to brush her own teeth, without making sure she is stable

NO you don’t leave her standing, naked, while you go make the bed, and put some of the dirty linen in the laundry basket.

NO you don’t wash her by telekineses. You actually USE water, and SOAP.

Today’s substitute worker, took those NO’s and made them ALL YESES. Not what I’d call steller or even close to being caring. Yet she claims to have 7 years of experience in this. I don’t know, but I sure as hell hope her regular patients don’t get what I experienced today.

There appears to be a genuine lack of caring, in people today. I know, I get frustrated, get irritated even, with how things are, when dealing with mom. Yet, I strive to not take it out on her, or David. I don’t always succeed, but then I am here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, dealing with it.  These workers are here for FIFTY MINUTES.

How many will die, as a result of this uncaring attitude & corporate greed?

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Just Fifty Minutes

  • Posted on August 2, 2010 at 11:54 am
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This entry is part 1 of 24 in the series Quality of Life

Is that really too much to ask for?

home support time in homeAt the moment, Mom is eligible for 120 hours of Home Support per month, and uses 28 hours of it. That works out to ONE HOUR PER DAY, for the entire month.  The purpose is not to just provide her the support she needs, but to give the PRIMARY CARE GIVER a respite.

The reality is that for every hour, you get 50 minutes, as 10 minutes of that hour is allotted for the worker to transit from one job site to another.

What seems to escape the POWERS THAT BE, is that you aren’t providing any respite, when you mess around with that schedule.

When you set a schedule, set a routine for someone who is NINETY THREE YEARS OLD, changes have a huge impact on her quality of life, as well as the primary caregiver.

Old people fixate on ideas, and when they worry needlessly, it creates a bad health situation. It makes them more susceptible to stress, to pressures, that they shouldn’t have to have. PLUS it leads to increased stress to the primary caregiver.

The uncertainly of not knowing who will show up for that FIFTY MINUTES isn’t just a passing fancy. IT LINGERS and can only be reduced, by keeping to a set a schedule, to a set worker.

TOO BAD BEACON COMMUNITY SERVICES & VIHA DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT.

The argument too, that it is due to a shortage of qualified staff, is rubbish. IF they provided their workers with a regular schedule, without random changes, it becomes easier for the worker to manage, as well as the patient.  That creates JOB SATISFACTION, which keeps workers from being dissatisfied & leaving the work force.

When a regular is sent, the primary caregiver can relax, can sit back and enjoy a hot cup of coffee. One can read the paper, without having to keep an ear open for any problems. It is that FIFTY MINUTES where you can shut your mind off, to just not worry about being called to service.

When a Substitute is sent, you have to Stand Guard, which means that FIFTY MINUTES is not spent unwinding, not spent just relaxing, but instead is just part of the day, WHEN YOU ARE ON DUTY.

adding stress not removing anyWhen you care, your mind doesn’t shut off. You have to plan for problems, to mitigate them. When you are uncertain WHO WILL SHOW UP FOR THOSE FIFTY MINUTES, you have ONE MORE STRESSFULL ITEM TO TRACK.

The less you have to worry about, the easier it is to cope with the job. And this job is about COPING, about STRESS.  To have an ADDED BURDEN THROWN AT YOU only makes you sick, and then what happens to the one you are caring for?

People get sick, go on holidays, which is normal. Certainly at those time, substitutes are a necessary evil, but that isn’t how Beacon Community Services operates. For them, EVERY DAY IS A POTENTIAL HOLIDAY, VACATION TIME, SICK DAY.  And that leads to a lack of continuity that impacts the Patient, as well as the primary caregiver, detrimentally.

VIHA fails to monitor the services being provided, or the scheduling, and that doesn’t even take into consideration, the standard of care being provided in those FIFTY MINUTES.

For over one year, I have been forced to endure random switches of workers, have had to fight for even obtaining regularly scheduled workers, and still, a year later, I cannot go to sleep at night, assured that those assigned to show up, will.   THAT ALONE leads to a restless sleep, that is impacting my own health.

It gnaws at Mom, as each night it is the same question – who is coming tomorrow, will they actually show up?    HOW CAN THAT BE GOOD FOR HER?

That is the reality I deal with 24 hours a day, despite having assurances that a regular schedule will be followed.  Just in the last week, we have had three substitutes out of seven, and that in itself, adds to the stress that cannot be easily erased.

VIHA needs to step in, to find a company that WILL ADHERE to a set of standards, THAT INCLUDES PROVIDING QUALIFIED STAFFING.

AND yet VIHA is unwilling to do this, which makes one wonder, just how many BROWN PAPER BAGS have been handed over to VIHA OFFICIALS?

There is no excuse for VIHA to be so uncaring, so incapable of monitoring the contracts it outsources to private business. Sure, Beacon claims to be NON PROFIT, but come on, how in hell does a small outfit suddenly become the major player in providing care to Seniors, at TAXPAYER EXPENSE?

IT IS TIME WE GOT AN ACCOUNTING FROM VIHA & THE CAMPBELL GOVERNMENT.

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Seniority Over Seniors

  • Posted on July 6, 2010 at 9:33 am
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Mom has a worker she really liked, who had an accident that made her take several weeks off, in order to recuperate. Now that she is back, she’s off to other people, and not even with a full schedule.  She has time available, in Mom’s time slot, but it seems that SENIORITY takes precedence over SENIOR CARE.

IF the goal is to provide CARE for the ELDERLY, shouldn’t their needs comes before anything else?

This is the problem with OUTSOURCING to Private Organizations and, to some extent, even Government Run Operations.

WE need to decide which is better, to insure SENIORITY FOR WORKERS [many of whom are incompetent or plain uncaring] or if it is more cost effective to provide workers that can relate to their Patients.

Mom does better with a worker she trusts [and I trust] than someone who just looks at it, as a paycheque.   UNFORTUNATELY the number who actually GIVE A DAMN are less and less, so when you find one, you don’t want to lose them. 

YET BEACON SEEMS TO THINK ITS OKAY TO PUNISH SENIORS & WORKERS. [It isn't like the worker chose to get sick (have an accident) nor is it Mom's fault that some are just incapable of dealing with an elderly person]

I am fully aware that not every request can be agreed to. However, when the worker has the time available, the Patient requests them, then no other consideration should take precedence. The health, peace of mind, of the Patient should over ride ANY OTHER CONSIDERATION.

There is a more serious issue too. IF the worker is one trusted, one that a rapport has been built, the Patient will stress less. That translates into a better mind set, that promotes healing, promotes healthy attitudes & living. It makes their lives easier, which in turn reduces strain on mediction needs, on other physical needs.

IT HELPS KEEP THEM ALIVE & WELL.   IT GIVES THEM A PROPER QUALITY OF LIFE.

Continue reading Seniority Over Seniors »

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Clueless Or Just Uncaring?

  • Posted on May 16, 2010 at 10:46 am
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This has been an eye opening weekend, sort of.  I mean it seems to just confirm to me, that people are either so clueless, that it borders on stupid, or that it is they simply don’t give a shit about their job.

There used to be a time, when no matter what your job was, you took pride in it. You may not have liked the pay scale, but you still showed up everyday, did the work assigned, and did it to the best of your ability.

SURE ISN’T THAT WAY TODAY!

Companies have gone from producing quality goods, to producing crap that is designed to break down, to become worthless in short order. All in the name of  profits, so people have to buy more of the same goods.  From houses to cars, to coffee makers to pretty much everything. Hell even our food isn’t safe to eat, but that’s okay, because the companies profit margin is on the upswing.

Blind to the Truth

Today’s Non Profit organizations are about shearing people, and frankly, I doubt very much if there is such a thing as NON PROFIT.  Like Beacon Community Services, that has from a single operation, become the controlling agency on Vancouver Island, in health care and other so called, support services. 

There is no doubt, the people in Charge, from Upper Management to Lower Management, simply do not care about those in their care. They don’t care about anything, but covering their own asses, and in making the company PROFITABLE.    They can claim to be NON PROFITbut come on, I didn’t fall off a turnip truck this morning.  THEY MAKE MONEY, and what is worse, is THEY MAKE OFF THE BACKS OF TAXPAYERS & THE INFIRMED.

The Government Agency responsible for overseeing them, SIMPLY DO NOT CARE.  And those who are in charge of insuring our money is properly spent, ARE TOO BUSY LINING THEIR OWN POCKETS.

But in all fairness, the real cause for all this, IS US, THE PEOPLE. 

We allow this type of Government, this type of Corporate RIP OFF, because we don’t care to do our job properly. We are too consumed with GREED, and no matter what the wage is, the compensation, IT IS NEVER ENOUGH FOR US.

I guess I am just past it. My time is at an end because the values, the ethics my 93 year old mother taught me, no longer exist, or apply in our world today. Oh there are some, a dwindling few, who try, but the majority, simply do not care anymore.

When I left a Job, or finish a project, I like to believe that I did the best I could. It may not be perfect, may not even be correct, but at least I gave it my best shot.   NOT HOME SUPPORT WORKERS TODAY.   Today it is about the clock, about moving on and so what if the routine for a 93 year old is disrupted. Not like they count anyhow, because well, they will be dead soon.  Why care, right?

It makes no difference to companies like Beacon Community Service, to VIHA or MLA’s like Ida Chong or for that matter, political leaders like Carol James, that people suffer, because of their actions, or in most cases… INACTION.  All that matters is that they have their asses covered.  Like providing a schedule for family members to check on who is coming, and when, but then changing it without notice, so that they can always say, “well it is on your schedule” .

Funny how that works. You can check the schedule at 9am, to find out why the worker hasn’t shown up, or who it is, and then at 9:30am someone new shows up, and when you go check the schedule, HEY IT SHOWS THE CHANGES.

FUNNY HOW THEY COULDN’T PHONE TO LET YOU KNOW.

Then you have to love how they can decide, the night before, to change the time for a worker to come visit, can make the changes in the schedule, but CANNOT PHONE YOU TO LET YOU KNOW.   So a worker, scheduled for 9am, suddenly is ringing your doorbell at 8am.

Or when they do call, and tell you NO ONE CAN ATTEND UNTIL 10am, AT THE EARLIEST, but that they will call you back, to let you know, and at 9:30am someone is ringing your doorbell, and no, they didn’t call you back either.

Of course, you have taken them at their word, gotten your 93 year old mother up, and eating her breakfast, because no one is coming before 10am.  You know she needs to eat on a scheduled time, to take her pills at the same time, so you have time. 

It is almost as if, they want to screw you up. So what if suddenly a leisurely breakfast is rushed? After all, they have a schedule to keep, and even though they don’t MAKE ANY MONEY, they gotta keep to that schedule.   YEAH, RIGHT!.

Seems they don’t care, that an older person can’t rush eating, because their ability to swallow is not as good, as you or I.  But hey, so what if they gag, choke a bit, not like THEY have to deal with it.

I used to think that it was simply that Beacon hired idiots, or rookies who didn’t have a clue, and that VIHA was simply too over burdened, to take charge of those under it’s care. MAN WAS I THE STUPID ONE!  

See, it really isn’t that Beacon hires idiots, they go out and look for the least expensive help they can find, qualified or not. VIHA knows it, because after all, they are the one’s who hand out the contract.  They have to know, from first hand, that you can’t charge $37 an hour, and find qualified staff for $22 an hour. After all, ISN’T THAT WHY THEY OUTSOURCED IT, TO BEGIN WITH?

Naturally the difference between paying $22 for labor, and receiving $37, is to cover administration. After all, IT IS NON PROFIT!

staying at home

Why Vote? Easier to Rock

AND

we allow it to go on. Seriously, we do, for a few reasons. One of course, that tops the list, is we are simply too self absorbed to care. We are just LAZY because at the moment, it isn’t US needing that care.  Then too, there is the WILLINGNESS to buy into the bullshit that our so-called leaders tell us, like Stephen Harper, Carol James, Gordon Campbell, and hey, if we don’t like them, WE STAY AT HOME COME ELECTION DAY.  [ Like that really sends them a message of dissatisfaction, doesn't it? ]

I never was one for Euthanasia, the right to decide when one should die. I know I could never do that, for Mom, but lately, I think for myself, I’d rather end it, long before I get to be Mom’s age.  I just don’t see anyone being able to give me any decent care, if I was to need it. It isn’t going to get better, until WE start demanding it, and frankly, I DOUBT IF ANYONE REALLY DOES CARE ANYMORE.

Continue reading Clueless Or Just Uncaring? »

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Question for Beacon & VIHA

  • Posted on November 9, 2009 at 1:22 pm
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IF you are sending QUALIFIED STAFF into people’s homes, as replacements, or as fill in’s, don’t you think they should be able to KNOW BEFOREHAND what their responsibilities are?

nurse-glovesSurely there is a Patient Profile available, that they can check, to see what condition their PATIENTS ARE IN, BEFORE ARRIVING. I mean it would make sense, to provide their temporary replacements with SOME INFORMATION. 

BUT I guess that is asking too much from two organizations, that have only one concern.  KEEPING COSTS DOWN, MAKING MONEY OR IN THE CASE OF VIHA, MAKING THE BUDGET.

You know, it really shouldn’t matter if a person has brittle bones, or has tender skin, they should ALWAYS BE TREATED GENTILY. I mean, how else do you treat a person of 92 years of age?  Why would you assume they can handle being treated like a 50 year old or a 20 year old?

Most who rely on these services, do so because they are unable to fend for themselves. Mom can’t wash herself properly, that is why they are here.  Kind of makes sense that IF her mobility is limited, her use of hands are limited, that one would take care in lifting them up, in moving them.

Of course, I am assuming that the staff being sent in, is Qualified.  However, going on to six months or more, I can honestly say that if these people are qualified, it isn’t for looking after the elderly, nor is it even for simply making a bed. Granted, A FEW are Qualified, like Wanda, Tracy, Yvette, and Arlene, and maybe they have others too, but not from those who have been sent here, over the last few months.

And where is VIHA on this?  It is like they give out a contract, and once that is done, they seem to disappear from the scene. In fact, I wonder, do they ever check on the patients under their care, to see if the help THEY have ordered, is up to standard? Do they even check the certificates or to see if they even have any certificates? OR DO THEY JUST ACCEPT THE WORD OF BEACON OFFICIALS?

I really wonder, if Government today cares one bit about older people. Hell, I wonder if they care about any of the people, who elect them. I know that the staff that have come to our home, may have certificates of training, but I think that the majority were absent for the classes, and only showed up to collect their certificates. Either that, or they simply do not care about their patients.

IF VIHA TODAY & BEACON COMMUNITY SERVICES ARE A SIGN OF THE FUTURE IN HEALTH CARE, THEN I HOPE I PASS AWAY WITHOUT BEING UNDER THEIR CARE, I DON’T DO SUFFERING WELL.

Continue reading Question for Beacon & VIHA »

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