Price of Inconsistent Care
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?
They Suffer, Then They Die
It is very difficult, to accept, but that appears to be today’s motto for those providing health care to the Elderly.
They Suffer in Silence, Then They Simply Die.
This morning, once again I had to step in, and do what the workers are supposed to do, for Mother. Not only that, but she seemed surprised that I would even dare question her care, which only infuriates me. I LOVE MY MOTHER & NO ONE, IS GOING TO MIS TREAT HER.
It really is that simple.
To begin with, you don’t expect a 92 year old, with a cast, to transfer herself from the bed, to a transport chair. (scaled down wheelchair) You need to help her up, steady her and let her move at her own speed, with you guiding her, keeping her from falling, from taking a mis-step that could lead to another serious fall, with injuries.
When you are supposed to wash a person, it makes much more logical sense to remove the dirty clothing, including any soiled undergarments. You DO NOT wash her upper body while she is sitting in piss.
It really is that simple.
WHEN a person is elderly, you DO NOT force their limbs with your own hands, you DO NOT grab them tightly, to shift them, to get their arms upright to clean them. You DO NOT use soap then dry them off, and slap on lotion, as the health care plan requires. ANY of those actions can lead to serious damage, especially when a person has BRITTLE BONES.
It really is that simple.
When the older person is in a cast, you don’t force their clean nightshirt on over their head first, forcing them to use their arms in an upright position, to get the hands through the sleeve openings. The goal is to take the path of least resistance, to gently slide the arms through the sleeve openings, then bring the head opening up and over.
It really is that simple.
You DO NOT CUT the depends, a patient is wearing, to slide them off. The Patient MAY need assistance in standing up, but while it may take more effort, it is simpler, and less dangerous than trying to cut through the material. Last thing you want is to slip and maybe cut the skin. Okay, so YOU may have to bend down and slide the soiled depends (undergarments) off, and YES the smell isn’t pleasant, but then YOU did take on the job, didn’t you?
It really is that simple.
The Elderly DO NOT move at the same speed we do. They shuffle, they have troubles moving, so rushing them, is only going to lead to problems, to complications like falls. IF the time allotted isn’t enough, then YOU need to inform the people in charge, but YOU DO NOT RUSH OLD PEOPLE.
It really is that simple.
Caring for a person who is aged, is not an easy task. With pay starting at over $15 an hour, plus mileage, one would assume that is a decent wage for the task involved. If a person feels it isn’t a good starting wage, THEN DO NOT TAKE ON THE JOB. These are people, not numbers, not some faceless blob. They are ENTITLED to respect, to have their dignity, and not be subjected to rough handling, simply because one is unhappy with the pay being given.
It really is that simple.
Home Support workers are there to do a job, to help where family members may not be able to, such as a male having to clean a female private regions. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to inform them of any conditions that exist, so they can take appropriate action.
It really is that simple.
The primary purpose of home support, is to do tasks to aid the senior citizen, and the SECONDARY purpose is to lighten the load of the 24/7 caregiver, which is usually a family member.
That DOES NOT mean you change them into clean clothes, when they have just been changed.
It DOES NOT mean you use 5 wash clothes, or towels, and toss them into the laundry basket, when 2 would suffice.
It DOES NOT mean you leave the garbage stuffed to over flowing, filled with urine & feces soaked under garments.
It DOES NOT mean you ignore cleaning the washroom after use, or FAIL to use appropriate DISINFECTENT. A quick wipe with a cloth IS NOT SUFFICIENT.
It DOES NOT mean you toss the blankets on the unmade bed, and that you determine to move things, to a new place, simply because it is easier for you. IF you see a pillow at the foot of the bed, see that the Patient has her feet resting on it, DO NOT PUT IT UP ON THE PILLOW SHE USES FOR HER HEAD.
It really is that simple.
AND yet it seems it isn’t that simple. In just nearly SIX WEEKS, those workers supplied by Beacon Community Services seem INCAPABLE of doing just that.
These are supposed to be TRAINED WORKERS, and YET they cannot follow simple procedures. They are unable to read written instructions, but they all know how to use the phone to clock in and out.
THEY SUFFER, THEN THEY DIE
IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE
Tell Me Beacon Community Service, Vancouver Island Health Authority, Elected Members of the Legislature, HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?
