Substitute Workers
It happens, a home support worker is off, for whatever reason, and a substitute worker is sent in her place. Nothing unusual about that, and common in the industry, and other professions as well.
I can remember having many substitute teachers when I went to school, and sure, we managed to pull a few fast one’s over them, but not too many. After all, they had been briefed and knew the lesson plan so it wasn’t easy to fool them, too much. Still, they did ALWAYS have the basics, which brings me to substitutes for Home Support Workers.
Last week, this week, and next week, we shall be inundated with replacement workers, substitutes. And now the worry commences, thanks to the lack of professionalism, not just from Beacon Community Services, but from VIHA itself.
The level of confidence, that a qualified worker will show up, is minimal, at best.
Under normal circumstances, one can muddle through, but when there is a situation, that has to be monitored, or watched closely, the stress levels become greatly increased. I think that VIHA fails to understand the ramifications of their inability to insure that ONLY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL are sent into people’s homes.
Mom has developed a few skin tears, in the groin region, right where the depends lay. The band, has caused some abrasion along the line, making the skin raw, at best. Extra care needs to be taken, to insure comfort as well as protection. I’ve contacted our Doctor, but tomorrow we get a substitute. And so the worry has begun.
Maybe it will be needless, but given the past history, I tend to doubt that. AND THAT is why VIHA needs to be protecting the patients. THEY need to actually check on the staff being sent out, on the qualifications of these people, not just accept the word of the agency they have contracted to do the job. THEY NEED to verify that EACH & EVERY PERSON SENT TO A PATIENT IS QUALIFIED TO DO THE JOB.
Yet, despite my own constant complaints to them, to Beacon, the answers are exactly the same. Oh don’t worry, we know they are qualified, yet we have proof, that this is a lie. No way can someone who can’t understand or speak English, can effectively have gone through any local training, to attest to their qualifications. It is impossible to pass any test, if you can’t understand the language.
By far, this is not an easy job, just as teaching isn’t. Yet no substitute is hired to teach our children, if they don’t have government certified credentials, that are verified, before they can accept a teaching assignment. Yet we allow UNVERIFIED PERSONNEL to go into people’s home, and administer care to them, without knowing if they are properly trained or not.
THIS IS WRONG & DANGEROUS !
There is no doubt, that it is more costly to do things the right way, than not, in overall costs. However, I would say, it actually is far more costly doing things the wrong way, doing things on the cheap, when it comes to Health Care, than doing them right. And yes, that includes allowing only qualified personnel to care for patients, in their homes.
The problem is, we don’t seem to care about that anymore. Old people are expendable, at the end of their productive cycle, so why spend money on them, when it can be allocated to other areas, to the more vibrant. Truth of the matter is, one day we are going to be those older people, and we sure as hell won’t enjoy being tossed aside, for some younger person. We ignore that reality, that becoming old is inevitable, and that it is actually cheaper, to provide proper care now, than to wait for a crisis to arise.
Cheaper to insure a person’s infections are treated now with over the counter cremes, than having to run high potency drugs through an IV later on. Cheaper now to insure a patient is dry, before dressing, than having to deal with skin breakdowns later, to deal with infections, all because we sent someone who doesn’t know how to clean an older person properly.
These hidden costs can break our entire system, by skimping on the quality of people we send into homes, to care for our elderly. You can’t do this, and save money, because the reality is, it is going to cost a lot more.
Not enough old people will die quickly from this half assed in home care. So the costs will indeed grow, and that is a mathematical certainty. Better to have old people stay as healthy as possible, instead of creating crisis situations, that take up the valuable resources of emergency personnel.
It Ain’t Rocket Science
I wonder why we try to make things more complicated, than they have to be?
Take home support. I mean it isn’t difficult to figure out, that some people need help that others may not, and that one size really doesn’t fit all. Yet it seems to me, that is exactly what the various health agencies are attempting to do. Frankly, it just doesn’t work that way, and isn’t it more important to match workers, with client’s needs?
And that too, bothers me. Clients. Seriously, why do we try to make things sound better, than what they are? In a sense, yes those receiving aid are clients, but the truth is, they are patients, in need of care. Calling it something else may help salve the conscience of those sending unqualified or untrained, workers, but that still doesn’t help correct any defeciency in the system, now does it?
There is a lot of talk about all workers having certain qualifications, whether from an outside training course, or internally, and frankly I wonder, did they get tested before being deemed qualified? Being pleasen, well is a bonus, but not sufficient, in my mind, to look after someone older.
How you lift them, does matter, and yet I feel so much is being left out. I suppose that these workers may be given the full information, but no one seems to know. So if they are being told, why are they not conscious of the facts? Does it mean they don’t care, or aren’t able to access or assimiliate the information provided?
Each person is different. How you move them, matters, and as I said, each one is different. For example, Mom has a tendency to try and use her injured arm. So if you insure you are lifting her, from under the arm, of the broken one, she can’t put any weight on it, as she stands up. That also helps keep her good arm in shape, and reduces re-injuring the broken one. It lets the bones heal without added stress, which also reduces the pain.
Simple right?And yet so many seem to ignore that. Again, this is one more reason to insure their is some consistency in staffing, seniority or not. The more a worker is working with the same patient, the more they will know the little details, that can make it easier for both of them. Something I think scheduler’s forget about, or don’t take into account.
Then too their is the familiarity with equipment. I mean if these workers are trained, then it would be common sense, that they would know how to use things like transfer chairs, walkers, etc. How to clean a commode, how to even make up the bed, or sit them back down on it. And yet, it seems that isn’t the case.
Is it because they have so many patients to deal with, or is it simply that they aren’t aware of the new equipment available? Do they know what a grab bar is? How a patient should hold it, or not? How about sitting them down on a transfer chair, and then putting the foot rests out? How to wheel it, so they don’t bang into walls?
Bottom line seems to be, that whatever training is being given, it fails to cover even the basics, in any detail. There simply doesn’t seem to be a desire, to make those being sent into people’s homes, qualified in even, the basics. And yet, we pay for it, and I wonder, what does that say about us?
Bull In A China Shop
Even though Mythbuster’s showed that a bull in a china shop actually is more careful than one would expect, it is an old saying, implying crashing and bumping and breaking of things. While a broken dinner plate is just that, it isn’t the case with people. Grab them too hard, push them too hard, and bones break.
When you have Brittle Bones (osteoporosis) it is even more important to take care when you lift, turn, or twist a person. How you hold them counts big time into protecting them from unnecessary damage.
I suppose what frustrates me the most, is not knowing just what qualifications these home support workers have. Are they trained to any degree? I know from one worker, she had a full year’s of training, and was saying how today, new workers receive about a month at a community type college setting.
So how did what took a year, suddenly be able to be condensed into a single month long course?
Do they show them the right way to hold a person? I rather doubt it, from what I have seen of the support workers provided by Beacon Community Services. In fact, I worry more now, about how safe Mother is, under their care, than when it was just up to me. AND, that isn’t how it is supposed to work, now is it?
Family or caregivers, of a loved one, are asked to place a great deal of trust in these private support services. I know that to be working for the Government, there are proper qualifications that have to be met, and even though some sneak through, for the most part, they have the skills.
What assurances do I have that, that is the case with these Privately Hired & Paid Workers?
