Simple, ASK ME!
You know, it really isn’t fair, to the worker, to mother, to me, to be sent in cold to a place. AND yet, that is what happens when you send a substitute in, without giving them any information on what is expected of them, of what they are about to face.
Beacon Community Services needs a real lesson in how to manage the care they provide. VIHA needs to have their procedures examined, and CORRECTED, before they endanger more people.
First off, a substitute needs to be told what condition their patient is in, what medical realities they have, so as to not assume that a 92 year old, can do what a bloody 50 year old can. Such as standing, without anyone near by, or walking with a walker, without anyone standing behind.
They need to know if the Patient has sensitive skin, has brittle bones, and other conditions that determine HOW ONE HOLDS THEM, HOW ONE TOUCHES THEM. Yet Beacon Community Services ignores that, and okay, they have thousands to deal with, but what about the actual worker?
Why can’t the worker, BEFORE THEY START, ask me? After all, I am the one who let them in, I am the primary caregiver, so I should know, shouldn’t I?
The GOOD ONES do ask, but today’s worker was here a few months back, so I guess she figures she is able to figure it out. WRONG! Things change, the strength, the conditions, all change, but this one knows it all, and instead of asking me, is asking a 92 year old, who can’t hear well, who doesn’t talk well, who’s thought process gets a bit confused at times, but hey, this worker knows better.
SHE DOESN’T NEED TO ASK ME. BULLSHIT!
It isn’t all that complicated, tedious perhaps, but not complicated. So why do these women do this? Why make it more stressful, when common sense should rule, should tell them, “hey this is a new situation, let me ask the fat guy who let me in, what the routine is” but no, that might be a sign of something. I don’t know what, but I was taught, if you don’t know something, YOU ASK SOMEONE!
And next week, we get three days of substitutes, if not four days.
Standards are Bad
Myself, I believe we are lowering our standards, simply out of convenience. I don’t know, not everyone can score a 100% on a test, but I was taught by mom & dad, to go out and do my best, whatever that was. If I got a 40%, that is what I got. They also taught me, that I should always strive to improve, so that if I did get a 40%, I should try to better that next time around.
It wasn’t easy then, still isn’t easy, because life is always grading you.
The more I reflect on the meeting of September 3rd with VIHA & BEACON, the more pissed I am. I mean, they didn’t like me hovering, checking on the care being given to Mom, but shouldn’t that actually be a standard practice? TO HOVER that is.
THINK ABOUT IT FOR A SECOND » A government agency, responsible for health care, sends you a person to aid in the help for a senior citizen. Those people being sent, are from a private firm, not the actual government agency. WHY ARE WE EXPECTED TO AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THESE PEOPLE ARE PROPERLY TRAINED?
Now I don’t know, but when you hire a new employee in the work force, there is a period called PROBATIONARY, in which anyone new is automatically place on. It is during that time, that the employer has an opportunity to observe the new worker, to insure they are going to be able to do the job, they were hired for.
Stores will add to these new worker’s nametag, ‘TRAINEE’ and usually there is a supervisor or trained experienced worker with them, to help them if difficulties arise. Not only that, but most major business firms, will have staff go in, as customers, to test the service being given by their employees, both new and old.
SO HOW COME I CAN’T DO THAT FOR MY MOTHER?
I would think that any company, committed to giving home support, would be supportive of any family member, who will check on the staff being sent, to insure they know the basics. I mean, by my HOVERING, I know I have prevented some accidents from occurring. I KNOW IT, and yet somehow, according to VIHA & BEACON, that is unimportant. It is a distraction, it isn’t helping the workers.
WELL HERE IS A NEWS FLASH FOR VIHA & BEACON - MY OBJECTIVE IS TO PROTECT THE WELFARE OF MY MOTHER NOT YOUR WORKERS.
An Exchange of Words
Last Thursday (September 3 2009) we were graced by the presence of a representative of VIHA and Beacon Community Services, in an effort to determine the best course of care for Mother. At their suggestion, the meeting took place at 9:30am, which is still a bit of a mystery to me. I mean they knew Mom was having a worker from 9am till 10am, so was it an attempt to meet with me only, and not mother?
Am I being paranoid? Perhaps, but I think I have reason to be cautious.
However that plan, if it was one, didn’t work out, as Mom came out, & rather than having her breakfast, she chose to sit in on the meeting. Judging from the faces, I kind of think they weren’t expecting that. Even at 92, Mom is a force to be reckoned with, when need be.
Apparently one of the concerns, was my temper, and my looming presence when a worker is here. Interesting to note, that yes I do have a temper, but have kept it in check, except for one explosion with Ms.Donaldson, at Beacon on last Monday (August 31 2009) when I simply had enough. It followed my asking that morning’s home support worker to leave. I wasn’t shouting, wasn’t loud or even in her face, and how, I have no idea, but I did control myself, until she was gone.
I suppose in some way, they may have been here on a fishing expedition, to try and find some valid reason to have refused service, or to limit my role in the care of my mother. I don’t really know, because to be honest, I don’t believe much was accomplished, in addressing the overall question, regarding the quality of care being provided from VIHA, through the private firm, Beacon Community Services.
As for my looming presence, my hovering over the worker, while she is attending to mother, it is true. Now, I won’t argue that, because the fact is, I do indeed hover, though I would characterize it more of being vigilant.
The issue is, when a new worker arrives to help mother, I need to know that they can do the job, and given my experience with the level of care being supplied, I need to be on guard. In all honesty, we have had more DUDS than NOT. AND THAT IS NOT CONDUSIVE TO ME WANTING TO STEP AWAY (as mentioned by the VIHA representative, numerous times).
If a person is capable of doing the job, then YES I do step away, step back and sit down to have a hot cup of coffee, or to just unwind on the balcony. Unfortunately those moments were not often enough, instead my place was in the hallway, making sure that care was being taken with Mom. Often I had to step in, to help lift mom up and into the transport chair, as the ’so called home support worker’ was incapable of properly doing that task.
If it makes them nervous, well, as I said to VIHA, TOUGH.
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?
Difficult or Caring?
After yesterday, it seems to me that when you care about someone, about the care they are receiving from others, you become a ‘difficult‘ client. Myself, I prefer the word “Patient” to “Client” but it makes it easier for those in power, to “CANCEL” needed services for people, without remorse, or twang of conscience.
Am I Difficult?
I suppose it depends on how you look at it. If a person cares, and refuses to accept unqualified support help, does that make them difficult, or simply caring?
If a person objects to a 92 year old being man handled, because it might cause broken bones, or other serious health injuries, such as undue stress, does that make them difficult, or simply caring?
If a person steps in, to help a 92 year old with a cast on her arm, get out of bed, into a transport chair, so she doesn’t fall flat on her face, while the worker tries to have her do it on her own, is that being difficult, or simply caring?
if a patient is being washed, and has spent the night in a pair of depends, and instead of removng the soiled undergarments, you proceed to wash them, and you step in, to have those soiled items removed, as soon as possible, is that being difficult, or simply caring?
Think about it for a second. If your job is to help clean a person, after they’ve been sleeping, does it not make more sense to remove the soiled clothing, all of it, before commencing to clean them up?
Would you like to sit in wet undergarments, soaked with your own urine and feces, while someone is slapping moisturizing lotion on your back, after pushing and pulling your body around?
Everyone has their own way to do things, but you know, there is such a thing as common sense. You do not let a person remain in soiled undergarments, clothing, for any length of time. To begin with, it irritates the skin, never mind the stress it creates for that person. When your skin isn’t in the best of shape to begin with, having it coated in urine for any added length of time, is simply irresponsible.
So am I being Difficult? Or simply caring?
Seems to me, that when you fail to even notify a patient, that you won’t be providing any service, or that it will be interrupted, you are deliberately attempting to force people to remain silent, when their are issues with the quality of care. When you CREATE a climate of uncertainty, you are adding to the stress load for the Patient, as well as for their 24/7 caregiver.
So if one objects to that, is that being difficult, or simply caring?
