My cousin is getting yet another caregiver ... another one bites the dust

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
The svc we're using is pretty reliable, but this person, V, was a bad hire. She's nice enough, but woefully inexperienced, a single mom with-a toddler, has daycare for her and has a hard time finding care on a Sat. (P likes to go out on Sat), has health issues, and ex-H issues. She would just sit and watch TV while P was in the bathroom, naked, ready to trip over the cat. Occasionally she'd help P put together photo albums, which was great, and take her to lunch, but everything they did, the supervisor had to suggest.

Anyway, she was skipping out (luckily, not as badly as the one I took to court) but enough that I noticed that she was MIA on Wed and Sat and left very early the rest of the wk. The thing that really got me was that when she was sick or had a dr appointment, she called neither me nor the svc. She'd tell P, but P has dementia, for Pete's sake! I never knew what to believe so I blew it off. And I know that's what V was banking on.

So, I have another svc I am interviewing in 1/2 hr and they have a lot more people to choose from. Plus, they have an awesome phone check-in svc where the caregiver has to call from the pt's room or house, and that's how they login to the payroll dept. No call, no check. And NO cell phone. It doesn't count as a real call. I LIKE it!

Fingers crossed that this one is a keeper.

Oh, and I'm thinking we should hire 2 people and alternate them. That way, P won't get so attached. She just spent another $15 on some little summer dress for V, when employees are not supposed to accept gifts except during the holidays.
Aaarrgh!
Then again, maybe getting attached is good? I'll ask the superviser in a few min.
Wish us luck!
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
This is probably a difficult thing...I would think maybe having a full time and a part time on call one would be a good thing. I do think having P getting attached would be normal. This is the person she sees on a daily basis.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
I think I would like to write V a letter......

Dear Skipper,

Enclosed please find a family decision to let you go as caregiver to our beloved Aunt. For many reasons I shall list. It has come to our attention that on several occasions you left her standing in the bathrooom naked to trip over the cat, which is completely unacceptable. Also never made your intentions clear about not attending to your duties on days you could not make it in to work by calling someone that is not afflicted with dementia. Several instances of having problems with your personal life that crossed over into your business career. Seemed to want to put your partying needs before those of your clients which is understandable in a way now that you have accepteptable clothing received from our Aunt to wear out in style.

Lastly, it's become quite apparent that working 1/2 days is more to your candor, so should you want to use us as a reference for an upcoming position you have applied I will be more than glad to give you stellar recommendation should that position be for a part-time waitress in a cocktail lounge where most of the above behaviors would be acceptable,(save for the part about the cat) but I would not count on our family's backing if you should continue to masquarade yourself as a home-health aide for the elderly.

Sincerely -
TerryJ
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Okay, so it went from bad to worse.
The svc never got ahold of V over the weekend, and as I was driving to meet the mgr of the new svc I will be using, (in fact, I hadn't totally made up my mind whether to change svcs or just that one caregiver), I called P to tell her I was on my way and she would meet a new caregiver. She was upset about losing V, and I reminded her of all the days she missed etc., and how we had talked about it, and of course P, ever the contrarian, now decides to stick up for V because of all her personal issues and insists she never missed a single day. I can feel my blood pressure rocketing and I'm having trouble driving so I tell her I will see her in a few min. V calls and says, "What's going on? Where are my time sheets?"
I told her that I had the last two and would return them. Why?
"I stopped by to pick them up and P said she doesn't want me to leave and she's very distraught."
Sigh.
"Have you talked to your supervisor this weekend?"
"No."
"They never called you?"
"No."
"Well, I'm sorry it's working out this way, but they should be the ones to tell you, that Sat was your last day."

"Thanks a LOT!" She sounded like she was crying and then my call got kicked off by an incoming call.

I immediately called her supervisor, who said she had not called Sat, but called twice on Sun and never got a retn call from V.

I told her that *I* ended up telling V that Sat was her last day, and that put me in an extremely awkward situation, and I did not appreciate their unprofessionalism, (not to mention V's reaction) and would no longer be using their svc as well as V's svcs.

The mgr said she had someone in place for Tues (last wk she told me she'd call me Mon or Tue, not that she would have someone in place, but either way, why didn't she call and tell me?) blah blah blah.

I said thank you, let me talk to P and make sure we have our ducks in a row and I retn the time sheets, and I will call back by 5 p.m. to confirm whether or not to have someone there on Tue.

P was indeed, upset, and "refused" to let V go. I said too late, the company let her go. P said she'd hire her on her own. I replied that I'm sure they had her sign a non-compete clause for that very reason.

And then the new mgr knocked on the door (not an auspicious start ... she was 10 min late and left a msg on my home ph after I was already in the bldg with-P). So P keeps insisting she doesn't want the new svc, she just wants V. The new lady pulls out all the paperwork and asks questions, and P goes off on tangents ... she was an actress and her husband was an actor and they traveled and blah blah and lived in NY and the lady tries to direct P back to the questionnaire ... so P has to use the restroom and I quickly fill out the paperwork and answer all the questions. She comes back and insists that her tailbone is hurting and she needs her pain medications and has to pull the cord for the nurse, and then talks about the man who pushed her down (with-increasing amts of detail). The aide comes into answer the bell and says that the nurse is down the hall with-the medication cart and will be right there. Then P says fine and immediately goes back to insisting she wants V back.
The new mgr finally took the cue and said that this was just until we figured out what was going on with-V, and that we needed a backup. (YAaay)
We left P to go meet the nurses and the min the door was closed, the new mgr said, "I've never met anyone like that b4 in my life. She's a tough one!"

Uh, yeah ...
I try to warn people.

Of course, after I said goodbye to the new mgr but b4 I left the bldg, P had to start up about her apt in NY and how she would never give it up, and I told her it was already gone but the squatter was in there (how many times have we had this conversation?) and she gets hysterical ...
So, now I've had dinner and 2 glasses of wine and have 1/4 of my sanity back.
No care giver for tomorrow.
I'll meet the new one Wed.
Oh, yeah, that's the other thing ... the mgr said, enthusiastically that they had just the right person for P. I said, "She's not in her 20s, is she?" and she said, "Oh, no, she's older and not married."
"What's her name?"
"I don't know. We haven't chosen her yet."
Say WHAT?
I have to call them tomorrow.

Oh, yes, one more thing, the svc that sent me Vicki never actually told her that she is no longer with-them, either, just that P is no longer her client. Just one more thing they haven't followed through on.

Right now, I just have to deal with-our dog, who has awful hot spots and has been on prednisone for 10 days and keeps urinating on the floor, and with-easy child, who alternates between giddiness, wooziness, pain and hunger, and difficult child, who refuses to get off of the TV and was a jerk today because I disconnected the computer in easy child's room to make sure he didn't go in there when she wanted to go to bed.
Tomorrow has GOT to be better.
 
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Star*

call 911........call 911
Terry

I'm so sorry that your aunt has caused you to have hot spots.....and you are on prednisone - but I but the dog is enjoying the wine!

TO EACH HIS OWN----and I'm raising my Milkbone to a BETTER WEDNESDAY!!!!!! WOOF WOOF!!!!! :groan:
 
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