For the past few years my daughter has been having a careworker take her out for the morning once a week in order for her to do whatever she wants. Usually it consists of visiting some garden centre or other, feeding ducks and doing a bit of shopping. Simple pleasures but it gave Stacie some independence as well as a chance to go out without her mother for a change.
However, this week, Monday to be exact, I was informed that the company providing this service are dropping my daughter - with immediate effect. Today's visit will be the last one. Whilst I understand that the company has been taken over by a larger one and that as such there have been a lot of changes, mainly in paring down the Supported Living side of the business, I am outraged that they hold us in such contempt we are only worth a few days notice. My daughter doesn't understand or care that they are in the business of making a profit and that helping people live an independent life is obviously not profitable when compared to sending careworkers on house visits - they can squeeze a lot more house visits into three hours, far better than one person getting a good day out.
What my daughter will care about is not seeing a lady that she has come to love spending time with ever again. She will care that her Thursday outings will suddenly stop with no explanation - what does she know about profit margins and staff shortages? Sometimes what is labelled as the caring profession isn't very caring at all.
I'm hoping that with the help of our very nice social worker we will be able to arrange either another company to provide the same service or another activity on that day. I just wish we had been given a decent length of time in which to do it.
Showing posts with label careworkers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label careworkers. Show all posts
Wednesday, 6 January 2016
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Happy Ending?
Just a final note to say that our new taxi company turned out to be the same company that used to take my daughter to college a few years ago, until the powers-that-be decided to change them for a cheaper option. So I know that they are reliable - they turned up with five minutes to spare each day this week, plus the driver remembered Stacie. So we both started out days on time and with a smile on our faces. It makes a huge difference to the whole day and has relieved a burden that has been on my mind for far too long. Long may it continue!
We also had a good morning with the careworker last week- my daughter has had a few problems lately for some reason. She got a bee in her bonnet about wanting someone else that she used to have last year and her behaviour deteriorated as a result. I think we have nipped this in the bud - we will see today if she has returned to her previous cheery attitude towards the poor lady. Fingers crossed...
We also had a good morning with the careworker last week- my daughter has had a few problems lately for some reason. She got a bee in her bonnet about wanting someone else that she used to have last year and her behaviour deteriorated as a result. I think we have nipped this in the bud - we will see today if she has returned to her previous cheery attitude towards the poor lady. Fingers crossed...
Sunday, 24 February 2013
A Matter of Trust
Sorry not to have posted here for so very long - I have lots to say but no time to write it all down!
However, something came up a couple of weeks ago that gave me pause for thought. My daughter is approaching 25 years old now, so no longer a child and most of the time she behaves like a young lady should. As an adult, we have to have a varied activity programme for her to take part in during the working week - partly to give her a good quality of life and keep her busy and give her a social life, and partly to enable me to go out to work. One morning is taken up with a careworker coming in and making sure my daughter gets to go to places she fancies visiting - usually involving local garden centres, particularly those with a varied pet selection, a buit of shopping and perhaps a visit to a park to feed the ducks, weather permitting. Simple pleasures but I know my daughter really enjoys her three hours out and about and plans it meticulously. Therefore, you can understand that she might get upset should anything go awry.
I am pretty sure that all mothers feel nervous about leaving their child in the care of others. I think I have said before about my anxiety every time a new carer is appointed - I have to quell the fear that they may be a raging axe murderer or human trafficker! Our current careworker is fairly new, a few months now, and a lovely lady. I personally have no problem with her at all. However, we have had a couple of quiet serious hiccups from my daughter. The first was over not being able to stop off at the nearest Sainsburys in order to buy a paper as they were running out of time before she had to come home. Apparently this caused a bit of a meltdown and some rather bad behaviour on my daughter's part I am ashamed to say. She is usually very placid and her bouts of temper are very few and far between - I'm talking an annual event. Of course she gets annoyed by things and can be a bit sulky or stubborn on occasion, but then can't we all.
The second occasion was a week later and we think due to the fact she had planned her morning and written it all down, talked about it with me, but had possibly got the names of the garden centres she likes to visit the wrong way round. So when she got out of the car at the place she hasd said she wanted to go, it wasn't the place she actually did want to visit. Apparently her mood radically changed and she was difficult to handle and very stroppy for pretty much the rest of the morning.
I don't blame the careworker, but obviously we have to monitor this situation very carefully over the coming weeks - I do not want my daughter to be unhappy, nor do I want this behaviour to become a habit, which is a strong possibility.
My point is, it is very difficult to reach a happy medium when leaving your child in the care of someone else. You may be fine with the carer and see nothing wrong with them, but you have to take into account that your child may not feel as comfortable about it. If your child has difficulty in vocalising their feelings, as my daughter most definitely has, then it is easy for the situation to get out of hand through their sheer frustration. What is construed as bad behaviour is actually a very loud protest that something is not going well and they don't like it. It is never wise to get complacent - many years ago my daughter used to go to a lovely family for a coupole of weekends per month. Little did I know she was very unhappy doing this as they had about 5 children of their own plus took in another little girl on the same weekends, and my daughter just hated all the comings and goings involved in a large family's life. She made her feelings known by writing a letter to her LSA at school begging her to tell me not to send her there any more. You can imagine how bad I felt that I hadn't noticed her feeling this way - but then she had given no outward indication.
We have a different lady this week- I think the care organisation are trying someone new out to see if the match is better. Fingers crossed it isn't that axe murderer!
However, something came up a couple of weeks ago that gave me pause for thought. My daughter is approaching 25 years old now, so no longer a child and most of the time she behaves like a young lady should. As an adult, we have to have a varied activity programme for her to take part in during the working week - partly to give her a good quality of life and keep her busy and give her a social life, and partly to enable me to go out to work. One morning is taken up with a careworker coming in and making sure my daughter gets to go to places she fancies visiting - usually involving local garden centres, particularly those with a varied pet selection, a buit of shopping and perhaps a visit to a park to feed the ducks, weather permitting. Simple pleasures but I know my daughter really enjoys her three hours out and about and plans it meticulously. Therefore, you can understand that she might get upset should anything go awry.
I am pretty sure that all mothers feel nervous about leaving their child in the care of others. I think I have said before about my anxiety every time a new carer is appointed - I have to quell the fear that they may be a raging axe murderer or human trafficker! Our current careworker is fairly new, a few months now, and a lovely lady. I personally have no problem with her at all. However, we have had a couple of quiet serious hiccups from my daughter. The first was over not being able to stop off at the nearest Sainsburys in order to buy a paper as they were running out of time before she had to come home. Apparently this caused a bit of a meltdown and some rather bad behaviour on my daughter's part I am ashamed to say. She is usually very placid and her bouts of temper are very few and far between - I'm talking an annual event. Of course she gets annoyed by things and can be a bit sulky or stubborn on occasion, but then can't we all.
The second occasion was a week later and we think due to the fact she had planned her morning and written it all down, talked about it with me, but had possibly got the names of the garden centres she likes to visit the wrong way round. So when she got out of the car at the place she hasd said she wanted to go, it wasn't the place she actually did want to visit. Apparently her mood radically changed and she was difficult to handle and very stroppy for pretty much the rest of the morning.
I don't blame the careworker, but obviously we have to monitor this situation very carefully over the coming weeks - I do not want my daughter to be unhappy, nor do I want this behaviour to become a habit, which is a strong possibility.
My point is, it is very difficult to reach a happy medium when leaving your child in the care of someone else. You may be fine with the carer and see nothing wrong with them, but you have to take into account that your child may not feel as comfortable about it. If your child has difficulty in vocalising their feelings, as my daughter most definitely has, then it is easy for the situation to get out of hand through their sheer frustration. What is construed as bad behaviour is actually a very loud protest that something is not going well and they don't like it. It is never wise to get complacent - many years ago my daughter used to go to a lovely family for a coupole of weekends per month. Little did I know she was very unhappy doing this as they had about 5 children of their own plus took in another little girl on the same weekends, and my daughter just hated all the comings and goings involved in a large family's life. She made her feelings known by writing a letter to her LSA at school begging her to tell me not to send her there any more. You can imagine how bad I felt that I hadn't noticed her feeling this way - but then she had given no outward indication.
We have a different lady this week- I think the care organisation are trying someone new out to see if the match is better. Fingers crossed it isn't that axe murderer!
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