Healthcare Providers: Listen!

My grandmother got home a little over a week ago after being in the hospital and then rehab. When an employee from the personal care agency that provides her services came to readmit my grandmother I stressed to her to be extra gentle because Cille was still weak. She said she would relay the information to the aide. Less than a week later the aide was transferring Cille from her chair to her wheelchair. In the process my grandmother missed her wheelchair and fell to the floor, scraping and bruising her back and leg. Thankfully, nothing was broken.

When we called the agency to tell the supervisor on my grandmother' state my mother relayed the information that the aide had not locked the wheelchair, the supervisor said the aide felt terrible and was upfront about what happened. My mother kept repeating the wheelchair brakes were not locked. The supervisor kept repeating it was just an accident and the aide felt bad. Mom kept telling her the wheels were not locked. The supervisor finally registered the fact and told mom the aide had not told her that fact. She then later called the aide and the aide admitted she didn't lock the chair. After telling my mom this, she told her she was right to which my mother responded, " I know." 

Now, of course I'm going to rant about this. As a caregiver- both "professional" and family I can respect those in the healthcare field. Those jobs are hard, stressful, and you get a lot of flak-from family members and others. I can understand you get tired of complaints. However, even though we're told by healthcare agencies "Let us know if anything is wrong or if you have any concerns ". Ok then we will. So when we do please don't brush off our concerns, make excuses, or tell us if we're not happy you can always go with another agency. Well, there's options for us- we can complain to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or other governing bodies or if we were litigious, sue. But what I and my family and other families want is for healthcare providers to LISTEN and let us know you care and understand. I know families can be pains but we're pains that keep you in business so please don't brush us off.

Joy Teaches Granny Cille to Wash Her Hands

We took my grandmother to a Really early doctor's appt. this morning. One of the employees there was very talkative... she hardly paused for a breath in between words. No one should be that talkative and that perky so early in the morning. It just ain't natural.

After the appointment we went to my brother's house. At one point my mother was helping my grandmother get up. Mom put her hands on Cille's walker to keep it steady. My niece decided to help and put her hands on it to hold it down, too. She also directed my grandmother to the bathroom, pointed to the toilet as if saying, "This is where you sit." and demonstrated hand washing by sticking her hands in the toilet and rubbing them together.Very helpful info.