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I can't tell you the name of the company but just a warning to caregivers about Home Health Care Agency's. Do lots of checking and get to know the staff of the agency you chose. Be extremely proactive about the care they provide and the things they say. I wish I had taken my own advise before I got Ray into this particuliar one. Most of them are really great but every once in a while you find one that for what ever reason it's time that person retire.
I finally got Ray enrolled in home Health care suppose to help. NOT until I made a phone call to the owner. First nurse to the house and she starts talking we have to do paper work first, Ray wouldn't come out of his room and I thought okay we'll get this done and then she can do her assesment of him. Wrong he got courious and came out, this nurse began talking to him and he told her he didn't have Alzheimers, I had already warned her of his triggers and to please not use certain words, this was one. She told him that they make mistakes and a lot of the times misdiagnosis patients with alzheimers when it is sometimes just Dementia he jumped right on that one and said see I don't have alzheimers she said so, did she correct him no she agreed with him. I kid you not she said that to him. Then he told her he can't drive and she ask him why not again I had already warned her this was a trigger of his. She told him just because a patient has alzheimers dosen't mean he can't drive, she looked at me and said" you would watch him and not let him get lost" I have never been a violent person but I wanted to slap her. Thank God his hand controls have already been removed. Needless to say I showed this nurse to the door and called the agency. I spoke to the owner and she became livid that one of her nurses had come in my home said these things to him and then had proceed before I could get her out to share information about her other patients that had alzheimers how they kick, hit, bite and spit.
The agency has assured me this is very inappropriate and will not happen again. He is getting a new nurse.
Make sure you are right there and hear what they are telling your patient and make sure if they say or do anything inappropriate you report it immediately. The owner thanked me for not canceling with her company and told me if we as caregivers don't report bad behavior from nursing staff then they never know about it and this behavior will just get worse. So my friends watch listen and if they cross the line do not hesitate to report them. They are here to help us not make our lives worse. Not all are bad but it just takes one visit to really set your loved one off.
Living and learning in Texas. Connie
Hi Connie, sorry you had such a rough start down the in home care path. You really do need to make sure everything is as best a fit as possible - agency, staff, fees, etc.
Here are a few links that might provide addition advice.
In-Home Health Care: What To Look For
Tips for talking to seniors about assisted-living, home care
Member Post - Home care
Hope this helps and all the best, sue
Hi Sue
How are you. I talked to the Home health care owner and the nurse was fired. Ray is getting a new nurse and I have been promised that nothing like that will happen again. thanks to that nurses mouth he had what they are calling a maniac attack thursday. He never gets up before eleven oclock ever. I wake him at nine for his meds and again at ten and the he sleeps until eleven everyday because he sundowns and dosen't go to sleep until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. Thursday morning he was up fully dressed and ready to go some place he didn't know where just out. All of a sudden he became very hostile and started screaming at me. Usually I can calm him down but this day I could not. He was acting very agressive and I kept my phone in my hand and furniture between us, after I saw he was just getting worse I dressed quickly and left the house. I called the agency and they told me to have some one watch his bedroom window and if he didn't calm down call 911. My neighbor did and I went and drank coffee. My neighbor called to tell me he had gotten back in bed and was sleeping so I came home. I think it was his version of sleep walking he is in a wheelchair so he dosen't actually walk but he went to be and then when he woke up at his usual time he acted as if nothing had happened. He has horrible nightmares and I think he had one and thought I was someone else. He is behaving normally for him now so I pray that crisis is over. I was afraid I was going to have to call 911 but thankfully he settled back down. thank you so much for your concern and advise. I will give this agency another chance but if it dosen't improve with the new nurse on to another agency. Your friend Connie