its been a while and some truths

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you people lately, Been working, but I"m back with more helpful hints.
Although hints and all the tips in the world would be helpful; you have to face the facts sometimes.

Clients are people too
Every Client that you take care of no matter how old or young they are, they deserve respect. They have thoughts and ideas just like everyone else and they should be respected for it. It is not our job to tell them what they cannot do (Unless it will put their/ our lives in danger).  We are there to help them on the road to discovery of who they are and what they want to do in life. We are friends, co-workers, but always first a helping hand to make their lives easier.




They get angry just like us
Sometimes they may get mad at us, just for being around, they don't believe that they need our help and soemtimes with do just about anything to get rid of us. I experienced this the first time I came in the door of my new client's house. They were so nice the first day, but the next day they turned on me and for the next two weeks I had all kinds of profanity's yelled at me, told I should I should get killed. this of course startled me, and even scared me. I was on the phone with my supervisor all the time, I dreaded going to work, and started to beg my supervizer for a new client. 
through all of this life and stress My supervisor and I worked hand and hand to figure out what we could do to make the client feel less threatened by us. We discovered that she felt like she was imprisoned by us, because of the protocall's we had to follow. slowly over time we started laxing on them and she seemed to come around. There is always something that you can do to make your client less angry with you. 

Don't let them bully you
just like sometimes clients get angry, they can be mean too, the exsample above that I shared with my client swearing at me and telling me to get killed happens. This is them testing you. Perhaps their last caregiver was a total push-over and they did anything that your client wanted if they screamed loud enough. Do not let your client walk all over you. They are adult's and should act as such, try telling them "That isn't the way you talk to people" or "That really hurts my feelings" or something to re-direct how they are talking to you. 
always follow the procedures of your company that tell you how to deal with aggressive clients, but also be aware that you as a caregiver have rights as well. if you are feeling threatened by your client talk to your supervisor, or talk to your company's safety committy. they should be dedicated to your personal safety and help you find some tools to de-escilate your client's rage, or aggression and at the same time protect yourself.

Find out what makes your client happy
This is where it gets tricky, if you find out what makes your client happy or something that they can connect with, you have to make sure that you do not use it to menipulate them to do what you want. it is not our job to boss them around remember that, but if you can find something to ease their mind, or make them happy, your day with your client is going to be much easier for you. if your client likes going on walks; take a walk with them, if they like dogs; take them to an animal shelter to visit puppy's. see if you can make a schedual that once a week you do something that they want to do and do it with them. they will see it as a reward, and through the week you can brainstorm what they want to do. it is an exellent way to keep open communication to your client, and if you are as new as the client is, it will give you an open perspective that is rather enlightening.

 You are not their maid
Recently this week I had an experience with my client. She was upset that the bathroom wasn't clean and was expecting everything to be done for her. The policy for the company that I work for say's that the client has to help with the activity, as we are there to assist them to make their lives better. this is where it can get tricky for some people who have trouble with being a little impatient sometimes like myself. some clients that you may encounter may not have a high age mentality, so their understanding of "Time to do the dishes" or "Switch out the laundry" will be a little difficult for them. however, be careful, if another caregiver tells you they know how to switch out the laundry and they pretend to not know what you mean, they are playing you. never forget that even you as a child played the stupid card to get out of things you didn't want to do. clients will do the same thing. 
I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm just telling you that I have experienced this myself. this is the clients way of having fun sometimes as they think it is funny. however this is taking away from them as they learn to integrate into the society of people. we as caregivers are there to HELP, not DO things for them. remember that everything, expecially cleaning their appartment or their room is a group activity, and they have to participate- you did not get hired to be their maid, unless you are told specifically by your supervisor that they are not physically able to do something, do it WITH them.

I will try to be more active in posting, and posting resources. as always, keep your chin up!  

Time limit to Panic!

Some clients in the caregiving universe are much more independent than others. Remember, you don't have to be cross-eyed and have Cerebral Palsy to be considered disabled. There are several things out there that can label you as disabled.

Because of the independence of some clients, sometimes caregivers have to put timelimits on their clients outings. these outings can be with friends, or can be by themselves. With the agency that I am with right now the time limit for my specific client is two hours. If they are not home in two hours we have to write an incident report. if they are not home by 8PM we have to call the local authorities.

With every client it is different. What I say is not law, make sure to direct all your questions that you have about your individual client to your supervisor or someone who is in charge.

Every client is different, don't take someone elses idea and apply it to your specific client without discussing it with your supervisor.

Creating Calluses

So, you want to be a caregiver. Good for you. It is a rewarding career, but I will tell you that it's not for everyone. When I had my first caregiver job I was not ready for anything that came my way. I wasn't ready for all the responsibility, the mothering that I had to do, and the control I had over the people's lives in my care. I surely wasn't ready to be a mom. That is basically what you are when you become a caregiver: you feet them, clothe them, bath them and change their dippers (if they wear depends). like I said, this job is not for everyone.

A lot has changed about me since I got my most recent job as a caregiver once again. and I learned really fast that there are several different kinds of people, temperaments and levels of disability. some people, that caregivers call clients, are more mentally sound than others. some are mean and can get violent and others just want to sit on the couch and to nothing. those are two extremes on the opposite scale but everything else in the middle is just kind of basic.
the other thing you have to remember is that you can't treat them like a child, unless they are . if they are an adult, you need to treat them as such. but remember at the same time that they really aren't adults and probably need some help with basic life needs. they need help remembering to go to the bathroom, taking a shower and even probably brushing their teeth. like I said before not everyone needs high maintenance help but some of them do.

one of the clients that I work with is very independent. and I am proud of her for that. she is somewhat bossy but I think that they are just getting used to me. Being a mellow person myself, my client see's that I am mellow and has a tenancy to just raise her voice and it gets me to leave her alone. this can't be going on for much longer, I just want her to get used to me. but I am going to have to put my foot down. but remember, at the same time, that they are just scared, and want life their way. they want to feel safe and in control of everything. that is not exsactly how things go, but it's not a sin to try.