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Training Multiple Caregivers
I have to say, I feel like I’ve worked with half the staff of the caregiving agency I use for Saturday mornings. They’ve been great to work with and they have good people, but I’ve had five different caregivers since I started with this agency in January. I know it all depends on people’s schedules and who can work my designated shift, but I was kind of hoping that I’d have two or three people rotating by now. Granted, I’m grateful that people have been showing up and I’m getting the services I need, but it is exhausting training a new person every week.
Has anyone here been in this situation? I know there’s no easy solution, but it helps to talk about this stuff with people who can relate.
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3 Replies
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That’s one thing I hate most with going through an agency. They typically have high turnover rates, so it’s rare having any one person too long. It’s so tiring having to go through every detail every time. Plus it can be nerve-wracking not knowing the competency level of who’s coming. One person might take 20 minutes to complete a task while the next takes 40.
For several years I had homemaking services through an agency. For many of those years I had the same person until recently she changed jobs. Every week they were sending someone new. One, I didn’t care for strangers going through my stuff, and two I hated having to point out the broom and instruct them on using my vacuum along with every other minute detail every single time so I ended up canceling the service. Now my PCA’s just do those tasks while they’re here.
I always have a new PCA shadow one that’s been here a while. Do they just come in with no specific training to you? Don’t think I’ve done it like that since college and I was a lot more daring back then.
Suppose you could write out a list of instructions, but doubtful it would help much.-
Exactly. Most of them have been able to learn my routine with minimal help from my parents, but like you said some of them take longer than others. It’s definitely tiring. That’s interesting about the housekeeping tasks. Since I live with my parents, I just have caregivers take care of things in my bedroom and bathroom. If we get done at a decent time on Saturday mornings, I’ll have them make my bed.
Unfortunately, I don’t have time to train a caregiver for this shift beforehand. My case manager does the scheduling, and often she doesn’t know who will be working with me until Thursday or Friday. She’s good about notifying me, but if it’s a new person I don’t meet them until the Saturday morning that they work. The agency does give the caregivers a rundown of my routine, what kind of lift I use, etc. Even though I’m tired on Saturday mornings, I can get through training them how to use my lift. The real challenge is when they don’t know how to put on my condom catheter, which has only happened once with this agency.
Thanks for the tips. It just helps to vent. This is one subject that my non-SMA friends don’t get at all.
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Training can definitely be exhausting! At one point in time I had a nursing agency that sent new trainees on a weekly (at least) basis. They were just filling shift with whoever they can find without knowing if they competent or considering if their personalities would mesh with mine and my family’s. Most didn’t stay for more than a month and I spent a lot of time and energy training them. I’m with a different agency now, and two of my three nurses have been with me for years.
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