It has been FAR too long for posting here. I SHOULD be posting here far more often with every issue I have with my daily care and the health issues of everyone.

Things have not changed. Caregivers are STILL Paid minimum wage, less than fast food workers get. So, more pay and less responsibility for another person while flipping a burger, frying chicken. I just reread all the posts from what seems so long ago. Deja vu all over again. And little has changed. It's still a struggle to find good, constant, committed caregiver. They do this for a while, then want, NEED to find a better paying job. About half of the caregiver are unable to maintain a vehicle. And especially evenings and nights, why go to a job if your car isn't likely to make the trip back home?

Yet agencies WON'T pay the caregivers AND clients what is deserved for the work. It shouldn't be a minimum wage job. But Health care shouldn't be a for profit business, either. Agencies with a profit margin are cutting into employees pay, that's how profits work, too. When client care is done for a profit, clients suffer. Clients get minimum care, minimum time, minimum respect and minimum consideration. Clients are the disabled and the elderly, populations of people who should be treated better. A population of people who shouldn't be treated as a bother and as cogs in the business of profit.

Caregiving is difficult. Difficult on the caregiving and the client. Being in need of care is an unending, daily part of LIFE. I have to trust people I do not know and explain over and over what I need and how it needs to be done. When you care for another person, you ARE responsible for their wellbeing, health, respect and happiness, too. And yes, You have to respect and listen to the people to whom you're assigned to care. That seems obvious but it isn't. I've had a lot of people come into my home, convinced of their own skills and knowledge of the work yet totally oblivious. I've been verbally abused enough to learn I have to be saccharine with some to keep a peace I should never have to ask for from someone in MY home. And just as many who seriously have no idea or care that this IS a job they should be more serious ABOUT. They come into my home bored, undertrained to the point that they really have no idea what they are walking into and some DO take it out on the clients. Meanwhile, I've had to train most caregivers on everything I need done. Most have only seen but never used a patient lift and never, ever seen a bedpan. And when they are sent out to random clients, they've had no explanation of who or what they are walking into when entering a client's home.

And, at least for me, an unfortunate experience that happens more and more is an active contempt from staff of the agencies. Though some do sincerely care and want to do the best they can, far too many seem to feel as if clients and caregivers both are more of a nuisance. Those who DO care are discouraged from helping by way of the mere mention of "liability concerns." It's difficult not to hear the tone of annoyance and the sighs of boredom from some of them. Far too many "no call, no shows" happen and when I've called in to report such an incident, the responses should never be, "so, don't you have someone to help you?" in an irritated tone, as if I interrupted THEIR day.

Agencies and even the government branches do NOT want the actual responsibility of Caring for those who NEED Care. They SURE do want to get PAID for services, though.