Help me with a Rude Judgmental Social Worker from Hell!

Specialties Home Health

Published

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

My mother is currently receiving home health services and I am partially laid up myself since I've had some major abdominal surgery. A licensed social service worker (I've since learned she has a Master's in SW) was sent to evaluate her situation and refer her/us to some community services. I've got to say that when I was a manager on a busy city medical unit where we had our own LSW assigned to our unit exclusively, I never heard her or any other social worker speak as rudely or with such a ill-tempered attitude sprinkled throughout her visit and in subsequent telephone conversations with her. The final straw was when, in speaking with my sister who is not a healthcare professional, while I was in the hospital, she became nasty and confrontational and actually said to her, "Are you calling me a liar?" when my sister was trying to verify instructions she had previously given me that were different from what she was saying that particular day! I called the director of the home health agency, an RN of 30 years experience she so informed me (!), to report this and was surprised to get the same rudeness and attitude! Her assessment to the situation after continually interrupting me was that the SW and I just had a bad karma between us. Now, what nursing school ever taught that concept to condone speaking rudely and becoming judgmental with clients?

As a hospital manager I knew how to deal with this kind of behavior problem. What kind of recourse does a patient and family have with a private business like this other than to terminate their services? I've already spoken and reported this to the doctor who referred us to this agency. Some of you guys in home health please assure me that this is not the norm and that we were just "lucky" enough to run into a couple of nut cases. All the other nursing caregivers coming in and out of the home have been dreamboats.

I am in the process of writing a letter to the agency to document my complaint with a copy to go to the doctor. Any ideas anyone might offer in helping me with this would be appreciated since home health care really isn't my bivouac. I haven't taken a good look at the home health patient's bill of rights, but I'm about to. Thanks.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

It sounds possible that the problem is with the mentality of the agency itself, so sending the letter to the doctor as well is a good idea. Now, in California, you can just go the website for the Board of Behavioral Sciences website and file a complaint, which may or may not be vigorously investigated; either way, at least it will be in the worker's file. Here's the address: http://www.bbs.ca.gov/bbsforms.htm

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

A couple of thoughts, Daytonite:

I hope you recover quickly from your surgery. This situation would be difficult to handle under the best of circumstances, and I hope you have success quickly so you--and your Mom--can concentrate on getting well.

I think you should follow through with reporting the problem because even though I know little about HHC myself, I would certainly be upset to be treated like that. Furthermore, I have a close relative who also has her Master's in SW, and she'd never dream of talking to a client like that!

I don't know about you, but I would not be up for that kind of hassle from my sick bed. I would have to change agencies asap.

Hoping it's all better for you soon.

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hello daytonite,

i'm so very sorry to hear that you are having to deal with this issue, especially after having major surgery yourself. i did a little research for you, and i believe you can also file a complaint with the california department of comsumer affairs regarding a professional or business. i'm wishing you a speedy recovery.

http://www.dca.ca.gov/complainthelp/consumer-complaint.htm

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hello daytonite,

i'm so very sorry to hear that you are having to deal with this issue, especially after having major surgery yourself. i did a little research for you, and i believe you can also file a complaint with the california department of consumer affairs regarding a professional or business. i'm wishing you a speedy recovery.

http://www.dca.ca.gov/complainthelp/consumer-complaint.htm

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Oh Geez!...maybe she needs the big one lol! Seriously!!!A friend of mine who is a nurse taught me very well on how to deal with people like this....You just very casually ask if they are having a bad day and mention that they seem a little uptight....it really works and knocks them right off their high horse and makes them come back to earth....

Her sister is a SW and she told me that SW's are one of the most screwed up people you'll ever deal with....and that alot of them were abused/screwed up or what have you as kids or with their spouses are/were abusive and they try to "fix the world" based on their own screwed up life...and it is true! I'm not saying all of them are like this, but alot are, I have met a couple who were great at what they do....but the ones who are the way this one is being described fits right into the messed up ones..it's too bad because she sounds like she has some issues if she's downright rude & nasty to someone she's trying to "supposedly" help...

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

Patients do have the right to choose their home health agency. Perhaps there is another one who would treat your family in a more professional manner?

These agencies are usually in some pretty tough competition with each other for patients, employees and docs - I agree that writing the letter and sending it to the doc, as well as the party who referred you, would be a great idea.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Thank you all for your replies! I had not even considered reporting this to the state, but now that several of you have mentioned it. . .let me think on it a bit and talk with my sister and see what she would like to do as well.

Thanks for the well wishes. It's not pleasant having your belly fileted open! I missed all my favorite cable TV programs last week because the hospital only had local channels. Guess if that's my worst complaint I must be doing OK. :lol2:

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I come from a unique perspective in that I am a nurse and a social worker. Just like in any profession you have the really good professionals to the really bad with a huge variance in between. My additional unique perspective is that I do Quality Improvement for our agency, this is not just looking at outcomes, but the overall quality of the work, documentation and etc. So... I am the one in our agency that gets the phonecalls with client's or the client's family that have concerns... So... giving you that history, let me give you this advice.

Call and ask for the agency director, or as high up in the company as someone will give you. Explain your dissatisfaction with the Social Worker, what your concerns were and insist that any further visits are not completed by her. Any director that gives a hoot about maintining their, census, customer service, their good name in the community etc, will do everything they can to accomodate you... IF, after talking to the director you still find no resolve, choose a different agency and transfer care and when you transfer make sure both agencies understand that the reason you are transfering is due to dissatisfation with the service. This will 1) possibly make the HH you are leaving re-examine their customer service and 2) it clues the new HH agency into the fact that you have specific expectations and will be expecting these expectations to be fullfilled.

OK... there is my soap box.

Take care and get better soon

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what kind of recourse does a patient and family have with a private business like this other than to terminate their services? i've already spoken and reported this to the doctor who referred us to this agency.

i am in the process of writing a letter to the agency to document my complaint with a copy to go to the doctor. any ideas anyone might offer in helping me with this would be appreciated since home health care really isn't my bivouac. i haven't taken a good look at the home health patient's bill of rights, but i'm about to. thanks.

1-800-medicare

:nurse:

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Specializes in Hospice, OR, Home Health, Orthopedics.
1-800-medicare

:nurse:

amen, sister.

i was scanning the replies given already and was a little amazed no one had mentioned this one. calling the state to report a complaint of any kind was something we were required to educate the family and patient " how to do" on the admission visit (when i did home health in it's "hey day"). the directions (for our agency) were in the patient rights and responsibilities. we emphasized our phone number in bold for calling first and the state 1-800 number was also given (not in bold).

i'm sorry you have had such a difficult time, both with your health and this agency providing care to your family. remember, you are a consumer and you are your family member's advocate. if they are treating you this way, they are more than likely treating others the same, and some one needs to be alerted to the situation, someone who can make the difference.

regards,:typing

jclnc

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Specializes in Looking for a career in NICU.
Oh Geez!...maybe she needs the big one lol! Seriously!!!A friend of mine who is a nurse taught me very well on how to deal with people like this....You just very casually ask if they are having a bad day and mention that they seem a little uptight....it really works and knocks them right off their high horse and makes them come back to earth....

Her sister is a SW and she told me that SW's are one of the most screwed up people you'll ever deal with....and that alot of them were abused/screwed up or what have you as kids or with their spouses are/were abusive and they try to "fix the world" based on their own screwed up life...and it is true! I'm not saying all of them are like this, but alot are, I have met a couple who were great at what they do....but the ones who are the way this one is being described fits right into the messed up ones..it's too bad because she sounds like she has some issues if she's downright rude & nasty to someone she's trying to "supposedly" help...

I think you hit the nail on the head with your post.

Not that these two situations were related, but both deal with unreasonable SW's. I had a friend that tried to adopt a baby (the baby was offered for adoption to my friend directly through a friend of a friend). The SW that was involved to do the home visits caused the process to be held up for 4 years, yup, 4 years...without ANY PARTY objecting to the adoption.

Why? Because my friend lost her full-term baby while she was still pregnant only 6 months prior, and the SW felt my friend was trying to "replace" her dead baby with a new one.

No one seemed to take into consideration that the baby needed a home, and the birth mother was only 28 and had 8 other children and all of them had been in and out of the foster care system almost from birth and she was trying to "do right" by her new baby daughter by giving her a home.

I absolutely hate social workers like this and they seem to be the norm rather than the exception.

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