cna taking advantage

[signet, LPN]

My father is 80 yrs. old and lives next door to me. My mother passed away about a year ago. Before that, she was in the nursing home for 3 yrs. Before that, she had home health aides coming into the house to take care of her. Some were good, while others were totally wacko, but that's another story. I hired an older lady to come and help take care of my father 4 hrs./day 3 days/wk. I'm paying her $15/hr. She is a CNA and used to work in a nursing home. My father really doesn't need much care. He just needs somebody to cook a meal and clean up a little, take him to the store, ect.. Mainly it's for company. He has been doing much better since this lady has been coming. Before he seemed depressed and didn't have much energy. She takes him for walks and she tells him her stories about her family, ect.. He seems to like her. She has been taking advantage of the situation, though. She will come late sometimes and change her day if she has an apointment. She's supposed to come Mon,Wed,Fri. If she comes two days in a row, there's not much to be done. She also had her girlfriend over for lunch one day. This made me med, but my father said he enjoyed talking to her. I have put up with this because she seemed to be good for my father. I'm getting to the limit of what I will take, though.

I also found out through an internet search that she was arrested twice for DUI and disorderly conduct. This was prior to her working for us. Her mother is in her 90's. THe CNA's son had placed her mother in a local nursing home and barred our lady from seeing her. Our lady told my father this was due to a family dispute they had. Well, now the mother is back at home and our CNA is once again helping to take care of her. The problem is, tommorow she has nobody to watch her while she works. She told my father she is going to bring her mother to work with her. He said this will be a one time thing, but I have my doubts about that. I know I should fire this lady, but my father will be upset. I also wonder about her sketchy past and what she might do for reprisal. should I haope this is indeed a one time thing and let it go. What do you guys think?

[caliotter3]

My first reaction to your post is that you should fire her for all the red flags you talk about. Surely there is someone out there with a better handle on things that could do the job. Your father will get over it once he decides he likes the replacement. You are the one who did the hiring, so it is up to you, ultimately, to decide who you want doing the job. The woman might be ok in the long run, but what good is that if you are going to be constantly worrying?

[Kyasi]

One thing I've learned over the years is to never ignore red flags... I always regret it when I do.

Kyasi