Home health problem

[tbrooke]

Hello everybody.

I just accepted a home health job, and when I proceeded to tell my father about it, he flipped out. He is telling me I am making a horrible decision and I am not wise enough.

I am just very discouraged now, I know he means well but he isn't a cna and he doesn't know what I do. So, I just want to know what y'all think about home health. Is it bad?

[mvm2]

What are your father's concerns?

I personally love being a CNA in Home Health. I love the one on one time with my clients. I can take my time and not feel frazzled all the time. My agency allows us to have say on what days we want off, to how many hours we want to work and what shifts work best for us. We also have a say in if there is something about the job we are concerned over we can decline the client. They allow you to say if you want to work with people with animals, or if you do not want to work in a smokers house that is fine as well.

There are some drawbacks like traveling to many places, and you get called in sometimes to have to take a shift because another care giver had to cancel for one reason or another. But I feel the rewards and positive aspects of Home Care far outway the negatives.

Also hey give Home Care a try...If for one reason or another it is not for you then there are plenty of other opertunities you may be able to find that will fit you better.

[tbrooke]

My father doesn't think it is safe. He thinks I am going to encounter creepy young men that need 'home health' or encounter unsafe individuals. I don't completely understand his thoughts, but I do still live with him and I have to obey him. However, I tried to tell him it is a safe process and I should be caring for the elderly but he isn't buying it. Have you ever been in unsafe homes? Or, have you ever taken care of younger pts?

[mvm2]

I have only been in home health care for 1 year, and I have only had elderly clients personally. 1/2 and 1/2 ratio wise of men and women. Your father is right that sometimes there are younger men and women that need health care, but you could definetly tell the company you would rather work with the elderly then a young man. You also have to know that even the elderlymen may say things that are inapropriate at times and we as health care providers just have got to know that is just part of things that can happen, and it can happen in a LTC just as easy as in home care. The nice part of home care is if you feel uncomfortable you can always ask them to take you off the case, while in a facility you can not have the option of doing that you have to work with that resident regardless.

[Sally Lou]

I encounter a creepy old man doing home health. He was always saying things and trying to grab me. Of course, he did none of this when the family would come into the room. When i first called the agency i was working for a told them the response was to "keep away" from him. Umm, i'm supposed to do that how? When i have to feed him and provide him with ADL care. I complained more and they finally took him off my schedule.

[i_love_patient_care]

I think your experience will depend on your agency. I've worked for a couple of agencies in home health, and my biggest complaint is the family members. Not all of them, but some will try to suck you into family drama, and complain that you don't do enough around the house. I felt there weren't very clear instructions as to what my responsibilities were. The agency would say "light" housekeeping, but then the family considered that to be deep cleaning the carpets, and picking up after the aging dog that wasn't toilet trained anymore. If you can find an agency that actually backs you up, and has very clear rules about what your responsibilities are, then it's a very nice job to have.

[TurtleCat]

To be fair, I have not worked in home health, only in LTC and group homes... however, I will have to say that so far I have not encountered anyone that has truly creeped me out. This was actually a fear of mine going into CNA work, based on horror stories I'd read of sexual harassment and whatnot, but if anything the men have been more embarrassed and uncomfortable than I was when giving peri-care and whatnot. That's not going to say it's never going to happen, but I think overall the chances are pretty low.

[MierKat]

tbrooke, I'm sorry you're having problems. First, if he doesn't know about home health, it is understandable that he might worry. Second, how old are you? You say that you live at home. If you're under 21, and he's your dad, he probably wants to protect you. (My dad still wants to protect me and I'm 45!) Third, is this your first job? Fourth, being alone in someone's home might be less safe than a retail store or coffee shop when others are around. But even working late at a Starbucks with just one other person could be risky - that person could be creepy or even rape you.

So, as you go out into the working world, you need to develop "armor" to make sure that you keep yourself safe until you know that you can trust your coworkers and clients. And you should listen to your "instinct" - if you think someone is untrustworthy, don't dismiss those feelings. If possible, keep a cell phone with you.

My suggestions: Talk to your employer and find out what their clients are like, their ages and disabilities/needs. If you've never been a CNA before, the employer should work with you to start with by carefully selecting your first few clients. If you are having a training class, that would be a good time to ask these questions.

After you do all this, talk to your dad, tell him you know he wants to keep you safe and tell him the steps you've taken to keep yourself safe. If you took a CNA class, perhaps you could ask one of the teachers to talk to your dad? Asking your new employer to talk to him might be annoying to the employer, so I wouldn't do that unless you have no other choice.

Good luck to you.