LPN In Home Care

[PBNJ1118]

So I'm an LPN in Oregon working in pediatric in one care with medically fragile children, And A particular family I work with seem to be sort of abusing not sure, or miss using their hours for home health aids as the mothers personal maid. I'm 8 hrs a day with client so mother can have some relief, and the home health aid is at the patients home at the same time either cleaning all the clients home, which in this case the client is a 3 year old. So home health aid will clean up after a whole family of 8, and baby sit for the mother, make dinner for the whole family, and do nothing that has to do with the patient. I'm the one who cleans up all client related things such as dishes, and room, etc. So is this right that the health home aid is put to do all these things? Also this home health aid is a family member hired on thru DHS. This particular client is a foster child at the time. But the home health aid is ok with all the work. Because the home health aid got hired on by the mother but insurance OHP is paying. So OHP is pretty much paying for this family to have a maid just because they have a special needs child. Is that corrupt in a way or is my thinking wrong.

[caliotter3]

Since you do not supervise the aide and she does not work for your agency, best to stay out of it. Just mind your own job.

[minerwife927]

I do private duty (hh) as an LPN and it is in our paperwork about doing housework if needed. I know the aide at my old case did household chores in the whole house and on her charting(it was like a check off sheet and note area) it had about vacuuming and laundry. It may be part of her/his duties. My sister in law did this for years as a CNA. Just cooked and cleaned different clients throughout the day.

[Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B]

Home health aids are often assigned household chores. Sometimes times borders on abusive. If you home health aid is refinishing the deck I don't thing that's correct. However general cleaning, laundry, etc seems fine.

I do PDN and do laundry, cleaning, and dishes for the clients items, but frankly if there is other laundry I'll throw it in to make a load. It's just common sense.

I think the perspective you should take in this situation is that the MD has approved a level of support to keep the client in the home where outcomes are better, infections are less, and care is less expensive. The amount of that support will vary per client. Consider if a HHA to help out keeps the client not in an institution it's WAY cheaper for the state.