A Whole Day As A Medical Caregiver
What really is a day as a caregiver like? hmmm
Ha it can be many things
Being a regular caregiver or a medical caregiver is a job n a half I say. I been doing this line of work for over 20 years. But anywho- let me share with you on my busy Mondays. I will change the names just in case their family members are on here........
I wake up at 4:30 am, To get myself ready, and prepared as I have a very long day ahead. Shower, cloths picked out that won't make me melt in my clients homes, some snacks and a lunch. Oh I never forget my coffee
Off I go normally around 7am, as traffic builds up on express way. 45 minutes later..........
"Good morning love- how was your nights sleep?" This client Joan has very bad dementia so coming in funny and positive she likes. "No hun don't hide in the closet ler's take a shower. Don't you want to smell lovely for your hubby?" It takes about 25 minutes to get her into the shower. Since she is very able to shower on her own without being a fall risk, I get to stripping the beds and making them, vacumeing, dusting and picking out cloths for her.
1 hour later-"Joan hun your pull up goes on your bottom not your head. Love let's put our shirt OVER your head and not on our feet. Joan come back here and get your bra on..........Joan please don't eat your deoderant." Sigh.....I am very patient with Joan as she can detect moods very well. Once she is on tract and brushing hair and teeth, I take a smoke break-yes I do!!
2 loads of laundry are in, Joan is finally dressed and fed, oh no "Joan where are your hearing aids?" 45 minutes to look for hearing aids. One in her shoes and 1 in the dog's bowl. Wowzers, we better make sure to take these outta Joans ears at night My time is running out, still many things to get done. "Where's Joan.........?" Off I go in the small apartment to find Joan in the bathroom."Joan no dear-stop!" Joan gotten into her face makeup and has it on her dentures. I giggle with her on wanting to look pretty but reminded her to use it when she goes out(note to self: Hide Joan's make-up) After a few times brushing teeth we are finaling all cleaned up.
Off to get the laundry. "Joan you wanna help me fold your cloths?"..................."I already done that this morning, you go"..................Has her carry the basket and we some how get the laundry. "Joan lemme take care of your bandages and medication time."
<----Yes this literally happens every time no matter what skills you use
Once she is calmed meds are taking and dosed, bandages are changed,cleaned and done. Sigh, I wanna nap
OMG time to go. Making sure fuse box is on off for appliances Joan can't get hurt with, alarms are set for her to use bathroom and medications taken, food set out, my daily notes done.....I'm out the door rushing to my 2nd client................(click my fingers poof 2nd client)
My next client suffers from Parkinson's and other health issues preventing him from walking safely and doing things he needs to on a daily basis.
"Hey there Paul how are you doing? You ready to turn on your side so I can tap on your back and you breathe your medicines?"
"Oh hell why do I have to do this over-I'm gonna die anyways" Paul says
"Paul we all will die one day, but God doesn't want you today. Also who will help me eat all that ice cream in your freezer?"
"Ok get it done-do what you want to me." I tab on his back for 20 minutes to losen the junk in his lungs as he breathes his medicine in machine. This also strengthens his lungs and helps him cough. As I am doing this I see he had fallen and a deep gash is along his spine and back......Here we come E.R.
1. Calls Office 2. Calls family 3. Grabs the to-go bag and makes sure things are in there 4. Grab breathing machine and medicine's 5. Grab DNR Documentation 5. Where is Paul...........getting in showerA lot of things happen when we have to transport or call an abulance for a client. Major paper work I hate. Here we go...................................
Paul hates the hospital, so he expereinces anxiety, his muscles tighten up which gives him pain, we have ice packs and heating pads for this in back pack. Doctors freak him out, so a lot of me distracting and being silly with glove puppets and Youtube video's.
Ok I gotta go pee.................A nurse sits with Paul till I get back
Back- where is Paul!!!!!! Nurse is no where to be found. My heart races as I alert staff and go looking for Paul. Remind you he is scared and in pain. Room after room, closets really any door that opens.
"Hey hun, why are you in the broom closet? Come here." Comfort and low voice gets him calm, plus a snickers bar and his juice in back pack. He also has a picture of his mom there that he adores. Ok-really I want to go home, but can't leave him till someone comes to care for Paul.
Paul is a trooper and gets X-Ray and let's the docotrs see his back. It's cleaned real well, banaged and he has some pain meds in him. Yay he is asleep-bless him. I go for a smoke and this time a great nurse is with him. I end up taking a break and eating a snack and off my feet. Calling the office to share on things, filling out my paper work. I better get back to Paul he will miss me.
Get back to find his daughter Bee is there. I fill her in and then call in office to head home..........................................
Ok everyone there is a day as a caregiver-that is just 1 day tho
Being a caregiver we spread ourselves all over, whatever is needed and we are able to do within our limits. Also we have emotions that sometimes over whelm us. We are normal, really we are. Thing is- what keeps me going on these wonderful Mondays is my clients sharing a "I love you" or "I really appreciate all you do for me" or "You are a good right hand man" also all their hugs and kisses. That to me makes me ready for another day as a medical caregiver
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@RumpleSteeleSkin This is a really great and eye-opening post! Thank you so much for sharing
@Kate
Hi Kate yes I do hope other share on the great work they offer to our elderly/those needing support community.
@RumpleSteeleSkin
Love reading about people's experiences! Thank you for sharing
@MonBon
HI Mon I love sharing
@RumpleSteeleSkin
You are doing a great thing as a medical caregiver
@kindPoetry91
aawww Kind we all are doing a great job in the line of caregiving
@RumpleSteeleSkin
This is for all of them
@kindPoetry91
aaww Kind these are so beautiful thank you
@RumpleSteeleSkin thanks for sharing that day. After all that it is amazing you find time to volunteer on 7cups. I am tired just listening to your day. And I do not have that much patience. Thanks for helping us to learn more about caregiving.
@soulsings
HI Souls thanks for being with me on 1 dayidk on other things to do then support/help another-honest I tried it many times in other jobs. I guess it falls back to my bad past and all those wonderful folks who showed my unconditional love, forgivness, sharing, and so on. Ha most of my days I to am tired. I have more energy on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and some weekends.
@RumpleSteeleSkin
thank-you so much for taking the time to do this it is awesome and I have featured it, I am totally thrilled, well not at the 4.30am start but thank-you this is a breakthrough post!!!
@GuardianAngel77 @Nancysv1 @tinytea @soulsings
@MistyMagic
Hiya Misty ok I shared- where are my cookiesIt was fun writing it, also I had to leave things out, but really it was fun. I do hope others share on their days and we can support each other more
@RumpleSteeleSkin
but if you dont want to eat the cute little elephants then . . .
Wow, @RumpleSteeleSkin -- it is amazing to get such a detailed view of a day in the life of a caregiver. As you know from some of our chats in the past, I have had times of being an "amateur" caregiver for family members, and I was greatly supported and moved by the loving care of hospice workers when my father was dying.
This is such an important part of life and tbh sometimes it makes me a bit upset that we don't value it enough and we don't reward the people who did it nearly well enough, as a society.
The love and care and compassion involved really shines through!
@KrinkTheMellowUnicorn
Wow it's amazing to have the "Unicornie" in this areaI wanted to add in more, but cause of the site I couldn't. But it was good to share just 1 day with 2 special folks in my life. Isn't it amazing by the care,affection and stepping up from some folks? I am glad you had some of that dealing with you dad I do believe its very important in life, as those that were in perfect health we love still we love when they get sick or its near their time. But many out there don't get that, and thats where I step in full time. I can say so much on being appreciated but well....how I say it, the appreciation comes from my clients
Oh I am in tears reading that, thank-you! @Rumplesteeleskin Thank you for your patience and for being a wonderful caregiving human being.
I wish I had the guts to share my caregiving day but sometimes they are too terrible, we all have them right? but sometimes they are just so bad its enough to make me want to take up vaping or something.
@warmheartedSoul77
aawww Souls hugsWhy not share? Caregiving is just not all unicorns and rainbows- we all know that-lmao(Im giggling remembering some really rough days) Sometimes sharing even the naughty day helps others find support and makes things a bit so real.
Somethings I really-like really try and remember:
1. their illnesses sometimes have them on the defensive side or really not understanding
2. Independence now this is a big one many struggle with. There for make things even harder to complete on 1 visit
3. Pride OMG who doesn't have issues with this? This comes in the showering part mostly
4. Never really loved or cared for. Since I work with the state at times we get seniors who get ill but want to stay in their home BUT are not safe and don't have families. There for we make the decisions and so forth
I say don't take things personally and think of this"would you act the same way having some of these things they do?"
@RumpleSteeleSkin
hi, i so loved reading this, sounds like you really love your job :) , i have done both medical and family caregiving. the medical i did was a live in for a friend with only 16hrs off a week but learned sooo much durning those 3yrs n learned about so much medical equipment, do kinda miss it but im not physically able to anymore and 4yrs ago she passed. but i also do family caregiving my nephew that am raising with parents has specil needs also do help out a family that has a child same age as my nephew with the same issues that i care for when they need it.
@Autismaunt14
HI Autism good to see youaaww yes as we know our clients do pass and it's sad. But the good thing in it is their love an appreciation towards you caring for their every need till the end. We care give all to a point. Caring for loved ones, or family or even good neighbors.
I've done this work in different capacity at different places. As a man, as soon as I walk into the HR department's door, their eyes light up like slot machines hitting a jackpot.
Apparently not many men want to work in the caregiving field.
I'm going to say this upfront..
My coworkers were 100 times more stressful than the clients.
Ain't no joke Bruh... the people I worked with were vicious as rattlesnakes. Which was sad because they were competing for jobs that paid maybe 1 dollar more an hour and required 5 dollars and hour more work.
I was like.. LOL.. no thanks.
When I finish up as a teacher in China, I will return to the field as a Direct Support Professional. That is someone who works with developmentally disabled individuals. I've done it twice before, both time got on well with the clients, and had horrible experiences with my coworkers.
Mind you, I'm at times my own worst enemy with my big mouth. You know those thoughts that echo around your mind that in hindsight you recognize should stay inside your head and not exit via that pie eating hole under your nose?
Yeah..
As a sidenote, one absolutely cringe worthy statement any coworker can make to me is, "I just say what's on my mind! I'm blunt!"
I take this as a statement of fact that such a person is a tactless bore best to be avoided as they'll be the first ones you have to worry about.
Anyway.. rant over about coworkers... as you noticed I tend to get pretty worked up about it and this was years ago.
:P
The actual physical work was the part I enjoyed the most. I would get to work, say hello to each of the clients, find out if they needed anything, and then sort that out. After checking back in with them and letting them know roughly how much housework I needed to get done, I would go on a mad cleaning binge. It was a 260 pound bearded madman crashing around the house with a vacuum cleaner in one hand and wash rag in the other. The goal was always to have the house presentable for a supervisor check within two hours of getting to work. After about 2 hours, I would stop with all that, check back in with the clients, get their dinner orders, and spend a few minutes with each of them.
Either myself or my coworker would get dinner ready for the client and get them set up to eat. During this time I would start doing the daily laundry. Other shifts were terrible about this, so often I'd have 5 or 6 loads of laundry to do in a night. No biggie, used to get it done and folded before i went home at 11 pm.
After dinner was eaten, dishes and kitchen cleaned, I would make the rounds again and spend a little more time with each client if they wanted to socialize with me. After that, I would get out the client logbooks and start doing updates. After that I would do more rounds, after that I would get out my personal checklist of things needing deep cleaning and tick off my daily/weekly/monthly item by deep cleaning it. After that I would go into the bathroom and nuke it with bleach and death and fury and destruction to all germs. Between each activity i would check in with the clients. As it was later at night, usually this was a eyes only check. I would just quietly go stand outside the door and check to see they were ok. Some staff members would go right into their rooms with flashlights but.. dang son.. a brother has gotta sleep.. Walking really quietly and listening carefully does the trick 8/10ths of the time.
After folding 5 or so loads of laundry and putting it all away, checking the med logs, checking the saftey logs, walking around the entire house with a flash light to make sure no windows were open, and finishing off the paperwork.. I would update the next shift and ride my bike home for 7 miles.
My coworker would sit ont he sofa most of the time playing games on his laptops or watching tv.
Like I said, the clients were easy, even whent hey were stressful.. The clients had so many different issues, I could rationalize their behavior as a by-product of being institutionalized for so long. My coworkers though.. the low pay of the field can draw some very unmotivated individuals.
@DaveMcGrath
thank-you for posting that, it is really interesting to read about people's days caring. I love the imagery too of a beared madman crashing round a house!
thanks :) I hope others will join in and share too!
@DaveMcGrath
Was great to meet you in chat the other day but now I see a different side of yo and I can see that we are ll together in this caregivng. I love the feeling this place brings me when I log in and see all these friends.
@RumpleSteeleSkin
Yeah I know I am a little late to replying to this but wanted to! It's sooo true though. I am a paramedic, but have been in a few nursing homes myself treating patients. Everyone thinks frail 90 year old lady, UH no. She can hit you harder then a grown man on steriods if she is determinded enough xD thanks for all you do sounds like a busy day for sure.