WHS PARADIGMS AND DIALECTICS ON SPORT, WAR, WELFARE, WORKPLACE AND CARE GIVING
Copyright Æ Sastrías 2013
Living in Australia where Sport is extremely important and seeing how much money and efforts are invested for any Australian to become a great sports professional if this person decides to become any type of athlete, it comes to my attention the topic of Occupational Health and Safety (now Workplace Health and Safety WHS).
The same should be applied to primary family carers, unfortunately we (primary family carers) are not subject to industry standards and we are not yet covered by any specific type of insurance or work cover, as our main workplace is home, not a gym, not a stadium, not a war attack, not an office, not a workshop, nor a factory nor a mine. As our home is not subject to policies, guidelines aside of what we consider 'common sense', then, all risks taken are not covered by any fund and they are on our physical, emotional and economical expense.
The family carer has no time, certified training, work cover, energy and possibly money to plan modifications if the advice did not come on time and it is not funded adequately. It seems sometimes that all past efforts, techniques learnt, frustrations, sleepless nights and worries are not fully taken into account by the agencies when it comes to provide the help to family carers and impose their rules in a place that used to be 'home' for the sufferer and the primary family carer.
We have to comply with the agency standards for getting the help, instead of having the help and then they assist us step by step in the modifications or recommendations gradually. We are eligible to have 96 hours a month of agency help, but at the moment this package has not been delivered fully.
Another annoying situation that we also are getting used to is that workers get paid for the time they get assigned, and nothing else, so if circumstances are not helping us to fit our agendas or business perfectly to be on time for the workers just to spend their standard 30 minutes or an hour time, then we get the message not to waste the worker’s time, otherwise there will be things like brushing my husband teeth at night that will not be able to be done if my husband did not finish his dinner on time, and so we need to allow the worker to pick him up and position him on the bed at the designated time.
So, these things get undone sometimes for the sake of the worker, not for our sake. I really stress very much to get things done as much on time as possible, but my husband’s disability and sometimes his attitude is not complying with the demands of the specific times for the workers not to invest some more minutes waiting for my husband to finish his teeth or finish emptying his bladder… This is occurring in our house, I am not talking about a nursing home where times are critical for the workers and the poor patients have to cope a lot with the not flexible attention they should get.
I thought that having the service at home will represent more flexibility for us than having my husband suffering a cold timetable and relationships with workers at a respite facility or nursing home.
Just after his death I came across "MyChoice Matters" funding. Last year, I tried to get my husband customised home care through an insurance company and applied, but unfortunately we did not get the fund. This type of fund enables people with a disability to have their care and manage their terms and conditions as recipients of care in the way they really want.
My husband's disease deteriorated very quickly since September 2012 and in November 2012 he got admitted to hospital due to pneumonia by aspiration. He got three or four respiratory arrests and in the first one was already clinically death, but recovered to the point to survive two months in hospital.
The treatment my husband received in hospital by some nurses was not at a high standard and the aseptics using urine night bags connected to his Indwelling Catheter were in a low standard compared to how I did take care at home. I understand the level of stress, understaffed and lack of funding the health and nursing homes institutions are submitted. What I do not understand is that NEGLECT has nothing to do with LACK OF FUNDING, it is a MISTAKE or LACK OF KNOWLEDGE or LACK OF EFFICIENCY or CONSIDERATION towards the patient and their family carers.
My husband has just recently passed away, and thankfully he did not have to live too long in a nursing home. In my own short experience in the nursing home where my husband was admitted, I did not have much to complain. The only complaint I would have is the waiting time people who are totally immobile have to cope with while asking for being transferred back to bed or being put to mobile commode or being taken the pan off them and being cleaned. A patient without their family or primary carer in an institution is the worst place to be. At least, in our case, my husband always counted on me as his advocate in life and after life.
Primary carers are saving heaps of dollars to the government. Primary carers are saving heaps of hours and people to the paid understaffed care workers in nursing homes and hospitals.
I just feel that the recognition to the work of primary carers have to be taken seriously, as we are used to see celebrities, athletes, business persons, health care professionals, scientists, inventors be broadcasted, supported, sponsored and funded in a way they can succeed as persons, professionals and continue doing their work.
It has to be shown that the sacrifices done by a primary carer who dedicates 90 percent of their life dedicated to look after the person with a disability or chronic condition that makes them fully dependent are very important for the community to be aware of, for the government and health care institutions to be aware of and get the primary carer more rewarded for his/her efforts as all efforts are contributing to the well being of the person that is looked after, even though the condition or disability may not allow to get the sufferer to recover or live a much better lifestyle.
Ana Sastrias
Carer Representative
Carers NSW, Australia
Another annoying situation that we also are getting used to is that workers get paid for the time they get assigned, and nothing else, so if circumstances are not helping us to fit our agendas or business perfectly to be on time for the workers just to spend their standard 30 minutes or an hour time, then we get the message not to waste the worker’s time, otherwise there will be things like brushing my husband teeth at night that will not be able to be done if my husband did not finish his dinner on time, and so we need to allow the worker to pick him up and position him on the bed at the designated time.
So, these things get undone sometimes for the sake of the worker, not for our sake. I really stress very much to get things done as much on time as possible, but my husband’s disability and sometimes his attitude is not complying with the demands of the specific times for the workers not to invest some more minutes waiting for my husband to finish his teeth or finish emptying his bladder… This is occurring in our house, I am not talking about a nursing home where times are critical for the workers and the poor patients have to cope a lot with the not flexible attention they should get.
I thought that having the service at home will represent more flexibility for us than having my husband suffering a cold timetable and relationships with workers at a respite facility or nursing home.
Just after his death I came across "MyChoice Matters" funding. Last year, I tried to get my husband customised home care through an insurance company and applied, but unfortunately we did not get the fund. This type of fund enables people with a disability to have their care and manage their terms and conditions as recipients of care in the way they really want.
My husband's disease deteriorated very quickly since September 2012 and in November 2012 he got admitted to hospital due to pneumonia by aspiration. He got three or four respiratory arrests and in the first one was already clinically death, but recovered to the point to survive two months in hospital.
The treatment my husband received in hospital by some nurses was not at a high standard and the aseptics using urine night bags connected to his Indwelling Catheter were in a low standard compared to how I did take care at home. I understand the level of stress, understaffed and lack of funding the health and nursing homes institutions are submitted. What I do not understand is that NEGLECT has nothing to do with LACK OF FUNDING, it is a MISTAKE or LACK OF KNOWLEDGE or LACK OF EFFICIENCY or CONSIDERATION towards the patient and their family carers.
My husband has just recently passed away, and thankfully he did not have to live too long in a nursing home. In my own short experience in the nursing home where my husband was admitted, I did not have much to complain. The only complaint I would have is the waiting time people who are totally immobile have to cope with while asking for being transferred back to bed or being put to mobile commode or being taken the pan off them and being cleaned. A patient without their family or primary carer in an institution is the worst place to be. At least, in our case, my husband always counted on me as his advocate in life and after life.
Primary carers are saving heaps of dollars to the government. Primary carers are saving heaps of hours and people to the paid understaffed care workers in nursing homes and hospitals.
I just feel that the recognition to the work of primary carers have to be taken seriously, as we are used to see celebrities, athletes, business persons, health care professionals, scientists, inventors be broadcasted, supported, sponsored and funded in a way they can succeed as persons, professionals and continue doing their work.
It has to be shown that the sacrifices done by a primary carer who dedicates 90 percent of their life dedicated to look after the person with a disability or chronic condition that makes them fully dependent are very important for the community to be aware of, for the government and health care institutions to be aware of and get the primary carer more rewarded for his/her efforts as all efforts are contributing to the well being of the person that is looked after, even though the condition or disability may not allow to get the sufferer to recover or live a much better lifestyle.
Ana Sastrias
Carer Representative
Carers NSW, Australia
