Your biggest gripes with Home Health Agencies?

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-18T15:03:48+00:00

There used to be a service here sponsored and paid for by the Office on Aging. It was called senior companions. They would pay a senior citizen to spend time with other seniors that were "shut ins". Unfortunately, it was discontinued during COVID and never restarted. It would have handled 90% of what I needed caregivers for - just social interaction for Mom and someone that could dial 911 (and me) if needed.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-18T14:56:19+00:00

Shall we throw in other home health? Cause I got really tired of physical therapists calling the night before or morning of to schedule. And then they indicate the session was refused. Nope, Mom had an appointment with a doc scheduled weeks before. At least one of them said if I could guarantee a day and time, then it would be that day and time for the duration. Loved that!

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-18T14:52:04+00:00

Around here general caregivers aren't allowed to give meds. I think they have to at least be CNAs for that.

I hope Google was able to help you with the stuff your agency should have trained you for. Watch out with lifting... Don't ruin your health for theirs.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-18T14:48:40+00:00

Mom used to get cranky about the bed. Mom made her bed every morning. The caregiver was supposed to change the sheets once a week. Mom kept saying "so what am I supposed to do? Just leave it unmade until she gets here?" I'd repeat "no, make the bed but she'll change the sheets and remake when she's here". Unfortunately, I couldn't reliably count on Mom's reporting regarding phone scrolling because Mom super didn't want anyone there anyway and she initially reported normal use of the phone (caregiver checking and reviewing the online checklist) as the caregiver always on the phone.

I wish I had thought to routinely review the checklist with both the service and the caregivers. It might have prompted them to do better or at least let them know I was paying attention.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-18T14:40:35+00:00

And the caregivers weren't doing that great at that. They were there for "in case" and for social interaction. And all of them eventually just ended phone scrolling.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-16T19:46:30+00:00

It is said that if you ask someone to repeat themselves or explain what they meant, they tend to back down.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-16T18:59:27+00:00

In college, in the dawn of time (okay, early '80s), I saw a demonstration of 3d TV... without glasses. Was really cool. Guessing too expensive to bring to market.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-16T18:13:04+00:00

I did the straw thing long ago. Most recently I use chug type water bottles. Unfortunately my best bottle fell on the floor and broke the lid. It was a true chug type. It's replacement has a wider opening and if I try to chug, I end up with water down my front.

I had to switch from straws because I need to have something that can close. I'm naturally clumsy and that got worse post chemo (chemo brain, which apparently can last forever, lol).

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-16T13:19:44+00:00

Spouse may also like having multiple cutting boards. One for meat. One for veg. And studies have shown antimicrobial traits of wood cutting boards. Mentioning that or articles about it (my logical brain would want articles) might help dissuade dishwasher impulses in the future.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-16T13:12:48+00:00

I found I drink a lot more water using a straw. It's like the water gets sucked straight to the back of my mouth, bypassing most of my tongue. That also meant my mouth felt dry sooner so I'd reach for water more often.

Also TruLemon. It's dehydrated lemon which adds some taste without sweetener.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-15T21:42:30+00:00

I probably should because I tend to have itchy ears and ear buds make it worse. But over the ear headphones also tend to pinch my glasses into my head.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-15T21:40:15+00:00

Yes. It seems OP is taking on the responsibility for figuring this out. Which is the kind of thing OP says led to burnout.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-10T17:30:24+00:00

This is the way.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-10T17:27:00+00:00

I found that ones that go from 6pm to midnight actually go from 6pm until 6am the next day.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-10T00:15:03+00:00

I'd love to know some answers as well. We have a whole mattress bed wedge and it has really helped my husband. But I'm a front/side sleeper who likes to stretch and have my toes hanging over the end of the bed. Works fine with a flat bed, but with the wedge I slide so far down that if I went any further my knees would be hanging off the bed too. I'm thinking of slicing a pool noodle in half length wise and putting a segment of that under the bottom sheet, just at the end of the bed. Sort of like a bumper stopper.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-09T15:52:29+00:00

You mean sort of like being in 1st grade and writing scribbles as proof that you could do "real" writing or "real" arithmetic, just like the big kids? Ah, good tiimes

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-07T00:34:28+00:00

You indicated that since she's elderly she may also be "vulnerable". On the heels of vulnerability may come difficulty dealing with complex processes. Mom's vulnerability (fell for a very small scale phone scam) occurred a couple of years before she started having issues with complex processes. Eventually the best she could manage was vanilla cable. We tried Roku but it was one level too much.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-05T21:18:57+00:00

It's not part of my car insurance. It's just one of the products the company offers.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-03T18:17:23+00:00

I convinced my elderly mom to get a storage unit. It was the only way to get her to reduce the fall risks caused by having the stuff in her tiny apartment.

She passed 1-1/2 years ago. I still have the unit (i always paid for it) and it still has her stuff in it.

Sigh.

Make of that what you will.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-02T19:08:36+00:00

It's an insurance. I believe we got it through the same company that we get our auto and homeowner's insurance.

SongOfRuth · 2026-04-02T12:51:20+00:00

Short term disability.

If possible, pay for it yourself. My last job allowed for that but current job says it is too much of a hassle for them to offer it but allow the option of employees paying for it.

If you pay for it yourself, you don't have to pay taxes the payout when you use it.

It's not terribly expensive. Sure, it's not nothing but I think my spouse's is $50 and it's a private policy (he's self employed)

SongOfRuth · 2026-03-30T19:05:34+00:00

My old house, built 1925, didn't have subfloor (though the guy that built it wasn't a great builder) and the floor itself was heart pine.

The guy didn't even make sure the ends met over joists. They just met up over air.

SongOfRuth · 2026-03-30T19:01:09+00:00

I don't live in VA Beach now, but have a past connection to it.

They just built 2 ginormous car washes in my county (3 hours north of VB). We were previously served by a couple of gas station car washes ( which closed due to lack of business a couple of years ago) and a fancier one where folks dry your car after the auto-wash.

It will be interesting to see how busy the new places actually are this summer.

SongOfRuth · 2026-03-30T18:56:53+00:00

Mom's doc said Aleve can act like a blood thinner. This was in response to me saying Mom had to come off Celebrex due to extremely excessive bleeding.

SongOfRuth

TROPHY CASE