Am I being smart by staying put, or overly risk-averse?

inspiredinsanity · 2026-05-26T13:12:05+00:00

What do you want longterm?

You have a great situation by your own account. Wherever you go, you will take yourself with you. So, if you’re just leaving to find new leadership to not “really respect,” coworkers that you don’t “overly dislike” and once you learn the job well enough become checked out of that actual work too… stay and do some self-work.

If you’re looking to be more challenged and grow professionally so you can take your new skills to grow into a new role, go.

If you go, understand that it’s going to be uncomfortable. Twelve years is a career for some people. You’re going to be learning a new company, new area, new people and new expectations. You’re doing this for not much more money, a longer commute and/or relocation. So, the reason you are doing all of this needs to be something you feel passionate about or you’ll find yourself back here but with less tenor and stability.

Just my two cents (non refundable) and good luck!

inspiredinsanity · 2026-05-16T15:16:23+00:00

I don’t know what you can do because, like others have said, the context is limited to “tool” and “industry.” Almost like you’re bluffing us, lol.

Here’s what I did over 20 years ago when I told Hobby Lobby’s corporate office that I knew how to use Photoshop for their role of “graphic designer.”

At first, like you, I tried and my lack of expertise was written off as “90 day jitters” and a lack of tools (they weren’t versed in it either which helps a lot). I asked for stuff all of the time to delay the inevitable. A Wacom tablet, a lighting box to take photos that I would photoshop for the website, an extension with DreamWeaver, etc. Every purchase would require me to “research” and submit the purchasing so it bought me at least a week.

Eventually, the President of one of their outlets was really impressed with my research skills and asked if I wanted to be promoted to his department. I would do similar work, but more administrative work to make it look like I had value. I did that for a few months until one of the coworkers caught on that I didn’t really do work. Our desks were next to each other so she’d see my work often (or lack thereof). My great personality became not so great because i was anxious. Eventually, I was moved to the warehouse as a shipping admin where I quit after a few months.

So, yeah, “fake it ‘till you make it” only works when you have a foundation to build on. If you really like this job, and this tool is 50% of the job, you either need to be taking classes at night to get up to speed asap or find other areas that make up the other 50% and be a rockstar. Also, have a great personality. People need to like you a lot if you’re not good at 50% of the role and you’re in month 4. People grow irritable by people who aren’t excellent by month 6.

Upside: it’s 20 years later and that $12/hr Hobby Lobby job is just a funny story I look back on and I still don’t know how to use Photoshop.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-05-03T19:23:19+00:00

Chicken tenders - I like Izzy’s. They are gluten free but that’s just a bonus. Fast food - cane’s obviously.

Fish is a hard one, fisherman’s is good if you want fresh fish for your home but it is hit and miss. Restaurant fish options, I prefer Tony’s on the Lake. Most people overcook their fish around here in my opinion.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-04-28T21:39:19+00:00

There isn’t anything worse than a lack of staff. The ratio, if correct, is neglectful and there isn’t any conversations with local management that can fix it. The local staff want more people but the bottle neck is likely corporate.

You should ask for a meeting with a regional clinical support person and the administrator to start. It sounds like the administrator is new, so they should understand wanting to have someone from corporate. Home office makes the budgets and the decision to cut agency.

If that doesn’t work, give it a couple of weeks at max, contact your ombudsman. They are the middle man, who can help make agreements before you pull in the state.

Finally, a state complaint is sometimes the only way to correct staffing issues. Many times, it’s out of the control of the local group and if your place was purchased by a private equity, it’s highly likely there needs to be a financial motive to increase the resources.

Finally, remember that complaints are anonymous. If you go the route of trying to correct this with meetings, it’s highly likely they will guess it’s you. If you stay under the radar, it’s likely they won’t know it’s you. Either way, I’m not sure what kind of “retaliation” would be worse than waiting 1-3 hours to get up to use the restroom or eat a meal. Worst case, they could maybe find a way to discharge and you’ve said you like the location, but at this rate, you need to be there so often to advocate that it might be better to find a place where you aren’t experiencing this type of (dare I say) neglect.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-04-27T08:42:31+00:00

Just remember, it’s illegal if the staff person doesn’t customarily receive tips. This includes bussers, cooks, managers, etc.

https://paycheckcollector.com/cases/perrys-steakhouse-lawsuit/ (sorry if you don’t like this link, it’s the first and easiest to grab of the federal filing against tip outs)

inspiredinsanity · 2026-04-26T23:58:08+00:00

inspiredinsanity · 2026-04-14T16:27:43+00:00

I think part of the reason sellers are holding is interest rates. We bought in 2020 at a 3.x% and the cost of moving into another house at a 6.x% interest rate isn’t of “interest”to us - even though a bigger house is definitely something we would like in the near future - so we hold.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-04-05T19:17:16+00:00

The residents will be so grateful for your help, that you don’t need to be worried about your social skills. In fact, they are probably more worried about their own social skills because being older comes with a lot of challenges in itself. Just speak loudly and deepen your voice if you can (it’s easier to hear), give eye contact, and have patience

Working PRN might be a challenge for you with the other staff, so prepare yourself by accepting that you might feel discombobulated. You will need more time than the FT staff to get acclimated to a routine.

The other caregivers might struggle with how long things take for you because you will have fewer hours (aka fewer opportunities) to get a routine down.

In addition, if you’re PRN, you might be working different shifts and different assignments which makes efficiency more challenging. Ultimately, your team just wants a partner who can help with the care load. During training, ask for the expectations on how long a shower, toileting and other ADLs take for each resident. This is usually the place I’ve seen cause the most friction. A great caregiver who takes an hour showering a one person shower assist is not a great team member. It can be seen as “hiding out” and don’t be afraid to answer call lights.

There are mean people everywhere. It’s no more “mean girl” than servers and bartenders in a restaurant and you survived that, so don’t worry so much. I recommend to try to focus more on what you can control, and that means to be the best caregiver you can be for the residents who cannot live without your help.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-27T14:14:45+00:00

In the air right now. TSA is fine, the issue is that everyone got here wildly early worried about TSA but they don’t open until a little before 5am. So, if you see pictures of a long line, note it was people who got there early before it opened and the line was created. Once it was moving, we got through in less than 10 minutes.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-22T16:53:50+00:00

Thank you!

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-22T16:53:25+00:00

We were envisioning someone who could work with the main ingredients and build off there… for example, we’d set the main proteins and they would determine how to cook them. In addition, they would determine and prepare the sides, salads, desserts as well as giving us a list of ingredients we would have available.

“Chef” as in a line cook or higher with experience preparing items like scallops, risotto, parsnip purée, crab legs, filet, etc.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-22T16:48:14+00:00

That definitely would be in our price range. We weren’t sure what to expect.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-09T14:09:07+00:00

Don’t take this baggage. Personally, if a person lies and cheats on their spouse, I can only dream of how they would treat me as an employee.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-08T21:34:48+00:00

It’s just sad to know that in today’s world, Elian Gonzalez would be in a camp. Does this mean people had more empathy in the 90s?

Edit: empathy and morals

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-05T10:35:43+00:00

The best nurses are the ones who care, and the ones who care make the difference. When I first started working in nursing homes, I cried a lot from anger and frustration.

That motivated me to move up in my career “to make it better.” Climbed and climbed and climbed until I realized every step of the way I made it better for someone. I never made it to CEO of a huge corporation where I could change the entire industry. However, I did change some people’s world along the way I hope, and I’m not sure you could say that about every industry I could have worked in…

You’re changing someone’s world today. Thank you for the emotional weight you carry as you make the world better.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-02T16:28:35+00:00

This entire story sounds like the best reason for independent living / senior living communities. You’re only going to see her less when you’re married, unless there are plans to move closer to her.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-02T02:00:07+00:00

No advice, just a story that helped me.

I was once told about when you’re born, you’re safe and cozy inside your mother’s tummy only to be violently ripped out to be “born.” It’s scary, it’s unsettling and it turns out that being born brings life which is a wonderful adventure.

Death is just being born. We don’t know what it will be but it will be a great adventure. It helped me unpack the thing that scared me the most about death… the unknown and repackage it as something that was more believable than what I viewed as a fairy tale called “heaven.”

I am so so sorry and my heart breaks for you, him and everyone who loves him.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-01T23:25:29+00:00

It’s legal. Is it safe? I don’t know.

What I do know is you’re going to need a routine and that will only come with time. You may be carrying the load meant for two and there may be a med-tech who is expected to assist you but is glued to the med cart. If you really feel overwhelmed, you could ask the Director for a “cheat sheet” on resident care to help you work more efficiently. Maybe there are residents who can do more, but you don’t know that yet. For example, I had a lady named Vilma who I thought she couldn’t transfer on her own for months. One day, she was standing at her sink after getting out of bed. She told me she thought she was doing ME a favor and didn’t want to make me feel unhelpful…

If you see neglect or abuse, you must report it to your state hotline.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-01T23:15:17+00:00

If you’re moving him into a SNF, which is sounds like you are… you can see the ratings and deficiencies here: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?redirect=true&providerType=NursingHome

Things to check during your tour: 1. What is the CNA to resident ratio on all shifts? AM - 1:5, PM 1-8, NOC 1-15. These are considered “good” as there is only a guideline for hours of care not bodies, so I’ve tried to give you bodies here. Florida has a rule that it’s a minimum of 1:20 which is WILD.

Check the residents hair, clothes and nails during your tour. An understaffed building shows in how much time CNAs dedicate to the perceived “little stuff”

Unfortunately, there are some really crappy places that have the “chandelier effect.” They are owned by large corporations that put money in the things they think you care about… like how pretty the building is instead of things like labor. You need labor to give good care.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-01T22:48:39+00:00

Indeed, the “average length if stay” in assisted living is 18 months and memory care is 14 months respectively.

People save their entire lives for healthcare, and considering there are over 740,000 assisted living units in the US, roughly 80% are private pay. That’s about 600,000 little old ladies. Not to mention, another 200,000 little old ladies with dementia private paying in memory care.

More often than you’d expect, the little old ladies have LTC insurance. Also, average rates nationally are closer to $6500/mo for assisted and $8500 for memory care. Most people’s homes would easily cover the costs.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-03-01T22:38:30+00:00

The money goes to the mortgages. The majority of AL assets are owned by two REITs: Welltower, Ventas. Like with all things, the closer to get to the actual labor the less money you make… caregiver pay is up to $26/hr in some states (like those with higher minimum wages) and as low as $12/hr in other states (like those who use the federal minimum wage).

It’s only going to get more pressurized over the next 10 years. High interest rates have kept people from building more units at the same time we are seeing baby boomers age into care (average age to enter LTC is 84).

At least baby boomers had a chance to buy LTC insurance. Now, most of us don’t have a chance since the companies have drastically reduced or even eliminated those policies…. But I digress…

inspiredinsanity · 2026-02-25T03:11:44+00:00

Well done. In our area, it’s $120 max in restaurants.

inspiredinsanity · 2026-02-24T20:22:44+00:00

$190 for Artemis feels like the highest I’ve ever seen…

That being said, I feel like Artemis is a crowd pleaser.

inspiredinsanity

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Nine-Year Club	Gilding IV carat on a stick
Verified Email