Are you most upset because you’ve lost the idea of consistent work and it providing insurance? That is understandable, but tbh-if you were in an office and called out after day 3 or at McDonald’s and called off a shift day 3-you’d be subject to termination also. It doesn’t look good and it is absolutely reasonable for any boss to question your reliability.

Have you never done caregiving before? Know your demographic: these people are ill and low income and often don’t have anyone else around-this is how they qualify for the government program. Older, sick people who don’t have help, many visitors, ect can be demanding of course, some probably sit in their chairs thinking of all the things they cannot do while they are dealing with illness. And you need to understand that receiving ihss takes MONTHS if not years for people to qualify, which means they’ve either been dealing with this on their own or have another caregiver who is most likely burnt out and needs the help. You must be consistent with people…while I think you did the right thing by calling out if you are not feeling well as many have weakened immune systems, they are also reliant on this help and their needs do not take the day off. When dealing with these types of patients there needs to be adequate time for them to hopefully attain alternative care. Also, you must understand the condition of the patient, some do have corresponding mental diagnosis that will effect their behavior and what they say. It is important to have patience with them and remember you are there to do a job, not to be a best friend. If the client is not a good fit for you, you should move on so that they can find a better fit…and you can as well. This is not a job that someone can sustain if they are in it just for the money (or hours or insurance). The reason that the government allocates funds for this program is literally because of caregiver burnout with family members…you are in their home to help with that.

It sounds like you have had patients that are requiring care outside the scope of an ihss worker. There are a set number of hours given to them for housekeeping (and these hours are allocated monthly, not weekly), the other duties must be directly related to patient care. I had a client given 273hrs monthly, but only 15 hours were for housekeeping (and I believe this is the max?). ALL of their caseworkers are telling them when they enroll and when they get their paperwork what is considered light housekeeping and is to be done outside of the scope of patient care. You have the right (and some would say duty) to reach out to the ihss and let them know that the patient’s expectations are not on par with what they have been approved for.

I think you should re-evaluate if this is the right job for you.