# here we go again: the eternal job-hunt...



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
ay-yi-yi, am i sick of this job-hunting - 
My current client is worse, her dementia is progressing; she's now combative & slaps often, or (rarely) punches when she's frustrated. Because her care is more difficult, my hours were cut. I went from 5 days / 6 nights a week, to 3 days/ 3 nights a week.
.
I was barely making ends meet when I had full-time hours; now i'm spending myself into a hole. I've been looking for part-time work to cover the days that I'm off, or preferably full-time work so that I can give notice - I've worked with this client since July-2015.
I'm truly tired of justifying "messing up HER kitchen" to make myself a meal, using my food, purchased with food-stamps.
.
It only makes life more difficult, that I have no WiFi access at the client's home. I need to use the 'Net to job-hunt, & half the week shut-out is way too much isolation. I need connectivity.
.
I have qualifications & experience, I'm reliable & dependable, & I'm slowly but surely going broke. _*GAhhhhhhh! *_- I need a dam*ed break.
.
Don't anyone dare tell me that "anything that doesn't kill U makes U stronger", or "adversity builds character". That's fermenting manure, & i'm downwind. I've had enuf adversity for 5 normal lifetimes - all it's done is make my life difficult.
.
I hate the very thought, but I'll have to go to the jobs center at the Unemployment office, AND i'll need to file for unemployment to cover the gap - or i'll soon be bankrupt.
Complicating this, my employers, the agency I work for, re-classified me as 'on call' - so they will fight my unemployment claim. *ETA*: they can afford lawyers, with the money they leech from us PCAs. I can't.
.
Life sometimes sucks, & it's been raining sh*t on my parade since July-2012, when that "wonderful job opportunity" in Ohio turned out to be bogus. I'm all out of fortitude, patience, & hope. I'm down to pigheaded determination to just go on - & that's not enuf.
.
.
.


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

wow, that really sucks...dementia patients can be extremely hard to manage, I dont think I could do it full time. Shame you arent in the UK, its pretty easy here to join local care agencies and pick up as many shifts as you want in the community and hospitals. I take it its alot different over there?
I hope you get a visit from the job fairy very soon!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
thanks, hun. If my fairy-DoGmother doesn't come thru soon, i'll fire the b*tch.
Just sayin. 
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Sounds stressful 

Have you considered doing something different?


----------



## Lexiedhb (Jun 9, 2011)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> .
> ay-yi-yi, am i sick of this job-hunting -
> My current client is worse, her dementia is progressing; she's now combative & slaps often, or (rarely) punches when she's frustrated. Because her care is more difficult, my hours were cut. I went from 5 days / 6 nights a week, to 3 days/ 3 nights a week.
> ...


Blimey I always thought you were a dog trainer/ walker/ boarder/ behaviourist or some such. I hope you find something soon.


----------



## MiffyMoo (Sep 15, 2015)

Lexiedhb said:


> Blimey I always thought you were a dog trainer/ walker/ boarder/ behaviourist or some such. I hope you find something soon.


Same here. Could you maybe look into doing that on the other 4 days? You have so much knowledge and experience that I'm sure people would line up to use you. Maybe get a website for yourself to advertise your skills etc


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

QUOTE, Lurcherlad:

Sounds stressful 
Have you considered doing something different?

/QUOTE
.
.
Name another occupation that I have the skill set for, which will provide a roof over my head,
& i'll jump on it, LOL.  I don't have 1st, last, & current RENT - 3-mos is about 3-grand up front.
Bummer, eh?
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

QUOTE, Lexiedhb:

Blimey - I always thought you were a dog trainer/ walker/ boarder/ behaviourist or some such.
I hope you find something soon.

/QUOTE
.
.
I've done all of those - but unfortunately, U need a fixed location to do any of them legally, as - even if U do the actual training / B-Mod at the client's home or at a public location, such as real-world training or B-Mod in parking lots, beaches, parks, along footpaths & bikeways, etc - U still need a fixed address for Ur BUSINESS RECORDS in order to get a biz-license issued.
.
.
I can't very well list my UPS-box as my business location, nor can I use my client's home address.
Plus i'd have to fork over over ~$500 for liability insurance, which I can hardly afford to do - even with food stamps, I spend more each week than I earn. Slowly but surely, I'm going flat broke.
-sigh-
.
I need a FULL-time, live-in PCA job - preferably with a client who isn't combative or verbally abusive, & who is willing to pay a living wage ... $15 /hr x 40-hrs per wk x 4.3 wks per month = 2,580 gross / mo x 12 mos = $30,960 / yr gross = $23,220 net per annum after Fed, state & local taxes, unemployment deductions, etc.
.
I'm haunting Care.com & RewardingWork.org - I even picked up a cash gig on Craigslist.
I'll be teaching a local woman to sew, using her machine - an electronic Brother sewing machine, as opposed to my own mechanical Singer, circa 1939 / 1942. We'll meet at her home weekly.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Had the 1st sewing lesson today, & i think we both had a blast - her ~2-YO twin girls nap from noon to 2, so we met @ 12:15 for 90-minutes.
.
She's got 3 or 4 projects going for the girls from scratch - patterns & yard goods - plus some re-sizing & hemming of purchased items for herself, & she has a wonderful treasure trove of fabrics - her hubby is from India, & they went there shortly after their marriage to meet his family. She brought back wonderful cottons, silks, dress fabrics, curtain material, shirting, etc.
.
Barring bizarre events or sudden changes, we'll meet again next Tues. I'm looking forward to it. 
.
.
.


----------



## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

Sounds like the sewing job is fun.

I sympathise having to deal with a dementia patient. My MIL had vascular dementia and could be violent when she didn't have her Meds.

I was in hospital last month with an inflamed gall bladder. There was a combative dementia patient on our ward. She kept us all awake one night shouting and arguing with the nurses. She punched one of them in the face. I told one of the nurses, if you want to smother her with a pillow I wouldn't tell. She didn't take me up on the offer. By 5am, I would have gladly done the deed for them.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
yeah - when she begins to rant, life gets very hard, really fast. 
.
I can cook & eat my breakfast in 20-mins flat, & 45-mins later, she's still complaining - _*loudly *_- about my "messing up HER kitchen", & "smelling up HER house", etc. It can make me yearn to pound my head against a wall, just so I can't hear the ranting.
.
There are moments when i really, really wish that humans had EAR-lids, not only EYE-lids. Sadly, we don't -- a significant design flaw, IMO. :wagging-finger:
.
.
.


----------



## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

I think I'll join you on the job hunt train. Don't know how much longer I can go on with this current job.

Although i'll be going from Domiciliary care to residential care, I think.

Glad the sewing lesson went well.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
some good news / some bad news.
The bummer: 
Agency CEO texted to say my primary client cancelled *all* of my shifts this wk - 
starting Thurs 8-pm thru Fri-AM, Fri-AM overnite into Sat, Sat-AM overnite into Sun, end 8-pm.
That hurts, $$-wise - it's also dam*ed inconvenient, as my groceries & clothes are there.
I brought only clothes for 3 days, & daily vitamins / fish-oil gummies for 3 days.
.
I'm going to be washing socks & shirts in the sink, tomorrow. :-\
.
Good news: the CEO felt sufficiently guilty to offer me other shifts, so I picked up 2 part-time cases.
One is doing *her* a favor - another PCA fell at home & broke her arm, i'll cover their client's in home
hours, from Fri 8-AM thru Sat, Sun, till 8-AM Monday. That's *tentative -* CEO didn't get back to me with
client approval for the staff change, it's pending. [Drabbit.]
It's just like her to keep me hanging, from 4:30 this afternoon overnite till tomorrow. Inconsiderate twit.
.
The 2nd is a 12-hr case at a rehab unit, 8-A to 8-PM, Wed 6/8 & W 6/15. That's set.
.
NOT working Thurs evening means extending my hotel stay by another night.  Not good.
That pending case needs to come thru.
Getting to work by 8-AM on Fri means a choice between walking 2 miles to the train station, or paying a cab to drive me & my luggage. Neither option is very attractive - the earliest bus to the station leaves the nearby plaza 10-mins AFTER the train pulls out, Arrgh.
I'm going to hoof it to the station tomorrow & time the trip, also confirm the route. We'll see.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
More changes - doggone CEO let me dangle till noon, then said the Fri / Sat / Sun into Mon-morning client had decided to cover for their broken-armed PCA themselves.  Waah!
Then she offered a case that wasn't reachable by public transit.  Jeez.
.
Finally, the agency RN said there was a new case, being discharged to home after an infection, expected on Saturday. It's a split shift, 7-days, 7:30 - 11:30 & 5:30 - 7:30. Can i do that?... Checked the transit, YES! - i can. Only 1 problem, Sunday mornings no transit. I asked about possibly covering a Sat night on-call shift at the nearby hospital or rehab, then I could easily get from there to the 7:30 shift... *or* if he has a sofa, maybe I could stay over Sat night?... & i'd be on-site for Sunday morning.
.
Amazingly, the Admin at the facility was thrilled to hear i was willing to stay over Sat into Sun. Wow.
They're even providing a cot!
.
He's had multiple strokes, has some short-term memory loss, needs some prompts for day to day tasks, & uses a wheelchair; pivot transfers, sponge-baths 5 days & showers 2x a week. Likes outdoor strolls, Happy Hr on Fridays, & travel chats. He uses a catheter, so I've had video-lessons on bag-changing & minimizing infection risks.
I start tomorrow @ 5-pm; I'll meet a female relative to introduce us & show me around.
.
If the weekend goes well, I'll have a new full-time case - my F dementia client will go to someone else.
Now I just have to figure out where to stay the other 6 nights of the week - I'll be looking for a house-share. 
Wish me luck?  - hopefully there's something nearby, to avoid long commutes. 7:30-AM is an early start time.
.
If i get the case full-time, I'll also have to fetch my things from the long-term case; after 11-mos, I've got tzatchkes, books, my sheets on the bed, & clothes in the closet, plus groceries - dry goods & chilled food.
I even invested in insulated blackout curtains, as the sun poured in thru the 1960s fiberglass curtains at 5-AM, & the traffic below was also howling by 5. They blocked over 99% of the light, & made a huge difference in the traffic-noise, too.
It won't take 10-mins to slip mine off the rods, & put the old curtains up.
.
Everything will have to be packed up & picked up - Craigslist will be my go-to for a van & driver.
I may have to pack on Tues, & move on Wed - I don't think I can do it in a few hours, between AM & PM shifts.
...
Yeah - it'll take me till 1:15 just to get there, & then I'd have to leave @ 3:25 to get back on time. 
Too tight; I'll need at least 2 days. Oy, vey.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Hah! - Eureka!... I can get there tomm in 1.25 hrs, & do some packing - plus take my used-books to the bookstore on the way to the new case.  *AND *i can pick up my pillow & sheets, do a load of laundry, & grab some groceries.
Good girl!... Get there before I start the new case, & i can get a decent start on the project.
.
Even if I have to return to the long-term case come next Thursday, I still need to start packing, turn in my used books for resale, & i'll need groceries for the 3-day weekend, which is my "tryout" schedule: Fr / St / Sn.
.
I'm so glad I thought of that - whew! *wipes brow* --- Next week would've been H***, if I'd tried to get everything done "between" my new AM & PM shifts, even over 2-days.
If i bust my butt tomorrow, I can pack & move the rest in 1 day next week, midday. My buddy & fellow-PCA, Tina, may be free to keep our client company next week, while I pack her car - I'll gladly pay her movers' rate to get my stuff shifted, & she knows the client well.
.
Of course, i still need to make it thru my trial period. Mustn't get ahead of myself.
All digits X'd...
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> .
> Hah! - Eureka!... I can get there tomm in 1.25 hrs, & do some packing - plus take my used-books to the bookstore on the way to the new case.  *AND *i can pick up my pillow & sheets, do a load of laundry, & grab some groceries.
> Good girl!... Get there before I start the new case, & i can get a decent start on the project.
> ...


Hope the move goes smoothly and the new client(s) are nice to work with and they turn out to be a long term contract.

Good luck also with the house share accommodation. I have no idea how easy that sort of thing is to get where you are. In the UK there are a few private rooms to let websites that seem to have a variety of options.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
It's been over a week on the new case, & going well; split shift is kinda bizarre, but hey, i get TIME OFF while there's daylight, yippee! 
.
On Thurs during my 6-hr break, i bought a cheap lunch [hummus & pita], then slogged over to Newton via MBTA [bus, Red Line, bus, bus, & cab for the final leg], & spent 2 solid hours packing - rehung the horrid old fiberglass curtains, brought the food from the freezer in its insulted bag, my large rollaway, & the insulated blackout curtains back with me to work; it co$t me $46 by cab, not including the tip. 

ATM i'm pretty tired; yesterday, Saturday, from 12:30-pm till 10:30-pm, i was either moving my stuff from the former client's home [packing the stuff or packing the filled boxes & bags into the SUV's cargo area, & my hired driver did NOT take the car seat out as promised, arrggghh...], , or shifting most of the load into my storage unit, or clocked in & working, or sorting & storing things away after i'd clocked-out.
.
Because he hadn't taken the seats out, i had to hold a large black plastic something on my lap, which turned out to be a portable TV; my bedside lamp, its glass shade, & 2 hand-blown glass squash [tall butternut & squat pumpkin] were in the wheel-well at my feet, & a water-hyacinth basket of books 8" x 15" stood on the console between us.
The prospect of being smacked in the face by the plastic whatever, 2-ft W x 10" deep by 18" tall, should the air bags go off, kept me alert - not to say somewhat apprehensive. My 19-YO driver seemed unworried by such mundane concerns, he had kindly offered to hold it on his OWN lap as he drove - which i hastily assured him was unnecessary, i'd hold it myself. 
.
Young men are scarily casual about such petty risks as driving a 1400# vehicle at 60-mph in steady traffic, with a portable TV on their laps, between them & the steering wheel - controlling the car with one hand, & holding the doohickey with the other; plus cargo, that's 300# of passengers & 450# of my stuff jammed into every crevice --- that's over a ton of mass, hurtling along while he steers with one elbow, adjusts the radio, sets the GPS, keeps the TV from slithering to the floor & jamming the gas or brake down to the floor, etc. _*Jeebus, Hairy, & JoBeth!... *_so I held the doggone thing & let him concentrate at least part of his attn on actually driving.
.
My Craigslist-driver repacked the stuff going with me into his car while I put the winter clothes, etc, in my storage unit inside the building [the immediate-use & store-for-now stuff got hopelessly jumbled, because the client's adult daughter kept bringing out random boxes & bags to "help" me - she was just anxious to speed the process - so we had to unload 2/3 of the sardine-packed car onto the loading dock at the storage building, & sort it onto 2 big lowboy carts, one to stay & one to go].
.
Then as pre-arranged, he drove me back to work; he lives in the next town over, which was sheer happy coincidence, less than 5-mi away. Blessedly, traffic was not awful & road destruction was minimal; i got back @ 5-pm, we unloaded the car onto the porch, out of the way & out of any weather, I took my chilled groceries directly in, & clocked in @ 5:30.
I even signed my driver in as a guest to use to gents' WC before he departed. 
.
My client went to bed at 8-pm, & i worked by low light, as quietly as possible - putting my dry goods in the cupboards. Since he eats exclusively in the facility dining room, the cupboards were empty except for 1 pkg of small paper plates & another of plastic 8-oz "glasses" - plenty of room for lentils, rice, cracker boxes, scone mix, spices & herbs, etc...
As i'll be there 7:30 to 11:30-am, then 5:30 - 7:30-pm or later, i'll eat all my meals there, & eating meals out regularly is just too bl**dy expen$ive for me. It'll be cook for myself or live on snack foods.
I got to bed at 10:30, pie-eyed with exhaustion & my legs twitching. That was 10 straight hours of constant motion.
I was up @ 6:45 to get my client up at 7:30 & into the dining room by 8.
.
It's nearly 4-pm, & my legs are still so tired, if i climb one flight of stairs within the next 12 to 24-hrs, my legs will simply disown me & stop responding to my brain.
_but it's DONE! --- _whoo-hoo! - I'm totally off the irritable dementia case, my stuff is all moved, I have a new FULL-TIME job, & i can stop hemorrhaging money. *big sigh* 
... and breathe. 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

That sounds like it was very hard work but glad you have found a much better and full time job.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
U 'n me both, Kitteh, i'm *very *glad to be FT again, i've been limping along on half-time since ?the 3rd week of March?, IIRC, & my never-robust checking acct was becoming a standing joke.
Also, the previous case was so isolating - alone for days on end with an elderly woman with dementia, only out for 2-hrs max, twice a week?... Yow. Going to the grocery-store was a major thrill.
Cabin fever was almost constant.
.
This facility has an active roster of things to do, which changes day to day. They go to a local pool [indoors] for exercise in the heated water, they have exercise classes on site, movies each nite, card games, bingo, walking groups, art classes, special food events [National Gingerbread Day, Wisconsin cheese tastings, fresh cider making...], there's a Lunch Bunch going to a different restaurant by van each Wed, they go on shopping excursions, short hikes, museum trips, to plays, walk the Mall indoors in winter, etc. The yoga group here is good; so is Strength & Balance.
I can ask the in-house RN to come see my client, & the visiting nurse comes by regularly. There's a pharmacist who delivers the weekly meds to each resident's room, every Thurs evening, so Qs can be asked directly - which is terrific.
.
It's not all on me, & i'm not alone - which is a good feeling.  Besides, the gardens are gorgeous, & the bird-feeders are a constant ebb & flow of changing activity - chipmunks, squirrels, many species of birds, & even a wild turkey hen who is a regular visitor.
AND... thank the Goddess, there's WiFi. Yay! /// The TV channel roster sucks, but that's a minor irritant.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Glad to hear you have some kind of order in your life again!

Sounds like it's been a total nightmare 

Hope the good times last!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
one of the things I had to do yest was disassemble & clean the parts of the 'frig that I used; take out the right-hand crisper drawer & clean it inside & out, plus beneath it, clean the glass bottom shelf, & wash out a small shallow bin.
.
With those nice & clean, the rest of the 'frig looked messy - so her daughter began washing the whole 'frig, one shelf or drawer @ a time. Immediately her mother was yelling, "Don't throw out my FOOD!...", _" **I** can do that!", _"leave my things alone!", etc.
.
Meanwhile, her daughter tried to placate her - "I'm just moving it, Mom, I'm not throwing anything away", "I'm just cleaning, it will all go back", "See, it's right here...", etc.
.
Listening to my ex-client argue, even with her ever-reassuring daughter, was an immediate & pointed reminder of how stressful that job had become, & how very, very thankful I am to be on a new case. Her dementia has become *so* much worse, since July-2015! - it's tough. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
well, i had 2 weeks of FT hours, got my 1st paycheck, & came in @ 7:30 next morning to find my client barely responsive, & he'd vomited blood.  Called 911, ambulance dispatched; meanwhile I hit the emergency button in the bathrm, no response. Pressed client's pendant; no response. I needed the medication list, inside the locked meds-drawer - no aide came.
.
Ambulance arr, preceded by police; could give them only minimal info, confirmed he was full code, history of stroke, indwelling catheter. They left; i put his soiled bedding in the washer, phoned agency CEO, phoned the niece, texted the agency RN; the house RN came down, I asked if she could please FAX the meds list to the hospital across the street, then walked to the ER & waited with him until his niece arrived.
After spending 20-mins with her & my sedated client [core temp 104'F], i had the nurse find his bottom sheet - EMTs used it as a sling to lift him off his bed onto the gurney for transport. I took it, bagged, back to wash, along with his PJ pants.
.
That was yesterday morning.
I spent the afternoon properly sorting & boxing the stuff I need to move into storage, & getting distracted updates from his niece.

.
THIS NEXT SECTION MAY BE *TMI* FOR SOME READERS - 
I had a normal BM with more fiber than usual @ 10:30 PM, & one or 2 drops of blood followed it.
This wasn't 'normal', but it wasn't unknown, either. Happens 1 to 4 times a year or so.
Went to bed; woke @ 2:30-am, went to the toilet, urinated, bled from rectum. ** A first.**
So i phoned for a cab & went to the ER; vitals, bloodwork, occult stool sample, a qt of saline IV, urinalysis; vitals in norm range, PTT low [clotting factor], mild dehydration, hematocrit low. Arr 3-AM; discharged 6:30 am, no sleep.
Have to see my primary-care, schedule an appt with a gastroenterologist, possible endoscopy.
.
Went to Alewife & caught the bus to Burlington; went to facility, boxed my stuff [already have permission to leave my food in the 'frig & in the cupboards]; driver arr @ 2-pm, we loaded the car, put it in storage.
I'm back at the cheap hotel i left @ 2:45-am, brain-dead for lack of sleep; i've eaten 3 bananas, 2 homemade choc-chip cookies, had 2 large mugs of coffee with milk.
I need to sleep. 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Oh LFL it sounds like you have had a very difficult and stressful time. Hope your client recovers well and quickly after your prompt action to get him to hospital.

The gastro problems don't sound nice. Hope they get to the bottom of it ( no pun intended) and you are back to full health soon.

Sleep well and take care of yourself.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Slept 5-hrs without a twitch, didn't roll over or move one limb; then i had to get up & pee, so rather than go back to bed & be awake pointlessly in the wee hrs, i thought i'd get up now for a few hours, & go back to bed at midnight. That will restore a sorta normal wake / sleep cycle.
.
There's another agency that specializes in live-in coverage; with a schedule of 2 weeks FT working hours, a week off, 2 weeks on, etc. If my current client is in hospital longer than a week, i'll apply to them - my pathetic checking-acct needs a cash transfusion.
Meantime, i'll ask our CEO if there are any 12-hr shifts available at the rehab, nearby, that i can cover. Pulling relief shifts isn't reliable income & the client can change daily, but at least i'd have -some- wages coming in. If i apply for unemployment, the agency will fight it.
.
There's also a house-share listed on Craigs, $125 / wk w/ Utilities included, no lease; i *don't* like the prospect of "no shared kitchen", the tenant is expected to use a mini-frig & microwave in the room, but i could try it for a week & see how it goes.
Assuming my current client recovers quickly, i could cook as i have been doing, in his kitchenette while he eats his meals in the dining-room, & have a more-affordable nightly bed than a cheap hotel.
I just need to be sure i can reach the 350 bus from that house-share - it's close to the facility, but not walkable, & i can't stretch to daily cab-fares, it would beggar me.
.
.
I'm very worried about my client; i haven't heard from his niece since 5-pm Sat, but i'm not going to bug her - i know she'll pass on any significant changes. Pray & worry is all i can do - which i'm sure is what she's doing, too.
.
He was literally _in extremis _on arrival at the hospital, at death's door - the 104'F fever was very dangerous, he could have seizures, which is partly why they sedated him. Another reason to sedate him was to keep him calm & pain-free, he's intubated & on a respirator; the tracheal tube can be very uncomfortable if U're awake, & U can't talk or eat while intubated.
The fever was probly a sequel to vomiting blood & aspirating some of the fluid - there's a small splotch in one lung.
He's on whopping antibiotics to knock down the pneumonia, which themselves aren't without risk.
If he throws a clot while sedated & supine, he could have another stroke with serious brain-injury. I might ask if i can do passive ROM while he's sedated - it can't hurt, & might help.
.
Tomorrow @ 8-am i'll phone my primary care MD to try & get an ASAP-appt - in fact, as i know it's vanishingly unlikely i'll get thru [Monday morning crash of calls], i'll phone the answering service tonite, & leave a message; that will actually reach her faster.
I also have to phone the GE, his number is on my discharge sheets - that's a huge help, i won't have to hunt thru a list of GEs & call multiple numbers, & i know he has hospital privs at Mount Auburn, so he's in the Cambridge area & reachable.
.
I would be thrilled to hear my client's off the respirator, awake & talking - there's no way to know if he has any loss of brain function until he can speak. Hope & pray...
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
my client is out of ICU, in a room of his own; no update from either niece, I phoned hosp.
I can phone his room tomm directly, altho it's likely he's still sedated & cannot answer.
.
I saw my primary-care Dr on Monday aft, she gave me referrals to a dermatologist & a cardio -
i have some petty details, & while i'm sidelined i'll take care of them. The cardio can't see me till July.
Blood drawn to confirm or update my PTT & CBC numbers. Hopefully clotting is back in the normal range;
they send their lab work to the local hosp, so no results yet.
[I can't get used to this, my -vet- had countertop bloodwork analysis; pop the vial in, push a button.
Why ship it via courier?... Seems weird. And _slow._]
Phys-asst is spozed to phone in the morning with lab results.
.
.
The GE was to see me *today* at 3:30-pm, his assistant phoned to cancel @ 1-pm; "emergency".
Frankly, i doubt it - but he re-scheduled for 11:30-am tomm, Wed. Meanwhile, I had a 3rd BM, very
minor bleeding, for the 3rd time, at 4-pm today. Since i'd been awake early & had too little sleep, i lay
down @ 4:30, woke @ 8-pm, got up & urinated, & again, minor rectal bleeding --- 3.5-hrs post-BM.
.
This is becoming nastily predictable.  I don't like it.
.
I'm spozed to meet my sewing-student on Thurs, 12:15-pm, at her house.
.
the agency offered me a 24-hr shift with a client i've worked with before, in a rehab facility.
Runs 8-AM Sunday to 8-AM Monday, on-call overnight, "U can't really sleep"; no mention of the legally
required 2-hr breaks after 8-hrs non-stop on duty, nor the required minimum 6-hrs sleep for the caregiver.
We're just supposed to be indomitable, & soldier on.
I'll have to pack 4 meals that I can eat on site, while my client is eating; probly sunseed butter, whole-grain
bread, & applesauce for lunch, pasta salad for dinner, 2 bananas & applesauce for breakfast.
.
.
.


----------



## AnimalzRock (Jul 2, 2014)

Blimey. I feel tired just reading through all that. I cannot even begin to imagine how YOU must feel. 

Thinking of you and hoping things are working out.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

All sounds very stressful. Hope you get all your health issues sorted and can get some regular work and settle somewhere long enough to catch your breath!

Fingers crossed it all comes together - take care x


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
the best-laid plans o' mice & men aft gang astray - & women's, too.
.
My 24-hr pending shift evaporated; instead, i got a 14-hr on call, overnight - Wed into Thurs, 6-pm to 8-am.
This client was discharged from the hospital Wed aft, he's on Coumadin / warfarin, & he'd had a whopping nose-bleed that wouldn't quit. :eek He came back wobbly, his balance was off, & he wasn't speaking well - more word salad than normal, & slurring - a new thing entirely.
He was also unable to steer his walker thru doorways, or get his own pants / briefs down for the toilet.
.
He had a restless nite, got me up 5X, the 1st time just 45-mins after going to bed; he'd used the toilet B4 getting PJs on & into bed, yet 45-mins later, stood beside the bed & pee'd uncontrollably.  Back to the toilet, more urine, strip, wash up, get a disposable bed-pad from the house RN [he had none, neither disp nor washable, as incontinence has not been an issue, B4] - she very kindly threw in 2 disp briefs as well, so he went back to bed with a pad under the fitted sheet, AND wearing disp briefs.
He wasn't sleeping soundly until after 6-AM, so i didn't wake him @ 7:30 for a sponge-bath & breakfast - i left him sleep. His dotter was inbound to spend the morning with him.
.
THeN i went to the hospital, visited my client, who is much improved [eating solid food, talking; been off the respirator since Sun night], took along moisturizer & gloves, rubbed his always-cold feet with lotion & we chatted.
The PICC RN was just leaving as i arrived, & the x-ray tech came as i'd just finished one foot - to do a chest film while he lay in bed. I stepped out, she did her thing, & when I returned, he was dozing. I did his other foot while he slept, & left.
.
The i returned to the cheap hotel where my luggage languished, packed, changed, & exited.
Went to my sewing lesson, had a great time playing with bloomers for her 2-YO twin girls, took myself out for a [cheap] rice-&-beans lunch, & returned to the facility for another 14-hr on call night. Tomorrow AM, the relief can't get here till 8:30 or 9, so it might become a 15-hr shift.
.
I'll be off on Sat, then have a 12-hr daytime shift on Sunday.
I fully intend to shock our agency RN by *requesting* the on-call overnights with this client, next week - since i can sleep in the lounge chair & be just 6-ft from the bedroom door, it's not hard time; I can't do AWAKE overnights, i know my limitations, but i'm a light sleeper, wake easily, go back to sleep quickly, & on-call nights, even multiple nights, are OK. [Not 7 in a row, but 3 nights, or even 5, on call, I can handle.]
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
It's Saturday morning - I pulled 2 back-to-back on call overnight shifts, 6-pm Th to 8-am Fri,
went to the hosp & visited my client briefly, spent 90-mins with my sewing buddy, had lunch,
returned to the facility, 6-pm Fri to 9-am Sat, client up 3X [me, too], got up @ 7:30 AM,
sponge-bath for client, help to dress, he shaved himself, meds given by floor aide [ 4 trips to
the nurses' station to get the assigned aide to get the heck over here & deliver the pills...],
& took him to the dng-rm for breakfast.
.
Before he went to bed @ 8, i fetched his clean dry things from the laundry, & put in a small load
of my own - there are 2 washers & 2 dryers per floor, & they're often busy. The overnite helper
very kindly left the clean dry things to the door, in my bag; I'd tagged the washer with the room-
number.
I was up with my client @ 3:30-am, so i checked BBC-World, saw the referendum results [saw
about half the returns come in before sleeping], & also that the pound had fallen to 1985 values.
Bl**dy H***.
.
I got myself coffee while client ate brkfst; then we went to the library, but today's papers hadn't
been delivered yet. So we leafed thru magazines. [_Reminisce_ for me, _Field & Stream_ for him.]
Relief arrived @ 9, I went to the clinic cafeteria across the street to eat, leaving my bags in the
office, went to the mall for WiFi, then to the grocery store; the facility is out of birdseed for the
feeders, their new fiscal budget starts July 1st & i can't see the birds on an austerity program
till then - so I bought 35# of seed, 2 [10#] bags of waste-free, & a 15# of premium blend.
Plus some food for me - too much to haul on the bus, i phoned a cab [$5].
.
Filled the feeders, stashed the bags in the dedicated barrel, got a cuppa decaf, sat in a rocker
on the porch. A pair of robins nesting in the Bradford pear saw a sharpshin hawk off, s/he was
in the pear tree eyeing their brood.
The alternate niece for my hospitalized client came by, he's to be discharged to rehab for about
a week, then he'll probly be on hospice care; he has multiple organ failure.  The infection/s did
one kind of damage, the high doses of potent antibiotics did the rest.
They had to stop the anti-Bs, as they were killing him.
When he's out of rehab & back home here, i'll be his FT carer.
.
My 24-hr shift with the F client in rehab is back on - when the agency thot my M client would be
discharged direct to hospice, they canceled her hrs, thinking I'd be caring for him by Sunday.
Now his return home is bumped back a week, so I'll be pulling pick-up shifts again.
.
Niece went in to choose clothes for rehab; i got my bags, caught the bus, sprung for a cab vs
walk the last mile with 80# of luggage [$10], & went to bed at 8-pm. Shut my cell's ringer off, &
damn if it didn't vibrate within 30-secs: agency RN, asking if i can cover a 12-hr, 7-am to 7-pm
shift at the rehab tomorrow?... texted no, thanks, & went to sleep.
Slept 8-pm to 7-am, only waking to pee. 29-hrs on duty in 2 days, with broken sleep, is a long
slog.
.
BTW, i heard what i'll earn on hospice duty: $10/hr for the 1st 40/wk, then $15. That's the new
state minimum wage, & standard 1.5 overtime - don't be impressed. [I'm not.] 
If not for the client, a truly sweet man, & his supportive family, i'd take a hike.
.
it's quarter past 10; i've slept 11 hrs, drank 2 cups of my instant decaf, using the mug Sara
gave me for XmaHanaSolsticeNukka & the microwave, ate 2 [bland, cheap] bagels from the
hotel's "free" breakfast with my own crm-chz & sunseed butter, & drank 8-oz prune juice.
.
I'm going to sort & re-pack my baggage, read my antique SciFi paperbacks, & go for a nice
walk in the conservation park, after 4-pm - when the 83'F high drops.
Tomorrow i must leave early for my shift cuz the bus stops early on Sundays; ETD 6:45 from
the station, plus a 15-min walk over, & time to buy a new weekly pass at the kiosk; call it 6-pm.
ETA at the rehab is 7:10, i'll have 45-mins to settle in & check with the aide going off shift, if
there are any new developments.
NOTE:
this lady has chronic edema & circulatory issues, yet the facility parked her with no *footrests*
on her chair & her legs dangling for several hrs, last week - damn lucky she didn't throw a clot,
or have necrotic toes! -- WTH were they thinking?!
She's very short, & her legs would never touch the ground for self-propelling. Arsewipes, the
lot of them, 'cuz anyone who saw her with her compression stockings & puffy ankles should
IMMEDIATELY have told the RN on duty, who should have put footrests -raised- so her legs
are elevated, horizontal, on her chair. Jeebus. >:-{
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> .
> It's Saturday morning - I pulled 2 back-to-back on call overnight shifts, 6-pm Th to 8-am Fri,
> went to the hosp & visited my client briefly, spent 90-mins with my sewing buddy, had lunch,
> ...


Phew that sounds like a busy and tiring few days. Glad your hospitalised client will be out of hospital and into your care soon but not good about their prognosis and the poor pay. :-(


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
The latest body-blows from Fate's fist:
* my M client was indeed sent to rehab from the hospital, where they decided he's too weak to return to
assisted-living, *even for hospice care*; he's going to a nursing home. That ends my hope of a FT client.
 to say nothing of literally missing him, & how sad I am over this headlong decline.
.
* I spent this morning packing my dry-goods out of the cupboards, & emptying the refrigerator.
The chilled food is here, in my cheap hotel-rm; the kitchen stuff is back in storage... again.
.
* I paid my driver $40 for helping to load & unload, plus drive: from the facility to a used-book store, then
to the storage unit, then to the hotel. I dropped off 2 bags of books for possible resale; have to pick up
the leftovers tomorrow.
.
* I'm below $500 in my checking-acct. I'll be paid on Fri the 1st. I'm dropping $102 / nite to stay here.
That's $90 + tax, every night --- TEN HOURS WORK for 1 night's stay, but that's not the whole story -
$10 per hr is my gross; I only have $7.50 / hr, once taxes are deducted. So 10-hrs = $75 net.
I'd have to work TWELVE HOURS to net $100; 1 nite's shelter = 1.5 days wages.
U can easily see that i'm hemorrhaging money, & can't afford to continue this - hotels are not tenable.
.
* Public shelters are packed, & only allow 1 suitcase per person; they rarely have beds available.
Most have waiting lists. I'd be sleeping on the street.
Controlled-rent housing, ditto - waiting lists, usually 2 to 3-years waiting for a space.
.
* If i were an immigrant, i could get help; mother of minor children? - they'd pay my hotel bill.
Drug addict? - i'd be in treatment, housed & fed. Elderly with no income? - there's help.
Military veteran? - there's help.
I'm under retirement age, native-born, female, no military service, & too old to have minor kids.
I'm on my own.
.
* CEO texted me @ 6:33 pm today, to ask if I could work "until noon Friday", there's a live-in job that's
"not working out with the aide". I replied in under 10-mins, said i'd B there tomorrow morning, & asked
for a street address to check transit directions, she texted back that the aide would "finish the week out",
& thanked me for my "prompt reply". Gee, thanks. 
When i asked if that live-in job was filled, as my [planned] client is going to a nursing home, & will not be
needing me, she said 'yes'. *If they were caught so short that they needed an emergency fill-in, how*
*did they line up a new aide to fill the hours so quickly?*
I've been waiting since mid-March, when my FT live-in went from 6-nites / 5 days to 3-nites / 3 days per
week, for another FT, live-in position. _*It's July; i've waited 3 & a half months.*_ I've been patient - back
in mid-March, I had $5k in my checking-acct.
Think about that: 90% of what i had then, has evaporated. I'm one step away from a cliff's edge.
.
* I need a new job.
I need an agency, or an employer, that pays me what my experience & qualifications are worth - not
minimum wage. I need full-time, & i want union scale. $15 / hr for basic PCA, $17 & up for more complex
care, weekend & holiday differential, & some benefits, like 401K deductions with a 7% matching contribu-
tion from my employer, paid sick days, annual vacation [a week after 6-mos, 2-weeks after a year], & so
on.
I'm not asking for the moon & stars, just a real job with real pay, & real benefits. Is that so much?
I'm frustrated & discouraged.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
BTW, the daytime Mgr of the hotel must think i'm bl**dy stoopid.
.
The Eastern-European 20-somethings who took over the entire middle of the hotel are gone,
the group left on Monday morning - I checked in on Monday night, & i'm further from the front
of house than i've ever been before. The middle of the building is #20, the last room is 44.
The WiFi base unit is in the office, up front; I can't log on in my current room, frequently the
hotel's network isn't even scannable. [IOW, the *name* doesn't even appear on the list.]
.
We had a rainstorm last night that was gone this morning; when i asked AGAIN to move closer
to the front of the hotel, she told me - again! - that she has "only 1 maid on today", & can't clean
another room for me - plus, AGAIN!, "all the rooms that are cleaned are reserved".
_*And she claimed that the poor signal strength was "because of the weather".*_ See, it's not
cable, it's "satellite". IOW, she's claiming their WiFi is from a dish antenna on the roof. __???_
.
The drop in signal bandwidth is visible on my laptop, from the front of the bldg [easy to access]
to the middle [do-able, but slippery] to the rear [forget it]. I told the night clerk about my problem,
& that I think it's because the hotel owner was too dam* cheap to put a repeater in the middle of
the bldg, to boost the WiFi signal; turns out there is one, but the network in the back half uses a
different name.
I logged onto Option 2, no problems... So much for "satellite" WiFi & the "bad weather" excuse,
& the 'bad weather' had departed hours earlier when she made that claim, anyway.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

A dreadful situation for you. It must be very stressful living that way.

Have you looked for a job in other sectors? I know you have qualifications and experience in your preferred sector, but maybe there is something suitable elsewhere?

What about staying at a friend's for a while to take a bit of pressure off the finances?

We have a similar issue here in the UK whereby hardworking people who need a bit of assistance when times get difficult are left to cope on their own. 

I hope you can get settled soon.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

That's a shocking situation. I really hope fate deals you a much better hand soon.

A friend of mine is in a similar situation here in the UK. Not qualifying for any state help, homeless, not yet retirement age, turned away from shelters as doesn't meet criteria yet has paid taxes all her life. So currently she is stayingvwith me until she can get work and afford accommodation.

I really hope things improve for you soon LFL. :-(


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I just moved to Mass [from a brief, catastrophic stay in Ohio] back in July 2012.
I don't have any of the long-term friendships that might put me up, even if i paid rent on a sublet room in their home.
I've been scrambling for work ever since i arrived, & working in private homes doesn't lend itself to meeting & greeting many ppl, other than the client. 
.
*July 2008:*
I'd been trapped in Tidewater-VA since moving there in July-1998, & the 2008 Great Recession meant not only was i facing ageism [lots of military bases, hordes of mil-spouses willing to work for "nothing" - as in, commission only for months on end, zero benefits, no health insurance, & minimum wage], but due to the pressure of mil-personnel, their spouses & kids, rents are very high there.
.
I couldn't get decent wages from the very start, due to direct competition from mil-spouses for any job & their willingness to work for "pin money", as the mil-spouse has benefits AND decent wages --- so I had no savings to cushion me, rent ate it all.
In Sept-2006, I began caring for my mother FT, & cashed out my 401-K to do it, as it was unpaid.
I lived off the leftovers of my 401-K till July-2009, when my mother died at age 92.
That meant i had to move out of the apt we'd shared, & into a $675 / mo 1-bedroom in Norfolk - the 2nd floor of a 1920s small family house, split by floors into 2 apts, one up, 1 down, & I had an exterior staircase. The street flooded 4 times in 4 years, 2 hurricanes & 2 nor'easters. 
My $800 garden-shed was flooded 3-ft deep, twice; i lost a lot. 
.
About 3-wks after Mum's death, i had a ferocious allergic reaction, & spent the next 3-years getting over it - no one could give me a diagnosis, & I had no med-insurance whatever. I had to use my inheritance to pay my bills - rent, food, medical, utilities, everything.
For almost a year, I had to sleep in a motorized lounge-chair so I could breathe. If i lay down on a bed, even with multiple pillows, my throat & sinuses would swell shut - & my face would go up like a balloon, ears treble in size & turn deep pink, etc.
.
After the 2008 crash, if U were over 25 to 30-YO, employers simply didn't want to look at U, period.
They had thousands of 20-somethings married to Hampton area military to choose from - why bother hiring an oldie, for Gawd's sake? They're gonna die, or quit, or not work as hard as younger emps, or ____ .
.
But how the H*** do U prove age discrimination? - I'd phone about an opening, explain my experience, enthusiastically be told to come in & interview, arrive, they'd take one look, & say, _"We just filled that position, I'm so sorry..." _with a frozen smile & never meeting my eyes. A-huh - U filled it in just 90-mins, while I traveled from Mudd Pond via the bus, & U never thought to phone my cell & cancel the interview? ---
Then they'd ask me to "fill out a full application, we'll keep it on file..." - Yeah, sure. And never call me, after I labor over 9 pages of BS. The "app on file" was a consolation prize for being sufficiently a sucker to come in. 
.
Or i'd interview over the phone, everything was wonderful, they'd e-mail a PDF app, & something on it - school history, past work records, somethin' - would put a 'production date' on me, & they'd go cold.
It was maddening. I had to get out of the state, & soon.
.
Then Mum died, i moved, got sick... & exhausted every dime of my inheritance keeping myself fed, housed, & going to Drs.
 In Aug-2011, i was mostly recovered, but still had to be careful of exposure to certain triggers - humid heat, chemicals, aerosols, certain foods. [EX: high salicylate foods, such as ginger root, water chestnut, etc].
Whenever a reaction happened, i had to go to the ER & they'd give me steroids - then taper very slowly off them, over 14 to 21 days. It was sheer H***.
.
I was doing pick-up jobs & scraping by - I was living on cash, & trying to avoid eviction. I'd sold practically everything of any value - the cherry corner china hutch from my grandmother, collectible lighted porcelain houses for Xmas, a matched set of Middle Eastern rugs in 4 sizes, my leather trench coat...
.
I saw a job opening for a LIVE-IN as a partner with a dog trainer in Ohio, in April of 2012.
She was a PPG member, wanted to do nothing ut basic obedience, beginning agility, showmanship, etc; she wanted someone else to do all the B-Mod & work with the weird cases, aggro, sep-anx, marking issues, reactivity, everything.
She needed someone to stay home & care for livestock & other animals while she went to dog-shows with her LGDs, often from Thurs to Sun night, & her hubby had a traveling job - he was not available to help, often he left on Sunday aft & didn't get back til l Friday night.
Plus she needed to replace the inadequate 3-ft high fencing - her M Anatolians were approx 31-inches at the shoulder & could practically step over it, the landlord had promised to replace it months ago, & was foot-dragging.
.
It seemed perfect - B-Mod is my forte, i know livestock, i can fix & install fencing, I'm not afraid of fix-it jobs, I can run a garden & can, prep, etc.
I sent her all my past exp, got references, personal & professional, & she dawdled & waffled.
Finally, in JUNE, she e-mailed that "U have the job". I gave notice to my landlord, it cost me $1200 to get out of my $675 lease, plus he took my garden shed in the balance; I sold, gave away, & trashed everything I wasn't taking along in an 8 x 12 cube.
.
My stained-glass hanging lamp, 8-ft tall lined polished cotton-chintz drapes with a padded header [custom, from a Va Beach million-dollar home on the water, bought off Craigslist], my 2.5-cu-ft microwave, S/S pans, portable dishwasher, 1960s ranch-mink stole, collectible plates, Xmas ornaments, all sold via Craigslist.
.
I jammed everything that would come along later in the 8x12 storage pod, filled 2 50# suitcases for the trip via Amtrak & bus, with clothes & shoes, underwear, dog gear, books, posters, clickers, biz-cards, DAP, etc.
I packed a shoulder-bag with toiletries, Rx, 1st-Aid, reading material for the trip, & an insulated bag with food.
.
The day I was to leave, they didn't show up to pick up my pod!...
To be continued ---
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Got up @ 6-am, caught the 6:55 bus, worked 8-AM to 8-PM, got back to the cheap hotel @ 9:30-pm,
& thank Goddess, i'm off tomorrow. Doggone tired.
10-pm, i'm for bed - good night.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Hope things start going your way soon.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
things better start _"going my way" _dam*ed soon, cuz i'm outta time & money.
.
I've got less than $200-USD in my acct; every night is $102-odd minimum, & over the July 4th "holiday", the daytime-Mgr unilaterally pushed the daily rate up by $10 for 6 days - Th, Fr, St, Sn, Mn, & Tues -- which became $114 / day & some change, after tax & fees.
6 days x $15 = $90 extra.
.
I won't be paid till the 17th, Friday after next; I can't pay my storage fee, due yesterday [$150] 
- that adds a $25 late fee, the 1st in YEARS. [Last time was 2012.]
.
I will be sleeping on the street tomorrow, unless something breaks - NOW.
.
I have a phone interview this afternoon, 5 pending apps for live-in jobs on Care.com that as usual were not even acknowledged with a grunt from the recipient, & 4 phone-calls made re jobs on Craigslist medical listings.
That's 10 pending - & no-one has spoken to me, yet. AARRRRGGGHH.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Disastrous news this morning - 9-am local on Friday:
my only recurring scheduled client, the 24-hr shift Sun 8-pm / overnite / Mon 8-pm, had a stroke. 
She's in the hospital, no update since. Obv, this is a possible catastrophe for her, since even a 'mild' stroke is bad news, but it's also catastrophic for me - & while she may recover, i'm not sure that i will. I'm out of TIME.
.
.
I phoned public shelters today; every shelter not stuffed with ppl plus a waiting list to get in, was MEN ONLY.
There's no shelter space for women.
.
.
To add to my delight, _*slavery is alive & well in the USA. *_Just become a caregiver.
Below is an actual CraigsList ad from the Boston area.
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PASTED COPY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
*Live In Caregiver Needed*
*.*
compensation: room and board

Seeking:
Female, live-in, non-smoking, English speaking, caregiver with experience for elderly female/male.
5 days on- 24 hr care, 2 days off. Long term preferred.

Compensation:
Free Rent
Quiet environment in single family home

We provide:
1 Private bedroom
1 Shared bathroom

Qualifications:
Must be mature (over 25), compassionate, caring, enjoy the elderly and have good communication skills.
2 years experience in elder care, prefer previous home care experience
Verifiable work related references
Clear background check
Valid drivers license and insurance, own transportation

Must reply with resume & references for consideration

do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers
post id: **********

posted: 2016-05-31 7:18pm
updated: 2016-06-29 11:33am

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
.
Didja notice that U're spozed to be working 24/ 7 for 5 days?
Didja also notice theres no mention of WAGES, just "room & board" as compensation?
.
How the H*** do U buy fuel for that required car without WAGES?... "Room & board" won't go in the tank. How do U pay bills, such as mobile phone, or where do U stay the other 2 days of the week, & how do U pay for that?... What about INSURANCE for that required car? - that takes actual money, not 'room & board'.
How about parking fees, maintenance on the car, groceries / food / drink not consumed from the household cupboards or 'frig on the days U are "off" enjoying Ur 48-hrs of freedom from demands of care? - 
Who pays the co-pay on Rx or Dr's visits? - What about bridge & turnpike tolls? Oil changes? Brake pads? new tires & balancing thereof? Flats & repairs? Snow tires?...
What about clothing? Laundry soap? Toiletries?
.
When do U sleep during those 24 / 7 working shifts for 5 days straight?
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
something *finally *broke right today - i found a room for rent that I can get for $290 for 4 days,
vs $410 at the hotel..
That gets me thru Thursday morning; my only scheduled shift is 12-hrs on the 16th / overnight / 17th.
12-hrs @ 10/hr = 120 for the period from W 7/9 to Monday the 18th.
.
I have at least 10 applications out; 2 have already been refused, the rest have disappeared without any reply whatever, yes, no, or go to H***. Typical - still, frustrating. 
.
I met my sewing-student on Friday, we cut out a linen A-line dress for one of her girls.
I'm still hunting gigs for cash, tho most call for skills & / or tools i don't have [a car, van, construction equip, being between 20 & 30-YO, etc]. There are plenty of cattle-calls for casting extras in films, but even such uncredited short jobs require an agent & professionally-done head shots.
.
I got a loan of $600 from the agency CEO, but just realized her $200-per-pay repayment plan will leave me without money to pay my bills - if my calc is correct, i'll only net $405 this payday, which would leave me $205 to survive on till July 29.
I'll have to ask her to please make it $100, at least THIS week - as i'm so pitifully underemployed [ignoring the 'underpaid' part of the equation].
.
Wish me luck - Goddess knows, trying, working, hunting have not saved me.
.
.
.


----------



## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Sounds like you've landed a great job, do you just have the one client ?

Sorry posted too soon. What a nightmare, I do hope you can get sorted out without having to sell yourself into slavery !


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Keeping everything crossed for you that you get some good news and a long term / permanent job soon.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I checked out of the "cheap" hotel at 11-am today, but must kill time B4 my 3-pm check-in at an AirBnB home stay, & my luggage is cruising around with my mover-helper.
I have my shoulder-bag & laptop with me; my box of dry foods, 2 suitcases, insulated bag of freezer food, etc, are in his car.
.
I'm at a Starbucks, & just applied to 2 more FT live-in positions on Care.com - no resume', just a query & brief note.
Neither gave any details of the clients' needs - if they use a wheelchair / walker, have any dietary quirks [diabetes, etc], just "need help for Mom / Dad" - light housekeeping, meal prep, companionship, meds reminders.
Unfortunately, both jobs list the schedule as 24 / 7 - all day, every night, all week.
Caregivers need lives, too - to say nothing of at least 2 nights each week of unbroken sleep, *not* on call.
.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> .
> I checked out of the "cheap" hotel at 11-am today, but must kill time B4 my 3-pm check-in at an AirBnB home stay, & my luggage is cruising around with my mover-helper.
> I have my shoulder-bag & laptop with me; my box of dry foods, 2 suitcases, insulated bag of freezer food, etc, are in his car.
> ...


,


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Sorry, LfL, I accidentally quoted you above. I tried to start a conversation with you 2 days ago, not sure if you got the message, perhaps I haven't posted often enough yet.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Some developments:
sent out a flurry of apps, got 3 turn-downs, 11 have sunk into the sea without a trace.
.
Had ONE thrilling cold-call from my on-line resume' [only the 2nd ever, in 4-years!...], but today it turned out they don't want a live-in - however, it was a real inquiry, not a phishing scam.
.
My sewing-student can't meet me Thurs, which is good - i screwed up, listed my Dr's appt as the 24th, it's the 14th.
So we'll meet on Friday @ 12:15 for 90-mins.
.
At noon today, the agency-RN asked if i'd cover for an aide who must go home & take care of personal biz -
it's only 3 days / 3 nights, but hey, it's a bed & wages. It's in Lynnfield, so i have to pay my Craigs driver $30 each way - there's no public transit, there.  The GOOD news is that he said yes, he'll deliver me & fetch me back! :-D
.
trick is, i don't know where he'll fetch me back **to**... I don't know what i'll have left after the CEO's deduction this Friday, nor do i know if my AirBnB is available next week - or if i can afford it, if it is. Too many Qs. I'm going to drink some cold coffee [it's 86'F & no AC here] & try to relax for a few minutes.
Stress, stress, stress...
Fri = 15th, next payday would B 29th. Goddess, that's a long way off.
.
Tomm is Wed, Member-appreciation day @ my food co-op. I'll go shopping - thank God for food-stamps.
Special tomm, I'll get an extra 10% off.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
sad update:
at 2-pm, the agency-RN texted to say my hospitalized client, the lady who'd had a stroke,
died this morning - her son had just passed the message along. I'm so glad i went to see her
yesterday - she couldn't talk, intubated & sedated, but when i talked to her, her eyelids fluttered
& her mouth moved. I think she knew i was there.
I waited over an hour for her family to return, played peek-a-boo with a 15-MO boy in the CCU waiting
rm with my 36-inch rainbow umbrella, but they didn't get back B4 i left.
I'd brought a get-well card for her, & a condolence card for her daughter - I've never met her son,
so I didn't feel comfortable leaving a card for him, & didn't get one.
.
She was a sweet lady - i'll miss her, she loved to tease the wait-staff & get them to lean down, so she
could kiss their cheeks. I'm glad i got to say good-night to her.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
At 5-pm yest, the agency-Rn texted to let me know the CEO had taken *away* the 12-hr overnite,
Sat 8-pm to Sun 8-am, 'cuz "I'd be getting OT with the 3-day live-in", which is paid hourly 'cuz the client's
sleeping schedule is so erratic, U have to catch a nap when U can.
OMG, shock, horror! - I'd get OT pay!... so what?
For every $10 I earn, they get SIXTEEN - or more, depending on complexity of care. $16 [for the agency] is minimum.
.
In the 3 quarters prior to my layoff on Dec 1st, 2014, working FT for this agency, i earned $7k-USD -
so they got $10.5k-USD from MY work, for 3 quarters straight. I do the work - they get the money. I've generated plenty of income, & even more goodwill thru my own work as a living rep for their firm, than they frankly deserve.
.
As soon as she told me, I phoned the office, but of course the CEO had left already - SHE doesn't work 12-hr or 24-hr shifts, she comes in at 9 & leaves between 4 & 5. And don't forget, she just returned from a 3-week paid vacay to Italy. Life is rough, ya know?
.
The office phone had an outgoing recording that "the number U called is incorrect" - huh?
There'd been no e-mail to say the office phone# had changed; I called the CEO's cell-phone & left a mssg, explaining i'd tried to reach her @ the office, no way to leave a mssg, & was calling to ask her to PLEASE let me keep that 12-hr shift - that i desperately need the money, i've been slowly dying since mid-March on half-time pay, & i really need any income i can get.
I also pointed out that with no spouse, i have no other income to support me thru skinny times - i'm It.
.
Then i capped it by asking that she please take only $100 from my pay this week [the 15th], so I can still pay my bills & not accrue $25 to $30 late-fees which will only make it harder to pay them off.
Finally, i texted the RN to say i'd left a mssg on the CEO's mobile, & asked abt the odd recording on the office phone - she assured me it was just that "Comcast is down", & she'd prompt our leader about my message.
.
They conferred overnite, 'cuz the RN texted me at 8-am to say that they wouldn't be taking the 12-hr shift "b/c I'm good to them, & they appreciate it" - they should. I get them lots of brownie-points with client families.
She said nothing about the repayment amount, I expect that won't be lowered. :-( I'll just deal, as best i can - too bad i didn't think of how few hours i'd have / how small my gross would be, when I asked about the loan! 20/20 hindsight.
.
Last night was rough, with no AC - i was awake @ 3-am, too hot to sleep, & had to borrow the lvg-rm floor-fan [which i disassembled & cleaned, yesterday] from the living-rm, & open all 4 windows & both French doors, thus ensuring that at 5-am the street noises would wake me - i'm on the ground-floor.
FINALLY got to sleep abt 4:15, after the street-cleaning machines whined & rumbled thru, woke @ 1/4 to 6, staggered to the toilet B4 the rest of the household woke [there are 5 or 6 adults here, & 1 bathroom], & back to sleep till 7:30. // Yesterday was "only" 86'F, vs today is expected to hit 92 with stickier humidity. I dread to think what the night will be like, & tomorrow is my Cardio consult - oy.
.
.
.


----------



## Jonescat (Feb 5, 2012)

Gosh L4L. I do hope you come throught this in one piece, sounds very testing. Fingers crossed here for you.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I did get an offer from our Fearless Leader @ 11-am, of a PT live-in in Lexington, but it's just Fri-noon to Mon-noon, which still leaves me hanging from Monday midday to Friday midday - & besides, drabbit, i've already SERVED every dam*ed weekend since July-2015 with no "weekend rate" or any acknowledgement whatever that having no life is a sacrifice on my part.
.
Normal employers pay more for wkends & holidays, not only to compensate workers for giving up their social time but to make it more attractive so that ppl WANT to work wkends or holidays; i know several RNs who work wkends & holidays only, as the higher pay means they work fewer hrs but earn a decent wage.
.
Our darling CEO only pays more when compelled by law - Federally recognized legal holidays, such as Memorial Day, T-day, July 4th, etc. And every time one of those came along, where there was a risk i might actually make $15 / hr, OMG!, the client's daughter would let me know that my services weren't required - usually 12 to 20-hrs ahead, altho the agency *requires* 24-hr notice.
Not once did our CEO ever ask her to pay an extra hour - let alone the day's wages, 8 to 12-hrs, due me for short notice.
.
I'll talk to our RN tomorrow abt the case, but I want at least 5-days / wk, not 3 - & if they can't find me a 5-day/ wk job, then I'm looking elsewhere. I'll take it short-term, but not as a "permanent position" [from the CEO's subject line, on her e-mail offer].
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
. 
Gosh, it's just 4-pm, & i'm yawning! - short night, lots of interruptions.
.
Anyway, i meant to note that i scored a happy surprise today - there was a farmers' market in full swing just a few doors down the street, & they offered to MATCH food stamps, so I got $20 of food for $10 - plus of course, it's lovely fresh veg / fruit, & a beautiful loaf of seeded whole-grain bread.
Very serendipitous. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Lots of changes -
had to check out today [incoming couple], but my very-helpful host let me leave my gear in the basement, so i can go unencumbered to my Cardio-appt, then I'll shift my stuff to my 1-night stay, a mile off, this afternoon.
My Dr's appt is at 3-pm, so I won't get back before 4:30 at best. I feel guilty abt leaving my chilled food in the 'frig, but mine host assured me if he needs the space, he'll stick it in my insulated bag himself.
.
Last night after 9-pm, the CEO texted to ask if i can cover a 3-day for a PCA who's getting an appendectomy -
Fri 9-am to Sun 9-am. I said i could, but the last leg's problematic, a 15-min walk with all my gear. She said she'd Uber me - cool! 
.
Then this morning I phoned the RN to talk abt a possible long-term case [3-day wkend], & instead i discovered the 3-day was extended to MONDAY MORNING - I was going to leave the better part of my gear here, & come back for it via public-transit, then my Craigs-driver would schlep me & all gear to Lynnfield.
To do the Mon-AM bit, i'd have to go direct from case #1 to case 2; i can't do a week's stay with my small rollaway, i wasn't even going to take shampoo, for the Fri/ Sun shift! - So... hold on to yer hats, the CEO is going to Uber me from Somerville to Winchester tomm, then again from Win to Lynnfield. This is unprecedented.
.
I'm going to take EVERYthing to the 3-day, the sheer volume will probly stun the resident caregiver who's going off shift, but she'll get over it, LOL. And... i won't be paying my Craigs-driver $60 for the round-trip, i'll be splitting the Uber cost.
I don't know how i'm getting back yet, & they're still hammering out exact times for Case #2, so details aren't set, but i know how i'm getting there, & when i'll start.
.
.
.


----------



## Guest (Jul 14, 2016)

Leashed, are you still in MA?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
yep, Boston metro.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Thursday: 
today was a day from H***, the best I can say is that it's over; i had to find another BnB, reserve it, re-pack my stuff b/c i'm NOT taking only my small rollaway, I stripped my bed & washed / dried / re-made it, 'cuz my host was so nice & he had to leave at 10-AM to get to work with new guests coming at 2 -
I left @ 11, went to Starbucks & worked on-line, put another job-app in, left @ 1-pm on the Red Line for my 2:50-pm appt in Stoneham, plenty of time to get there & eat my bagged lunch in the Dr's waiting rm - & then things went utterly wrong.
.
I switched to the Orange line @ downtown Xing, proceeded to Malden Center, & was to catch the 99 bus to the "Medical Center".
I was one of 2 ppl on board, & when the other passenger got off at a large building, the driver said this was the last stop. Taking him at his word, I got off. Google maps told me to exit the driveway & follow the road to the right, where another road would come down at an angle to join it - but when I got there, there were no street signs. I asked a man walking his dog if this was Woodland rd, & he said 'I think so...', so I continued on.
A private road then intersected with "Murray Hill", the road I was on - & then I knew i was not where I should be. I phoned the Cardio office & the receptionist said I should be just a short distance away, that the building where i'd been dropped off was my destination, & I walked back - frustrated, hot, & lost. As i approached from the rear, i could see that half the windows were covered by plywood, & many uncovered windows were cracked clear across; mattresses & shelving were propped against windows. This building was abandoned - panels of cyclone fence mounted in discs of concrete surrounded it.
It wasn't a functioning building, it was a derelict.
[NOTE: the former 'Malden Hospital']
.
Behind & above it was a nursing home - & across the street, a good distance down the winding road, was another office building. I went there - it had Hallmark Health on it, my PCP's group, but when I went in, no Dr of the name i was to see was on the ground-floor window list, or on the elevator signage.
I had a bad feeling. I went into the ground floor office & asked for the street address, to discover that i was on Sevin Road - & in Malden still, not Stoneham. Per Google maps, i was 45-mins on foot from my destination. 
.
I phoned the Cardio office once again, my 4th call - it was now 2:50-pm, my actual appt time.
I'd have arrived at 2:10, *if* i'd been delivered where i was spozed to be... where i'd been told i was, by the bus-driver.
For an obnoxious cherry on my cake, my cell-phone battery was dying. [It was fully-charged when i left this morning.] All those calls, plus Maps.
.
I told her where i was, & almost burst into tears of frustration & anxiety - this was just too much, on top of everything else. Then i called a cab, & spent $12 to get to the correct complex - the bl**dy cabbie even when PAST the 1st driveway [to the correct building] in order to keep the meter running, entered the 3rd drive over a quarter-mile down the road, & pulled up at the 3rd [not the 1st] ginormous bldg, leaving me with 4 acres of parking lots to cross, uphill, & 6 or 8 flights of steps to climb. [He didn't get a tip.] The complex is on 3 huge terraces, & he delivered me at the foot of them.
When i got into the building, there was a 4th floor office with the Dr's name... but only THREE buttons in the elevator. I exited on the 3rd floor, too upset to even question this latest stoopidity.
.
I went to the nearest office, & asked the Bright Young Thing where i could find 4** - "oh, EVERYbody asks that!  Go down the hall, past the cross-hall, to the brass elevators, & up one floor. It's another 3rd down the building, on the left..."
So i retraced over half the length of this city-block-long building that i'd walked the entire length of, in 90' heat, to reach the main entry door - but inside, along a dingy corridor with scruffy carpet, & blessedly with AC.
.
When i arrived at the correct office, & told the receptionist my name, my eyes filled with tears; I was an emotional wreck. Being lost in an unfamiliar area, miles from my destination, & feeling both trapped & helpless was just too much.
There were 3 ppl already in the room, & i asked the receptionist to see everyone else 1st, while I ate my lunch & tried to recover my balance; I hadn't eaten since 8-AM, it's 3:15, maybe a meal will help. I went to the ladies', washed my hands & splashed my tear-streaked face, & unwrapped my lunch. After I ate, the nurse called me in, took vitals, & did an EKG; then the cardiologist went over the EKG, saw my kidney values, urinalysis, & other data, & said he doubted very much that I had "fixed hypertension" - so there's nothing to address with meds, despite 2-years of increasingly pushy doom-N-gloom from my PCP.
.
He said i should continue to track my BP with my wrist monitor, & if it trended upward or began to show 140 or over frequently rather than rarely / under stress, I should come back - in any case, return in 6-mos. Meanwhile, continue to limit salt, try to get more exercise, & slowly peeling some wt off would all be good.
Given the state i was in emotionally, i thought the 128 / 78 BP reading was astonishing.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

WOW L4L, what a dreadful day! No wonder you have blood pressure issues!

Have you got some work for next week and accommodation arranged?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

QUOTE, Lurcherlad:

WOW L4L, what a dreadful day! No wonder you have blood pressure issues!

/QUOTE
.
.
actually, i don't, LOL - at least per the cardiologist.  If U spoke to my GP, she'd have U convinced that I *ought to be* on BP-meds urgently now, & should've been taking anti-hypertensives by her lights 18-mos ago... but per the Cardio, I have no organ issues [esp'ly kidney] revealing any underlying hypertension, & even a cardiac ultrasound would be a bit overeager.
.
My primary-care keeps warning me about the possibility of a stroke, but generally my readings are in the 130 to 138 range, over 65 to 80. However, like everyone else, my BP rises under stress - & unfortunately, medical settings, even an exam room, let alone the ER or Urgent Care, stress me out, 'cuz Docs have this long-standing history of giving me things to make me better, that prove to cause completely new, often serious issues.
I had my 1st ADR [adverse drug-reaction] at 10-YO, so it's been a while.
.
There is just nothing like being assured that "I give this to 12-YOs, no problem...", & 2-days later, after my 2nd dose of ONE post-surgery pain pill on a full stomach [after dinner / before bed], i'm going to the Emergency Room at 11-PM to be seen, due to a drug reaction. Actual event, 2-weeks after a car accident in 1984 -
my badly-broken nose was reassembled in outpatient surgery, I came out with lead-buttons & S/S sutures to keep the bones in place while they healed, I took TWO of the "every-6-hrs" pain-Rx singly, 24-hrs apart, just at night... so I could sleep - & after pill #2, i was back in the ER.
.
It's not the fault of doctors, nor is there a conspiracy by the AMA to make my life difficult - my body doesn't handle meds well, low doses are better than high, & minimal meds is best policy. If there's a side-effect, i'll have it - usually in spades; if there's more than one, i may have 3 or 4.
So i actively look for PREVENTIVES or alternative Tx - safe herbs, supplements, simple remedies like a humidifier for my dry sinuses - vs standard "just take a pill" medical Tx.
.
.
QUOTE, Lurcherlad:

Have you got some work for next week & accommodation arranged?

/QUOTE
.
.
Actually, after BEGGING the CEO to let me keep the 12-hr shift Sat-nite / Sun-morn, I now have 10-days straight - the 1st 3 days i'm covering for a PCA who needed an appendectomy, so today is my 3rd day with a 100-YO lady.
.
I left the "BnB dump" at 8-AM after a long, mizrable night, waking 5 times to re-start that dam*ed fan between 10-pm & 6-am - obviously, the 2-hr setting doesn't last 2-hours, cuz i'd wake sweating to a stuffy room, even tho both windows were wide-open at the top & I had the fan sitting ON the 'dresser' to give it some height, so it could move the warm air out the upper windows more effectively as it swept back & forth.
It was 67'F outside, & at least 80 inside.
My Uber driver got lost on the way to the client's house, & i had to enter the address in my own cell-phone & use G-maps for the last 3rd - her Navigator tried to send us into a big fenced cemetery, Woodland Cemetery, which has NO exit except the main gate, where U enter.
.
I arrived at a house that couldn't have been more different from the one i'd left - clean, comfy, with cookware!, food in the 'frig, friendly ppl vs anonymous directives taped to the wall.
The outgoing PCA gave me a great tour, showed where everything is, introduced me to the client, & left. She assured me the client walks to the toilet with a walker, just needs help to stand from sitting, & rarely has any mobility issues EXCEPT her toes turn inward, & she can trip over her own foot - watch her feet. Got it, OK.
She also told me the client's family is wonderful - affectionate, supportive, visit almost daily & *every *weekend. Plus - oh, be still, my heart! - I get a cash stipend to buy delivery food... and there's a sheaf of local restaurant menus, all of 'em deliver. Wow! I tell PCA Lisa i haven't had good Italian in ages - she pulls out Toscano's Italian Kitchen, & tells me they're the best.
.
2-hrs later, on our 1st trip to the toilet, the client rounds the bed-corner & abruptly falls sideways, ONTo the bed, but she's sliding inexorably toward the floor. I know i can't grab anywhere, her skin is like wet tissue-paper & tears instantly, even mild pressure will cause it to split & slip. I put both hands under her bum & heft sideways, putting her on the bed in fetal position with her head ton the right & her back to me.
I brought the walker to the left side of the bed, shifted her further from the foot so she wouldn't fall, sat her upright, she got up with help, & we walked to the toilet. She claimed "that hadn't happened in MONTHS!...", & was very upset, but i wondered how safe it was to let her walk unsupported by a gait-belt.
.
She had 9 separate bouts of nausea between 2:15 m & 8 that night, all associated with gas - if she could burp, it eased. By 9:30 when she went to bed, I was wiped out; she woke me @ midnite to go to the toilet, & when she stood up from it, she simply slid down to the floor - I kept her from falling, but not from sinking. She already had bandages on her knees, & her LEFT knee had 2, separated by a few inches of free skin - her knee flexed & stretched the skin, & it split like an over-ripe fruit.
Blood began dribbling down her shin - meanwhile, she's nearly hysterical, calling frantically for her 60-YO son, who lives here, & is asleep upstairs.
I knew [he told his mother] he has to leave before 6-am, & i have no confidence in his ability to help me get her up, so after i bandage the split & get 2 pillows to support her, i phone 911. I tell them it's just to help her up, no siren - she's back in bed with no added injuries at 1-am. The EMTs were great. 
.
Since then, every transfer has been a full-wt pivot, me hoisting her & setting her down. So far, 'only' one new injury: a skin tear that rolled up like a window-blind, on her L shin, after she bumped the attachments for the footrest. Ow!
.
.
.


----------



## Guest (Jul 17, 2016)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> .
> yep, Boston metro.
> .
> ...


Any chance of heading further west? You're in the priciest part of an already very expensive state. 
I know the Amherst area has a lot of retired and aging folks with a definite need for in-home care, and I think it's probably cheaper too isn't it?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

QUOTE, ouesi:

Any chance of heading further west? You're in the priciest part of an already very expensive state.
...

/QUOTE
.
.
Moving costs money, too - it cost me approx $800 in July-2012 to move from VA to Ohio, then to Mass, by Amtrak & bus - including a $100 CraigsList shared ride from Columbus, Ohio to Philthy, PA. That was moving myself, 2 (50-pound) rollaway suitcases, & a shoulder bag with my laptop & food.
That doesn't include the $1200 it cost me to terminate my VA apt-lease, nor the $1,000 it cost to move my POD from Virginia to MA in April of 2013, nor the $80/mo storage fees while it sat in VA from July to April. Moving house isn't cheap.

Logistically, I don't have a car to stuff my things into, & shift myself and them to another region of the state. Plus I need access to the T, to get around. The metro area has excellent public-transit, which saves me a bundle in travel costs - paying a cab is hemorrhaging money, just as lethal as hotel costs.
.
I don't know Amherst, but there are plenty of potential clients anywhere, elderly or not - it's a matter of finding them, or them finding me, not simply what part of the state i'm in. There are 20-something folks disabled by trauma, or living with congenital issues - clients can be any age; not all my clients have been 75-YO & up, i've had kids under-5 in my care, too.
.
CraigsList Boston frequently runs ads for PCAs to help disabled working-folks, who need help by 5-AM to get on their way to work - but they don't want live-ins, & i can't *Get Anywhere* by 5-am using public transport, either. Boston transit shuts down around midnight, & doesn't resume till 6-am.
.
Right now, i have local assets:
* an agency that underpays & underemploys me, but i've worked for them since April 2014 - nobody would continue to use a PCA that long who didn't show up reliably & perform creditably.
* local knowledge: what is where, that I need.
* a Primary Care Dr who knows my med-history
* my food co-op membership, saves me $$ every week
* 10 or 12 Farmers' Markets, each weekly, most of them will match food-stamps dollar for dollar [spend $10 & get $20 worth]: Somerville, Charlestown, Central Sq, Watertown, Arlington... Newton has 2 each week [Tues & Sat]... all accessible by T.
* acquaintances if not deep friendships that give me a social network
* a transit system that i know well, which can get me within 15 to 30-mins walk of most places in the Metro area
.
Even if i could afford to simply move to another theoretically "cheaper" town, how would I replace them? - how long would it take to establish anything similar in a new place? Where would i stay, buy affordable food, who would i work for, while i'm re-integrating myself in a completely-new setting?
.
Metro-Boston has the biggest popn in the state, so there are plenty of potential clients; CONNECTING is the issue.
I'm listing myself with 2 other agencies, so if my current bosses don't get me consistent FT hours soon, i'll be entertaining other offers.
.
ADDED:
Looked at the map, Amherst is north of Springfield, which is hours west of Boston *by car*; Springfield does have public transit, also a high unemployment rate - i've been there, our chorus competes there each spring. 1/3rd of downtown commercial space is either boarded up & ready to be demolished, or vacant & up for lease.
Springfield has local bus-service, but a dime will get U a dollar that Amherst has nothing - except maybe a local taxi Co. It's a small town in an Ag area.
.
.
.


----------



## Guest (Jul 18, 2016)

leashedForLife said:


> QUOTE, ouesi:
> 
> Any chance of heading further west? You're in the priciest part of an already very expensive state.
> ...
> ...


It was just a thought


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
posting from my mobile--phone, this'll B interesting - every time i strike a key, the whole screen scrolls, & to use anything other than the alphabet, i need to HOLD the shift or function key WHILE clicking the character.
.
.
this client is M, has dementia & an *indwelling catheter**, & sleeps days / wanders endlessly nights.
.
EDIT:
Agency-RN said urinary catheter, it's not - urostomy = externalizing bladder to empty into a bag on the abdomen.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
this is my 1st real break since i arrived @ 9:30 mon-am, he's out w/ his dotter for a mani-pedi of his long nails.
.
nights R erratic, he sleeps with his curtains & blinds tightly closed so he never knows whether it's night or day -
his bio-clock is messed up by his dementia, but worse, he drinks caffeine day & night.
i don't think she was aware he was drinking coffee @ night, the other aide just makes a 14-cup pot & leaves it sit; the client helps himself.
.
.
hopefully she'll pick-up ground decaf while they're out, i asked for it yest-AM & she 'forgot'.
He drank 4 [12-oz] mugs drg the "day" betw 5:30-pm when he got up, & 10:30-pm when i went to bed; then he had 2 more overnite, went to bed abt 1-AM, & again roamed in the wee hrs, & slept till 5-pm.
I'd say 6 x 12 = 72-oz of coffee can B a big contributor to his out-of-synch sleep / wake patterns.
.
.
Being a light sleeper, his restless nights R hard - I can't sleep thru his wanderings, i wake / sleep over & over.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
What a morning! - i'm up @ 7:30, as Comcast will come this morning to fix the WiFi issue;
client awakened @ 8:30-am, his urostomy bag had leaked. Both of us are confused, he was up past 3:30-am & had less than 4-hrs sleep [i got up to pee @ half past 3, & he was still watching TV in the lvg-rm].
Get him changed to dry PJs, set him up in lvg-rm lounge chair [where he claims he can't sleep, tho he's slept in it every aft / evening since I arrived], & washed his wet bed linens & PJs; contacted dotter @ work, asked her to phone visiting RN to come repair the problem - I'm not trained or cleared on this.
.
Naturally, Comcast tech arrives in the middle of this tangle; thank God, he fixed the TV in 'my' room & re-set the network name / password, I CAN GET ON-LINE! - hurrah!
He's done & gone by 11, but client is still wandering around, looks exhausted, wants to endlessly rehearse how terrible this is, insists he can't sleep in chair. // Re-make his damp bed / mattress with 2 bed-protectors, 1 face-down to wick the damp mattress, 1 face-up in case of spills, & wait for Visiting RN. Bless her, she's here @ 1:30-pm & fixes the problem; either the client [strong suspicion on my part] TOOK OFF his high-capacity leg bag, or the regular RN forget to put it on [IMO, extremely doubtful - it wasn't there after she left, yet his leg-bag mysteriously appeared on his night-stand several hrs after her departure].
.
She's done & gone, & client is still up - insists he "doesn't want to sleep in the daytime", wants to talk about how terrible it all is - lived too long, woke up wet, how'd this happen, etc. He's already said all this & more; he needs SLEEP. I try to explain that he's been up @ night & slept days for years, & in any case, today he simply needs to sleep - now - but he's obsessing & won't hear of it.
Reasoning with a dementia client is pointless - i'm just trying to reassure him, but it's not working. Give up, turn off lvg-rm TV, turn off the light in his room & draw his curtains, retreat to 'my' bedroom, close the door, & lock it. (He's been known to pocket a knife & threaten the aide with it, so all the knives are hidden in my room; he's an ex-Marine & former boxer, who will threaten to knock yer lights out if U argue with him.)
If i'm not out there, he can't chat with me & avoid sleeping; he'll sleep wherever he sits / lies down. I'll go back out abt 6-pm & get his lunch / my dinner ready - he's had his AM pills & a small meal, there's a cup of DECAF coffee on the TV-table by his lounge chair, & a half-sandwich beside it, if he gets hungry.
.
.
It's wonderful to be re-connected to the world; I must arrange for [cheap] lodging for this Sun-nite thru Thurs-nite, when I start a new position - the agency intends this to be a long-term client for me, BUT it's only Fri-noon to Mon-noon. That's 3 nites shelter out of 7 per week; I need 5 days / nights per week minimum, plus I need to leave my things in place for my return, not constantly pack-out & pack-in.
I'll work the new 3-day job for the time being, while I keep right on hunting for long-term, full-time, live-in jobs, via other agencies or thru direct hire. I'm sending out apps for every suitable job, & now have apps filed with 4 other agencies; 1 does nothing but live-in staffing, it's their specialty.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

It sounds very hard and stressful looking after your current client. Dementia is such a horrible disease.

Hoping you get a permanent long term live in with a client who is a pleasure to work with soon.

I really hope that when and if the time comes that my dad needs live in care that he will find someone as caring and dedicated as you to look after him LFL. You deserve so much better for all your hard work, care and professionalism.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Drabbit.  
The agency-RN dropped a bombshell on me this morning, after i'd gone to bed @ midnite, been disturbed @ 12:30-am, & then gotten up for the day @ 5:30-am by the client... just to add to my enjoyment, my new "permanent" job starts SATURDAY, not 'Friday', & I must extend my BnB stay by 1 night - if i can! =:-O
To make my life a little worse, my new "permanent" job hasn't even begun yet, & it's already been shortchanged from 3-nights & 3 days / week to 2 nites & 2 days / wk; even if my only bill was the $35 i pay for my mobile-phone, no other bills whatever, i won't earn *nearly-*enuf to pay for shelter for myself on the other FIVE nights / wk.
.
The 4 nites i originally booked & paid for co$t me 1/4th of my current checking-act balance. The added nite is another $70 - i'm in Chelsea, across the river from Boston [cheaper]. I spent another $40 getting myself & my gear from the 1-week job to here; if my hostess refuses to extend my stay, i'll have to schlep everything to another place... & spend more $$.
I already sent the change-request in, & texted my hostess, too - Lord, i hope she says yes. This is ridiculous, the job was proposed on the 17th & scheduled on the 20th.
Plus, the RN said that i can "negotiate" the hours of my new live-in job with the primary-PCA. Huh?-- WTH does that mean?! If i ask for 5 days & 5 nights/wk, will i get the M-F shift, & the other PCA will cover Sat/Sun only? -- I very-much doubt it!
They've always given me a schedule set in concrete, before - this is the day U start, this is the time U start, this is the day the shift ends, this is what time U clock-out. It hasn't been 'negotiated'. It's been by fiat. The work-schedule might as well be a royal decree; there's never been any give-&-take discussion about it!
.
_I've worked for this agency since April-2013, & this is the 1st-time anyone has put 'weekly schedule' & 'negotiate' in the same sentence. >.< It's 5-pm, i've been up since 5:30-am, & i'm going to take a nap, & hope this makes more sense when i wake up._
_._
_._
_._


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
thank heaven, my hostess allowed the extension, bless her - 
& i slept like the dead from 5-pm till 8, & woke much refreshed. I'm still short of sleep, but feel -so- much better.
.
The client actually asked me on Sunday nite if i wanted to stay on as his caregiver, rather than leave when the other PCA came back; i didn't have the heart to tell him that a month of caring for him would see me even-more demented than he is, due to lack of sleep, frequent nighttime interruptions, lost REM sleep, sheer frustration from being asked the same question 10 or more times in an hour or less, & similar.
I tried to be tactful, & said i wouldn't feel right about taking Mo's job - i was only here to give him a break. The client's feelings were hurt - of course, i was supposed to jump at the chance to be his caregiver & companion, right? It's such a fun job -- & he was sulky for the rest of the night, till i went to bed [& he stayed up, natch].
.
I'm still tired - it's 11 -pm, & i'm going right back to bed, made with MY lovely Tencel sheets, & with MY nice pillows [one 100% NZ wool-filled with an organic cotton cover, a clearance item from Overstock.com, the other a vegetable-foam memory foam I bought at Bed/Bath/Beyond, a $60 pillow that i got for $20 as it was a customer-return on clearance, plus i used a 20% off coupon - both of them covered by nice smooth high-thread-count cotton pillowcases, also mine].
Lugging my stuff around is a PITA, but sleeping in a silky-smooth bed with good pillows is a Godsend.
Good night... 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Slept from 11:30 to 7:30, had breakfast with the family kitty [he ate the remainder of his wet-food, i ate Raisin-Bran that i'd brought with me], & I'm job-hunting on the Web - again / still / whatever.
Despite assurances from the past 3 clients & the male PCA whose place i filled for a week, I have not received *any* written references - the sole exception was the 100-YO lady, who dictated hers while i wrote it, then signed it herself. I'm bummed - i need REFERENCES for applications, drabbit.
.
Everybody says what a great job i did, but no-one backs it up with references or real money -
even the CEO & agency RN tell me i'm a great employee & a good rep for their company's reliability, they're sending me on another 1st-time contract to a facility tomorrow & the nurse said they're sending 'reliable, experienced' PCAs [that would be me & the M aide] - but do they PROVE my worth with a raise? -- H***, no.
I get the same min-wage as everyone else [with the exception of RNs & LPNs, who do get a higher rate].
.
I'm feeling very under-appreciated & frustrated; i can't send out apps with no references attached, & the RN wouldn't give me one, either --- in Dec-2014 when I asked her to post one on my Care.com profile after they laid me off & gave my 5-day/wk case to the 2-day / wk relief aide [b/c she had a 4-wheel-drive SUV, & the DIL wanted the client, her MIL, to be delivered door to door from her condo to the DIL's Maine farm - the farm with the 1.5-mile dirt driveway, where the MIL hadn't visited in over a year], she said i'd had "too many health problems of my own to be considered reliable' -
that was BEFORE i worked 6 nites & 5 days each week for the same client, from July of last year to mid-March of this year, & never missed a shift; i was *late* exactly ONCE, due to traffic on Mass Pike. The bus was sitting in the jam, stop & crawl traffic; i texted the other aide to ask her to hang on till i got there, which she did, & I was 10-mins late.
.
Ironically, that was after the client's daughter complained that i'd come "too early" b/c I came by at 6-pm to get some rest upstairs before my 8-pm shift began, i'd had an interrupted night [a transformer blew on the power lines down the street, they replaced it at 3-AM & kept the whole street awake for hours].
If her sole complaint in 8-mos was that i once arrived 'too early', & she kept me on the job half-time for another 3 months before *I* left that job for a FT position, i must have been pretty reliable.
.
I'm going to poke the RN for a reference - again. Surely she can't use the excuse that i'm not reliable / i'm sickly, after a 10 1/2 month run with a single client, where i didn't get so much as a COLD, in all that time?...
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
BTW, my 'health problems' were uncontrollable nosebleeds due to living in homes with forced hot-air heat, & no humidifier - 
I provided my own humidifier & fixed half the problem, schlepping it along to each client's home with the rest of my gear, then had my left nostril cauterized back in April in the ER after yet-another bleed, ON A MONDAY WHEN I WAS OFF WORK, returned to work on Thurs as usual, & *hopefully* those nosebleeds are a thing of the past.
.
The nosebleeds were caused by yet-another Rx side-effect:
a low-dose steroid spray prescribed by my allergist during that horrible 24-mos of misery after a severe allergic reaction in July 2009, & the spray - used to reduce the swelling shut of my nostrils, kinda key for breathing! - THINNED THE SKIN inside my nose. 
.
Blaming me for health-issues caused by Rx side-effects, compounded by bad household habits of our clients, is a bit silly - it's not as if i have any control over medication side-FX from drugs prescribed for me, nor can i *require* our clients buy a well-made humidifier [ultrasonic, UV-light sterilized water stream, etc], & use it whenever the heat is on.
.
Doctors & allergists have been telling the public for *decades* that a humidifier reduces the number of URIs, colds, flu cases, helps asthma, reduces allergens in the air indoors, & so on - most ppl can't be arsed to buy one, or if they buy one, they go cheap & it doesn't do the job. Then they conclude, brilliantly, that humidifiers are a waste of time & effort, & their cheap unit becomes just another dust-collector in a closet.
 *sigh*
.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Reminds me of the joke, "I decided to get rid of my vacuum cleaner, it was just collecting dust" 
Boom Tish!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
It's 10-pm local, tomorrow's an early morning - i'm one of the 2 'reliable, experienced' aides meeting a client at 8:30-am, which means i must leave the BnB by 7:30-am, so i'm getting up @ 6-am.
And remember, we have to get it right - this is our agency's 1st entry at this facility, & we must make a good impression. I'm off to bed.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
i didn't sleep well last nite, sheer tension kept me awake; got up @ 6-am, tho, & was on time @ the facility - the client was already on the van, the M aide was someone i hadn't met before. It was immediately apparent why 2 aides were needed, he has Parkinson's & is curled forward in his wheelchair with his chin almost touching his chest; his legs are *very* long, & they're contracting - they make sharp, odd angles. Thank God, he's not fat - or transfers might be impossible without a Hoyer lift.
.
We have to transfer him from wheelchair to eye-exam chair in an itty-bitty exam room, crowded with a massive eye-exam machine & a PC terminal for med-files / results / appts- it's awkward, but we do it well, he's in good position, well-back in the chair & supported. U'd think we'd rehearsed this.
Then it's back to the wheelchair, down the hall to another waiting-room, a 2nd Dr, another transfer to an exam chair; back to the wheelchair, turn in paperwork, phone the driver of the facility van [he gave me his cell# when he dropped us off].
There's a Keurig coffeemaker in the waiting-rm, & while the client is in the exam chair, we wait outside & I have a decaf with my bialy & cream-cheese [brought along, plus a S/S spreader]. I don't get to know PCA John very well, he's not chatty & spends most of his waiting time playing games on his mobile - but it's OK, we work well together, & that's quite enuf.
.
After the 2nd exam is over & he's back in his chair again, the client's wife - who came to meet him there - is full of compliments, as is Dr #2 - apparently, last year's appt was a bit of a nightmare. The client's wife says she's going to phone the facility-director & tell him how very good we were. [The agency-RN should be thrilled to hear this.]
While we're turning in paperwork to the receptionist, I give my e-addy & mailing-address to the client's wife, & tell her i'd really appreciate a personal reference. She assures me she'll be happy to send one - I can only hope she follows thru, as I don't have her contact-info.
The van-driver says he's 5 to 10-mins out when i call, so the timing is great - we get outside, wait in the shade, & he's there in 2-mins. The client comments on what a glorious day it is, warm & bright, with a nice breeze - he enjoys being outside, even for such a short time.
We're back at the facility by 11:15, & i roll the client's chair into the lobby while the driver parks the van. I sign us in/ out, say good-bye, & go to check out the garden that his wife spoke about, where residents can plant & tend. It's a nice space, in-ground beds on 3 sides with a mix of perennials & annuals, & 3 raised beds on the pavers, with vegies, herbs, & onions planted. There are 2 large inkberry plants, volunteers, i'm sure - the seeds probly arrived with a bird; the larger is shoulder-high on me [i'm 5'8"]. Their berries are still green, but when they ripen, they'll be a nearly-black purple.
I tell the CNA sitting with a resident on a bench, how nice the garden is, & also mention they might want to pull the inkberry plants before the fruit ripens, as they're very toxic. [Nightshade family, related to eggplant, tomato, etc - i don't mention this bit, she won't remember it.] Any residents with dementia, or visiting children, or anyone who didn't know they're poisonous, might eat them.
She tells me she'll pass it along, & we chat a few minutes more, then i leave.
I catch the 111 & i'm back downtown, where it feels 10-degrees hotter; heat rolls off the pavement like waves buffeting me. Even my 36-inch double-canopy umbrella isn't sufficient protection, since the heat comes from below as much as above.
.
I take the T from Back Bay to Haymarket, debark, & go to Faneuil Hall / Boston Public Market. I treat myself to homemade ice-cream [black raspberrry / choc-chip], sit down to eat it with my S/S spoon, then roam the hall & buy potatoes, onions, bell peppers, a hunk of good hand-made cheese, & salad greens. Everything here is locally grown; i use my food-stamps, & get Bounty Bucks [$20 for $10].
My eyelids are drooping, & i get back to the BnB by bus; no humans are home, the kitty is thrilled to see me. I get down the life-size toy mouse with the electronic chirp that i bought him yesterday, & he happily bats it, carries, & kills it.
I put his food [wet & dry] on the counter, out of the [fat] dog's reach, & drag myself upstairs. I lie down in the delightful AC, & i'm gone.
.
To be continued...
.
.


----------



## Jonescat (Feb 5, 2012)

Hope the trend upwards continues....I so want you to have a happy chapter


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Last night was another foray into the bizarre.
The weird began when, natch, i'd fallen asleep - i groggily awaken to realize my phone's buzzing, CEO's text, she's upset abt something, urgently wants me to PHONE her. (Direct convo with the CEO is rare; i've spoken to her live maybe 8 times?, & i've worked for this agency since Apr-2012. She's one-half of Mgmt, there's only the 2 of them, but the RN is the person we minions talk to.)
I try to wake my brain up while scrolling thru contacts for her mobile #. When i reach her, she's audibly anxious - asks if i can start TONITE or tomm-AM in Lexington, there's some kinda crisis. I don't tell her this will cost me an extra 2 or 3 nites' money at the BnB, which i've pre-paid; i say i'll text my usual Craigs-driver, & ask if he's available. // He is - i ask if 7 or 7:30 ETD is poss, he says OK. [it's 5:40 now.]
I text the CEO, tell her i can start betw 8 & 9 - she sez she's got 1 more phone-call to make, to the dotter; then she'll have all the details. I promise to stay alert for texts; 20-mins later, she texts me to say it's all off, i start Sat / noon, the current aide turns out to be undocumented & moreover arrived illegally - but the family love him so much, they're hiring him privately.
*Her panic was over the potential legal problems for the agency - they didn't vet him properly, & found out after they'd employed him as an aide, with a family who'd signed a contract with the agency, that he's [in Trump's terms] an "illegal alien". *Now that the agency no longer employs him, she doesn't care. Crisis over.
.
She doesn't SAY this, of course - she sez she's "sorry for putting me thru this", & thanks me for being so flexible. But at the end of the exchange, i've still got just 2 days work in the next 7. Gee, thanks.
And i still have to text my driver & explain it's all cancelled, & is he still OK with Saturday?... [thank God, yes.].
.
So i'll be making dinner for my host family Thursday [i offered], & my 3 nites stay won't be forfeited $$. I go back to sleep, thankful that, for the moment, the drama's over. Except, of course, for the lingering issue of my homelessness, the low pay, & my chronic under-employment since mid-March. Oy.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
OK - i got the full backstory on the other aide yesterday, via the agency-RN. It's a doozy.
.
10-days ago, the RN swung by to do an on-site check, make sure everything was going well, talk to the client in person at home, & see for herself how standards were being maintained. She was shocked when she arrived to discover that the person they'd HIRED was not there - a complete stranger was in his place.
.
The *hired *person, i'll call him Steve [not his name] is a CNA - Certified Nursing Assistant - born in the US, with a clear criminal-background check. The RN met him at the office, when he came in to tender an application in person; he supplied a state-issued ID, credentials, & references. [Massachusetts driver's license, CNA license, written refs.]
.
The "aide" that she met on site, I'll call him John, is an illegal entrant who arrived without the formality of Customs & a stamped passport; he came from Africa, i've no idea how. [I'd guess a multi-stage trip, & probly Puerto Rico or the Bahamas were the last stopover. Privately-owned boats make the crossing regularly.]
Apparently CNA-Steve sold his identity to fake-aide John, who's worked in his place for months. The fake-aide has no credentials, no references, no background check whatever [clear or a past criminal history?... nobody knows], no documents.
.
The agency nurse tried for 2-days to reach CNA-Steve, multiple text & phone messages, & no response. She contacted the state CNA registry & was told that allowing someone to impersonate U as a nursing professional is a felony; she reported CNA-Steve to the police, & after the POLICE contacted him, he phoned her, begging her to drop the complaint. [She told him it was too late for that - it was already filed, & the facts hadn't changed.]
.
Interjection:
the RN didn't tell me these bits; they're from my own understanding of legal / Soc-Sec / tax issues connected to these messy cases, so any errors are mine.
Steve's CNA-license will have already been suspended, pending the outcome of a state-court hearing; if he actually did what he's alleged to have done, he'll never be able to work in healthcare again. // CNA-Steve may have Social Security deductions that were credited to HIS account, thru fake-aide John's labor; if so, it will all be deducted from his work history, & his SS acct will be painstakingly scrutinized for any other instances of skimming work-credits from other ppl's actual labor.
His past tax-filings will also be examined minutely. 
.
.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
fake-aide John gets along well with the immediate family [client, client's wife, 2 adult daughters, 1 SIL]; they empathize with his situation. He does the job well-enuf; Steve presumably told him /showed him the tasks to be done & how to do them, before he began his impersonation.
The client's wife, in particular, does not want John punished for trying to earn a living. They'll pay an immigration lawyer to clear up his documentation issues; until that's completed, they'll hire & pay him privately, & deduct his local, state, Federal taxes, Soc-Sec, etc, themselves.
.
fake-aide John has an aunt living nearby, & stays with her on his days off - or at least, that's what he's told the family. I've no idea what's fact & what's fantasy, at this point. It will be interesting to see how this goes on...
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
The 25th to the 30th, I had a delightful stay with Maria & her family; their house is unfortunately sited right beside the huge double-deck Charlestown overpass. The rumble of trucks & roar of traffic was deafening, while i waited on her porch - she took her lunchtime late, to run back & open the house for me. Thank God, once we entered & shut the door, the noise was a low deep thrum, & i could ignore it. [Except in the bathroom - directly over the front door & facing the freeway, the open window brought the rattle & roar right in.]
The house is Edwardian, with narrow stairs, high steps, & shallow treads, some pie-shaped - potentially lethal with luggage, especially my 34" high rollaway. The stairs from the foyer to the 2nd-floor were bad-enuf, LOL, but the skinny steps from the 2nd-floor to the 2 bedrooms on the 3rd seemed more like a ladder than a staircase; this was once the attic, up under the eaves.
.
The 3rd-floor bedroom doors face one another across a tiny landing; an Indian grad-student currently occupies one. Directly ahead, one steep step up, is a short, skinny hall that ends in a standard-width window; this stub is used as overflow storage. When i arrived, a 1950s-era TV-side-table ran the full width of the 'hall', & the landing was stifling - the bare window was shut, in full sun, plus all the heat rising from the 2nd-floor had gathered there.
.
I turned the AC window-unit on as soon as i entered the room, which was even-hotter than the 90'F outdoors - the room is generous, with a queen bed & a twin, plus a very-deep walk-in closet behind an old tongue-&-groove door with a strap iron latch. The closet & right side of the room share a steeply-pitched ceiling, as the roof slopes to the rain-gutters. The left side of the room has a high ceiling; the beds' headboards are against the left wall, & a bedside lamp sits on a mini-bureau between them.
.
The floor is 1950s linoleum, the bedspreads [matching] are WalMart, none of the furniture matches -- the desk was once a narrow kitchen table or a hall table, it's varnished pine; the desk chair is a cheap fabric-over-foam model on casters; the twin bed has turned dowels & was once varnished, it's been spray-painted white; the queen bed has a slat frame; the cheap fiberboard wardrobe has a white-on-white patterned polyester curtain on a bare gold-tone rod to hide the hanging clothes space, & drawers that stick & squeak; the mini-bureau is painted pine with fiberboard bottoms in the 3 narrow drawers.
It's clean, it's reasonably quiet - the AC's loud hum masks the freeway - AND i have a mini-frig of my own! ... Yay! 
.
Joy of joys, there's WiFi, plus a grocery within 20-mins walk. My hostess is wonderful; her adult children occupy the basement & 1st floor, & her grandkids are frequent visitors. There's a playful, prankster tuxedo kitty [Maria's] & a shy, plump Rott-X dog [her son's]. All in all, it's a busy, cheerful household.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

on my phone again, hope this works!
My latest BnB foray can only B described as a dump; queen-sz mattress on the wall-to-wall, big black trashbags of children's stuff in the halls, shoes lining the stair-treads.
There's a child's desk but no chair of any kind; no AC, & no fan, either.
.
i texted my prospective host to ask abt public transit; she has Instant Booking & knew i was coming.
Yet after a 2-hr trip, I arrived to a dark house & no answer to doorbell / front door, or knocks @ rear door.
????...
The BASEMENT had lit windows, so I knocked at the side-door; luckily, the tenant had a phone# & called upstairs - & the hostess' *cousin* eventually appeared on the backstair landing, over our heads.

She claimed not to have heard the doorbell nor my knocks, but i was outside for 15-mins, wondering if i'd have to haul my case back to the bus-stop a block away & return to the 'cheap' hotel, while my prepaid bed stayed behind locked doors. =:-O
Not a happy camper!
.
this hostess doesn't give U a housekey, which is a 1st-ever -- & personally, i don't think her cousin is reliable, even if she's AT HOME, to respond to the door. [I wouldn't put Cousin in charge of watering a plastic plant, myself. Not joking.]
At 10-pm Mon nite, i asked my hostess via text if there was a chair somewhere that i could use at the desk - folding chair, kitchen chair, anything. She promptly replied that Cousin would bring the chair from her [the hostess' own] room - no chair arrived, i went to the bathroom at 2:30-am & 5:30-am, & a folding chair mysteriously appeared in the hallway after i got up @ 7:30-am, Tues.
This passive-aggro stuff is wearing.
.
My hostess didn't arrive until 4-pm Tues, & apparently Cousin is a pothead who believes burning stinky joss-sticks will mask the odor of burning grass [wrong]. Cousin tokes randomly, & sleeps randomly - midmorning, mid-afternoon, evening... whenever.
.
E-T-A: after toking plenteously on Monday night, I'd guess Cousin was either A), too laid-back to care about someone at the door, or B), became paranoid & wouldn't answer the door - but the house was entirely lights-out when I got here.
.
Monday night, Cousin occupied the master suite, which is the hostess' nominal bed - except when she rents it out to travelers, as she did this afternoon.
.
The hostess' active-duty brother slept on the lvg-rm sofa last night [Tues].
Tonight a couple are sleeping on the double-duvet in the living-room.
.
i took out the overstuffed trashcan liner from the kitchen myself, plus emptied the overflowing recycle-box in the kitchen into the 55-gal rollaway bin outside.
This morning I had to hunt for a roll of TP after Cousin used the last, tossed the cardboard core in the bathroom trashcan, & left the holder empty.
:-{
i *won't* recommend a stay, here.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
This afternoon @ 3, i had an e-mail from a woman referred to me by the wife of the gent we accompanied, last Wed - the lady who was so complimentary? - which was GREAT. :Woot Sadly, the lady who contacted me today wants someone to *drive* their wheelchair-ramp / transport van... in heavy urban traffic? - I don't think so. 
I told her that i've often worked with the Ride, who do door-to-door transport for a nominal fee - as little as $2 one-way, which no one can possibly match driving one's own car, even if U only look at fuel costs. [Let alone the mileage & maintenance costs of operating a hefty small truck like a ramp-equipped van, which gets 10 to 11-mpg, at best, in highway driving - not stop-&-start city traffic. I didn't mention that part.]
She said she'd call back by 9 or 9:30-pm, if she needed me. She didn't call. :Arghh
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Hoping, hoping, hoping...
The woman so kindly referred to me called back *this morning*, interview @ 3-pm, her apt in Cambridge.
I de-wrinkled my vine-patterned short-sleeve shirt & [5-YO] linen pants by spritzing them with my misting-bottle & tossing 'em in my host's dryer. I've had a cup of decaf & dried milk, I'm out of breakfast-biscuits & bread - sunseed butter & dried cranberries need a substrate, LOL.
.
I'll have to eat something cheap along the way - I wasted hours yesterday trying to reach someone in the Unemployment office & being on hold for 30-mins or 45-mins at a time, then the call would drop & i'd be holding a dead phone. Even 'GetHuman' offered only a best-number with an average 85-min wait time on hold. I'll have to go beard the bl**dy goddam lion in the den - they sent me another UNOPENABLE e-mail, & i can only find out what it is by going to their office & using their terminal. Stoopid runaround, i hate bureaucracy. 
The thought of the interview will keep me from losing my mind at yet-another pointless trip to the UI office.
.
It still galls me that the CEO blackmailed me into giving up my unemployment benefits, she had me sign a paper stating that I understand i'm an "on call" employee - yet she still deducts $$ from my gross pay for UI. AND she never sent the promised 'copy for my records', which I want to take to an atty or to the UI office for a 3rd-party review of its legality. Grrr.
Off to the cubicle-enclave... dreading this.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I am *not* going to the UI office, i can't trek downtown & assume i can get to Cambridge on time, & i MUST NOT be late. Going to eat along the way, & go direct to my interview... hoping for good news. 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Gh


leashedForLife said:


> .
> I am *not* going to the UI office, i can't trek downtown & assume i can get to Cambridge on time, & i MUST NOT be late. Going to eat along the way, & go direct to my interview... hoping for good news.
> .
> .
> .


Hope it went / is going well.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I found the apt-house without much trouble, & arrived 30-mins early - the sun was blazing, the foyer hot, & i escaped into the AC of a 'professional bldg' full of Drs & dentists next door. At 5 to 3, cool & hopefully collected, i went back to the foyer & pushed their intercom button - the inner door only clicks when released, & we had some trouble synching my grab with the unlocking mechanism, but eventually succeeded.
.
I was astonished to meet my prospective client in residence; i thot she'd said he lived at the same facility [in Newton] as our recent transport-case, but in fact the *wife* of the man with Parkinson's, who so kindly referred me, is a neighbor in this apt-bldg; the client lives here, with his family - wife & adult daughter; daughter is late-teens, & about to enter a 2-yr program for Vet-Tech.
.
The client's hospital bed is in the living room, adjacent to the dining table, & thus in the middle of all activity. We had a long chat about their family life, the husband's needs, & their hopes for his improvement.
.
The lady of the house is very-much into holistic health, & was delighted to hear that i use Bach remedies with stressed-out pets. Her husband was formerly a very-active man, but a benign tumor near his inner-ear severely affected his balance, & he's been using a wheelchair for some 3-yrs. Recently he's made significant gains: he now *stands!* for a minute or more, hands free, & uses the railing on the ground-floor patio to orient himself & walk.
He also exercises in the stairwell, using both railings, one to each side. [He goes down in reverse, not facing forward.] He's been swimming regularly since this began, to keep his muscles from atrophy, & swims 2X / wk with a spotter; they were happy to hear that I swim & I'd be thrilled to go along. (Yay! - exercise for ME!...  )
.
At least 5 aides provide help on a schedule run by a case-manager; one aide is not a good fit, so i'll probly get some of her shifts, to begin with. I'll start sometime after Monday of next week. Hurrah! - nice family, plus no agency sucking 2/3 of my gross.  A delightful prospect, in itself.
.
I stopped at the nearby Trader Joe's for bread, bananas, salad greens, & ranch dressing, & as a bonus, a beautiful cantaloupe; 2 long bus-rides & a 5-block walk got me & my cargo back to the house @ 7:15-pm, & i was starving. The 2 giant oatmeal cookies I'd had at noon seemed forever ago.
I demolished a large salad accompanied by a croissant, then ate the entire cantaloupe - one half at a time. It was delicious.
I washed my dishes, went upstairs, & lay down with a book - i slept for 3-hrs, & woke at 11:15-pm to see that there are texts. The agency-RN says _*the family in Lexington think I did a terrific job, & they want to give me more shifts - *__*isn't that *__*wonderful*__*?*_ The CEO chimes in to congratulate me.
A-huh, wonderful - especially as they'll get $16 or more for every hour that i work, there. Great for them - not so great for me.
.
I check the transit situation, the lady of the house told me Lexington shuttle-buses [vans] can get me close to their house... only to discover that they DON'T run on Saturdays, when i arrive. (I suspected as much last week, when i could find nothing that got me closer than a 30- to 60-min walk to their door.)
.
The 1st thing I'll ask will be if i can possibly start Fridays, vs Saturday - so that i can use the town shuttle!  THAT will be a huge help - this week, i'll get as close as possible, then phone a cab.  Ouch.
I just can't face dragging my rollaway in 85'F for 30-mins to an hour, with groceries over one shoulder & my laptop, cord, etc, in a bag on the other. I guess i'm just a lazy, spoiled, soft, modern-day degenerate of my hard-working forebears, but hauling myself & my gear along narrow asphalt roads in late-summer heat is not an alluring prospect. I must DEPART by 9:15-am to get there by noon, anyway; trudging the last bit seems a massive waste of energy.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I have very mixed emotions abt the Lexington case - they are truly wonderful ppl, & as promised, they're crunchy-granola types like me, who recycle, eat organic, despise Trump, try to be low-impact, & so on. But the transit issue is a definite concern, & being paid $10 / hr is also a real problem. I like them very much, but the idea of filling the agency's coffers with close to twice what they pay me for every hour i work, sticks in my craw.
.
Also, i've decimated the little savings i once had; it's been spent on hotels / BnBs / taxis / Craigslist help to move me & my gear, & now i'm living on a razor's edge.
Any minor hiccup now can snowball into a disaster, 'cuz i've got no cushioning, financially - everything comes in, & goes out. It's a constant tension. I hate the feeling that an infected hangnail could cost me my job, by making me miss even 1 day of work; it's a sword over my head, suspended by a hair. // My sewing-student missed the past 2 weeks, so that's $40 i didn't get, too - the 1st week, i was in Lynnfield with the M dementia patient [that was preplanned - i told her about it as soon as it was scheduled, 10-days ahead]; the 2nd, this week, she forgot - they were going out of town on vacay, & she texted me after they left, on Tuesday.
.
TODAY I made it to the bl**dy UI office - they're dunning me again to reimburse them for my 'overpayment', that 1 week of unemployment benefits that i received that i supposedly didn't deserve, back in March of 2015 - while taking the 'approved' CNA training course, the one that cost me a borrowed grand?... Oy.
. 
I already filled out & mailed the waiver-request back in May, a 3 or 4 page questionnaire that was exhaustive - my spouse's earning [no spouse], my savings [0], my property [0], my equity [0], my monthly bills [listed], all other state or Federal support in any form [food stamps]... it was depressing to fill out, & now, apparently, either they didn't GET it, or someone did not *post* it as received. Drabbit. 
They're sending another - this time, i'll return it Return-Receipt-Requested; it'll cost me about $5, but someone will have to sign for it, & the postie will put the date that it was delivered on the card, which will be returned to me by mail.
Bureaucracies are a curse.
.
There was a shooting today, shortly before i arrived at Dudley station - luckily for me, i missed the excitement. There were still cops everywhere, K9 handlers & dogs searching for evidence, a news-crew & camera, etc - the bus driver had great difficulty getting out of the station, due to the congestion.
From comments by other passengers who'd been there when it happened, the shooters were in a car - 2 ppl were in custody, in the back of a squad car, as we pulled out, but i couldn't find any news release on it, even on Ch 5 [Boston news].
.
My hostess claims "the cops never tell residents *any*thing about crimes here, they'll never mention it", but BPD.com has plenty of Roxbury stats & past crimes logged - altho of course i can't tell if that's merely the tip of an iceberg, or full disclosure.
[My hostess is black - Roxbury is mostly black & Latino, with a hefty smattering of Haitian, recent African emigres from Ethiopia, Somali, etc, & other ppl of color. The crime-rate is high - homicides, non-fatal stabbings & shootings, home break-ins, business break-ins, car theft, etc.]
A guy who listens to police radio traffic & posts what she claims is "all the crime" on-line sez it was merely 'shots fired' - no one was hit. I'll have to take his word for it - no one else has, AFAIK, published anything, tho it's been over 3 hrs now since the event.
.
Off to bed - gotta be up early, & out by 9 / 9:15-am.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Final note on this dysfunctional 'guesthouse':
my hostess got the cleaning bug after i'd emptied the dish-drainer of the dry dishes that had stood in it since i arrived on Monday [they eat lots of delivered take-out], & she washed the dishes & pots that had stood in the sink for all that time, too.
.
Then she disassembled the stove top & put the parts, once cleaned, outside on the walkway - that was around noon, shortly before i left. When i came back @ 6:30, the stove burners & burner trivets were still out there - & this house HAS NO microwave.
 She was upstairs, asleep - & Cousin stood talking in the street & couldn't be arsed to let me in, altho she could hardly not have noticed my arrival - a 36" golf umbrella in rainbow panels is hard to miss, ya know?
After knocking & waiting, I walked back down & asked Cousin if anyone else was home; she said the lady of the house was asleep, "but the front door is unlocked". Thanks - after i spent 5-mins waiting for someone to come to the back door, standing in full sun on the landing a flight up.
.
I couldn't figure out how to cook my pasta [ravioli] in a toaster oven, the only appliance other than a pop-up toaster - so i ate it cold, uncooked. It still tasted OK, altho warmed would have been better. *sigh* When i came upstairs @ 9-pm, the stove was still sans burners & burner-frames.
As hostesses, they both fail - IMO.
.
It's really bizarre - another guest arrived around 7:30-pm, this man from Germany. He's the 3rd body that will be sleeping in the lvg-room tonite, on a futon - plus the Czech couple. I hope all 3 get a discount! 
.
E-T-A:
when i left at 9 that last morning, the stove was still nude - no burners or burner-trivets. Thank God for instant-decaf & BelVita biscuits.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I think I'll keep the Lexington clients.  If only b/c they have a long-standing tradition of playing 'Trivial Pursuit', women vs men, whenever the family visit - & i sampled one such clash on Sunday night.
I laughed until my sides were sore - it was a blast, & the guys won by just one card, 13 to 12.
.
The teenaged g'son, poor fella, was utterly at sea - not only having no idea of the answers, but often not grasping the Qs, as they were so antique to his own life. Plus he sat to my right, & if he forgot to shift backward during lulls in the game, he was mercilessly twitted - the Olympics were on, muted, & he blocked the view of his aunt & grandmother. But he was an excellent sport, despite being told he made a much-better door than window, & also played the piano beautifully while we cleared away the remains of dinner.
The 2 uncles, one visiting from Calif, were sardonic & wry, with bursts of Pythonesque humor, & the 3 aunts easily matched them quip for quip.
There was a moment when, reminded of the Jewish parodist, Allan Sherman, everyone but the grandson was singing, "Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda" - with apropos gestures, including clasped hands & heartfelt pleading.




.
Afterward as we got ready for bed, the hostess - grandmom & mom, wife of my client - worried that i hadn't gotten but half my break that day, & i told her that it was a wonderful evening, & i'd enjoyed every moment. Eating a good meal & spending time in warm company was a very, very welcome change.
.
My client slept-in for an extra hour on Monday morning, another happy rarity, & i actually changed out of PJs before getting him up for the day, & began eating my breakfast - even read the front page of the Globe, while his wife read the NYX, so it was an unusually relaxed morning.
The peace didn't last, but it was lovely while we had it.  
.
My counterpart was late returning - due @ noon, he arrived at 1:40, but that was OK, too: i got 2-hrs of bonus pay, ate my lunch sitting at a table vs from a bag on the bus, & was chauffeured to the bus-stop, no less. [PCA John was there for any of our client's needs.] So i was utterly spoiled, & work felt more like a mini-vacation than 'work'.
.
Sunday morning i took a walk between breakfast & lunch, before the heat was too intense, & met a nice woman walking with her Bichon - we had a good chat; then i saw the bachelor trio of turkeys again, & got some good photos.
.
Every resident in the house has Lyme disease, so i never step off paved surfaces, not even onto grass, & i don't touch the plants, nor do i brush against any. I did pick up a perfect turkey feather, striped grey-brown on cream, that lay on the road; it's a secondary feather from the left wing. I put it on the bookshelf in our shared room - it's beautiful against the dark wood.
.
.
At Alewife station, my laptop kept flipping between 'no IP address' & 'self-assigned IP address', so i couldn't access the Net for an hour - intensely frustrating, since i was offline at my clients' perforce; theirs is wire-only, & i haven't got an Ethernet port. Once i *was* online, my 1st 2 BnB choices were snapped up before i could instant-book them. 
However... #3 choice, altho a bit further from Cambridge, is a lovely young couple with a _darling _5-MO Shih-Tzu, & i don't regret the extra money (much).
The puppy really is as sweet as pie, & very cute in a lamb-clip; i'll get some pictures today to share.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Three big news tidbits re work, under "more wanted":
.
- the head of a small agency in south-shore SAW my Craigslist ad, & phoned me!
Her clients are too far-out for public-transit, but still... somebody read it, & responded.
That's heartening - to know i wrote something that appealed to her. Yay!
.
- I'll have my 1st shift with client #2 on Thursday.
My solo-act with a non-agency client will start! - i can't wait.  // I must find & buy a decent bathing-suit, tomorrow - i'll hunt on-line for retailers, today, & line them up along a planned route. I like Speedo one-piece with X-straps, but I'll take anything well-made that's not high-cut at the thigh.
.
- another agency-owner queried me on Care.com ...
genuine queries have been so rare, 99% are spam-texts to my phone.
This was an in-box message from a real agency, hopefully about real jobs.
.
.
I need at least 2 more days of work per week, preferably live-in / overnight.
Ideally, with a live-in that began Tuesday morning or T-midday & ran thru Friday morning, i'd have part of a weekday for personal business [crucial for Drs appts, grocery shopping, other errands], plus one evening / overnight NOT on call.
.
Or if i found a job that began Monday evening & ended Friday by 8-am, M-eveTWThF-earlyAM, i'd have a bed that i didn't have to pay for every night, & a few free business-hours at both ends: Mon afternoon / Friday morning. That's tight, but i've done it before - the downside is *always* being on call, every night. It's a cumulative tension. 
.
M-eveTWTh, ending Thursday evening anywhere between 6 & 8, would also give me one night NOT on call, & a few business-hours for transactions at both ends, with approx 3-hours Monday afternoon & Friday morning for errands / transit.
.
The Cambridge family use overnite help, but i don't know if the gentleman is up 3 to 5 times per nite, or sleeps thru most / many nites & is up once or twice, others.
I've worked jobs where i never got more than 2-hours of unbroken sleep, & it's sheer H*** after awhile. U become so chronically tired, life is a foggy experience that feels distant & not worth the effort of paying attention. All U want is _*sleep*;_ more than food, thrills, affection / appreciation / love / sex, or even escape from the treadmill of work, U only desire bottomless _*sleep*_, until U wake no longer tired. Sleep becomes water in the desert, the only want U own.
.
If i have to do it again, i will - but God knows, i'm not getting any younger, & it won't be any easier than it was, before. It was bitterly hard, & i only did it for 4-months. Those 4-months felt like a year of drudgery, & aged me at least 2-years, i swear.
I can only hope it doesn't come to that - but i desperately need to find a way to save some money for retirement, ha! - what a joke.
I lived off the seed-money for my 401-k while caring for my mother, those last 3 years, & i have absolutely nothing for retirement, now. Sleeping in a packing-crate when i'm 70-odd holds no appeal whatever, as a prospect.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I just did something that feels absolutely illicit, LOL - i ordered a swimsuit on-line. 
.
I haven't had a new bathing-suit since 2005?, i think... maybe it was 2003, but in any case, my old swimsuit is UV-nibbled & fragile, the fabric is thinning & could rip under any rough handling. I *need* a suit to swim with the gent in Cambridge on his thrice weekly workouts, & there's a FREE community pool, 4 houses up the street in Lexington - a terrific way to peel off some of my recently-acquired flab, & cool off at the same time, on my breaks.
[the Lexington folks keep their thermostat at 79'F, which i find a bit too warm for comfort.]
.
BonTon is having an end-of-season sale, 40% off all women's swimwear; perfect timing!
I bought 2 identical suits, so i can either leave one at each client's house, or leave one in Lex & carry one along, whichever. The 2 suits cost me 1.2 X the cost of one full-price suit, not bad at all. I sent them in care of the Mrs & Mr in Lexington, & they'll arrive on Friday.
I phoned for sizing advice, & hope they fit - i've never worn Michael Kors before, so have no idea how they're cut.
.
.
Other than underwear, sox, & similar, this is the 1st wearable thing i've bought NEW in years - i buy used clothing, often used shoes, too; my current pair for work were bought new from FootSmart in early 2015, washable leather slip-ons from Propet; poor dears, they're over a year old & hard-used, but they still look decent. (The soles are wearing, but the uppers are in good shape, just slightly scuffed.)
It'll be exciting, trying the suit on...  Cheap thrills.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I have *pictures!*...
This is the new suit ordered on-line:
.








.
Back view:








.
bodice & upper back detail - all the Arabesque tracery is gilt, it doesn't show well, but looks gorgeous.








.








.
Michael Kors cover-up, Mediterranean blue:








.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Remember, i got those @ 40% off - here's the cover-up, back view:








.
Suit under cover-up, front:








.
back -
Notice the gilt J-hook & the MK logo don't interfere with one another, the latched strap is above the logo -
I hate slipping shoulder straps & prefer a racer's X-back, but for 40% off, this is fine. 








.

.
The double-size bed [advertised as "queen"], made with MY lovely Tencel sheets & MY pillows: a eucalyptus-foam memory foam pillow [in purple case], an NZ-wool filled pillow [green case with faggoting trim], & a memory-foam back pillow to support my spine [I'm a side-sleeper].
The mint-cream & grey plaid are my all-cotton PJs - light flannel, soft & comfy.









.
A close-up of my cushy Tencel sheets - silky, durable, cool in summer, warm in winter.
They're silver-grey, with alternating bands of w-i-d-e satin pinstripes & skinny matte pinstripes, or w-i-d-e matte pinstripes & skinny satin pinstripes; they make nifty optical illusions of gently undulating hills & valleys, like contour plowing over mild slopes. They're beech fiber - 4-years old, still gorgeous. Love 'em. 








.
It's 12:30-am, & my shift tomorrow was moved up 90-mins [from 1:30-pm to noon].
It will be a 4.5-hr transport case --- or 2, maybe. Time for bed...
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Love the swim suit! It will be good for you to spend some time in the cooling water.

The Lexington family sound very nice. I hope it continues to work out for you.

Good luck with getting the rest of your time sorted out


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

We have a saying where I live, when someone has bought new clothing - "Health to wear, and strength to tear!" I hope they bring you luck


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I haven't heard from the Cambridge client, they're 'trying out' several aides, so i spoze it will be a week or even 2 before they decide; meanwhile, i've got the suit i'll need to accompany him on pool-laps MWF, & i'll need it when the other gent begins water-walking to build his legs & balance.
For now, the Lexington client walks on dry land only - but water is supportive & cooling, & it'll be very good for him to walk against resistance while supported.
.
I had a cold-contact from an agency that places disabled clients *in ppl's homes* for care & companionship - i said that would be great, if i owned my home & had a spare bedroom, LOL, but neither applies. [No point mentioning my homeless state.] He said they have a facility, would i like to do relief shifts?... Sure, why not?
So he'll get back to me re the application process, & so forth.
.
Another agency-CEO phoned re my ad on CraigsList, but they cover only the South Shore - & do 8-hour day-shifts in rural / suburb areas, no public transport.  I thanked her, but i can't get around by taxi!
I asked her to please keep me in mind, if they get metro-Boston or *live-in *inquiries. She pays $15/hr, which would be very welcome, plus there's a 401-k plan with employer contribution [7%]. She plans to expand to the North Shore, but of course, that might be 2-yrs from now, who knows? - I've got her name & #, I'll phone in a couple of months if i don't hear from her.
.
Meantime, relief shifts in the Newton facility might add a day or 2 each week, i hope...
It's 9-am & both bathrooms are still occupied, i need to wash my hair. I may have to use the kitchen sink, which is fine with me, there's a spray hose, but some travelers might not appreciate someone shampooing in the kitchen, even tho (obv) it's CLEANED afterward. I'm trying to hold off, but can't wait more than 15-mins or so.
"Joe" had a full house in his BnB last night, 6 ppl on this floor.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I didn't mention it, but i was ravaged my 1st night here.  Pillaged, sacked, robbed, i tell U!... - I was *very *upset. Tuesday afternoon, i reached into my dry-goods bag for a piece of chocolate, & ... AIIEEE!! - the zip-lock bag is torn, my choc-bar's been CHEWED by someone else. The thief left dental impressions...
.
.








.
U do realize, this means war?... & no quarter. >:--[
.








.
my weapons:
Medium steel-wool, a spatula to slip it home, & sticky-traps to nab the nibbler, plus *disposable gloves* to keep the wicked-sharp fine wires out of my skin.
.








.
2 sticky-traps deployed,
Note the HOLE - Rt side of exit door, the sill has a wide gap, ditto the jamb doesn't meet the framing - insects, mice, anything could slip in there.
.








.
Steel-wool roving made by unrolling a pad, then tearing it in half & folding lengthwise.
The spatula carefully tucks it in - i'm 1/3 down the left jamb.
.








.
. 
All my food went into the communal refrigerator, as mice don't know how to open 'frig-doors [yet].
S/he did not return, altho the bottom-left corner was unsealed - i'll tamp it shut with the last steel-wool roving tomm morn; mice [& rats] cannot CHEW thru steel-wool; they **can** chew thru wood, concrete, & many other materials.
.
Back to Lexington tomorrow...
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
my Lexington client continues to improve - 
on Fri, the Phys-therapist came by & showed me how they go up & down the stairs, both hands on one banister from top to bottom, both feet side by side on each step, 1 step at a time. At the landing, move from left hand-rail to rt-corner post, then both hands on LEFT hand-rail to the basement floor [walk-in level, finished, with a bedroom, a bathroom / laundry, & door into the 2-car garage].
Once safely at the bottom of the steps, sit on the rolling chair to catch his breath.
.
We went to the neighborhood block-party this afternoon, at 4-pm, & returned about 7:15 - he was very reluctant to go, he prefers to stay home & have everyone come to him - it's safe, simple, & it's much less effort; besides, i think he's a bit scared of walking down stairs & getting into the car for the 1st time in months on end. Change is scary.
His dotter pointed out that he's the one neighbors ask her about when she's out walking --- Where's Ur da? / How is he?, etc. She said, "U'll be popular, Dad!" He replied in a curmudgeonly growl, *"I don't want to be 'popular'!"*, which made me laugh out loud; then he looked abashed, & chuckled reluctantly at himself. :Hilarious
.
As all 3 of us Fs had predicted [his wife, dotter, & myself], once he got there, he enjoyed himself - altho he still fretted anxiously over everything along the way, including passing pedestrians, turning corners, & so on. Men must hate it when we opinionated wimmen gang up on them, *especially* when it turns out that we're right, LOL.
.
The gathering was a potluck, & with many ethnicities & ages from 25 to 30-YOs with young children to great-grandparents, the tables had a wide range of foods, plus there were grills set up to cook anything U brought along for Ur own family as entrees. It was a very nice event, everyone mingled, new residents met long-time families, & the kids played soccer, chattered like magpies, & played with the Cairn Terrier, Noodles - who ate everything he could reach, or that hit the ground. 
Popcorn slathered in hydrogenated oil, cole-slaw, dropped tortilla chips, a sausage on a bun left on a folding-chair's seat, anything, everything.
.
.
As a bonus, there was a brand-new asphalt surface in the cul-de-sac, with a bucket of oversized sidewalk chalk.
Before we left, i drew 3 animals - a 3-ft long turtle, a 2-ft high horse's head, & a simple ball & oval drawing of a cat, also 2-ft high.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Wonders never cease! 
last nite, while we disported ourselves with spanakopita, watermelon, bean salad, & potstickers, the agency-RN rcvd a phone-call from the adult son of my 1st transport case in Newton - his *mother*, the very-kind lady who recommended me to the Cambridge couple, had fallen, broken several ribs [Ow! - i've been there, done that], & she *may* need help @ home.
.
She asked for me. :Smug
The agency, of course, wants this to be 'their' case - i'd receive no more than $10/hr.
Meantime, i'd generate $16 per hr for the agency. 
.
I'm going to try to get hired as a freelance, at a living wage for me - saving the client $12 per hr, vs the agency.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
It's almost midnite, & i had an *extremely* upsetting evening. 
My replacement - the non-CNA aide who's an undocumented immigrant [& who impersonated a CNA] had a legal-appt at 2-pm today, & said he'd be back betw 3 & 3:30. He got back at 4:45, instead.
As a result, the place i expected to stay had been FILLED by someone else, despite my reservation - & all my former BnB hosts were full-up. I was frantic.  Plus my checking-acct is a nearly-drained pond, so i can't use my debit card to pre-pay a BnB. I have a check i haven't cashed yet, & some cash - period.
.
After over 2-hours of more & more anxious requests, i was told there's a room in Malden, & they'll take cash - thank God.
.
I caught the Red line, switched to the Orange line, we sat at Community College for 10-mins with both doors open [& no reason given], I missed 2 connecting buses at Malden, had to hunt on both sides of the bl**dy building for the bus-route [dragging my 34-inch rollaway & carrying 3 bags, one insulated, full of chilled food] ---
but luckily had TWENTY MINUTES slack-time to hunt for the route-sign, as we'd missed those convenient previous buses...
got the bus, which arrived over 10-mins late, there was no recorded announcement of 'my' stop, I got off at the next stop when the driver - in response to my asking how far are we from Eastern & Main - said, "It's back there..." with a jerk of his thumb  , hiked back 2 long blocks with my luggage, found the obscure left turn, entered a street of warehouses interspersed with 1930s & earlier clapboard houses, eventually found the house at 10:15, & no one answered the door. Not to repeated knocks, nor the door-bell.
.
Finally realized my host had switched from TEXTing to e-mail, inexplicably, & 2 messages had arrived while i was still on the subway. The ext-door & int-door keys were in an envelope, in the mailbox. The whole house is BnB rooms - no residents.
I finally got in at 10:30-pm.
Hauled my gear up the stairs, stripped & re-made the bed with my own linens, changed to PJs, put my cold food in the 'frig, still in the insulated bag.
I'm stressed-out, brain-dead, & i'm going to sleep.
Tomorrow *must be* better than the 5-hrs between 6 & 11, tonite - it would be difficult to be much worse.
Altho given my past experience, it's certainly possible.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

One step forward, 2 steps back 

Hope you can seal the deal with the Newton mother direct.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I should also mention that on Fri nite, my clients' younger dotter, SIL, & a cousin arrived for dinner & another cut-throat game of Trivial Pursuit.
After dinner, we were drafted by our hostess to sing Happy Birthday over the speakerphone to her SIL, who sadly has schizophrenia - & while we were on the phone with her, she mentioned her hubby [hostess' brother] was 30-mins late from a photography assignment at a fund-raiser [due home @ 7, it's half-past.]
.
He was having a [literal] heart-attack. :Jawdrop We were told at 8:15 by his dotter that he was already in hospital after a massive coronary, & in intensive care. By Sat-AM, we knew he wouldn't be coming home; 90% blockage, no chance for surgery, on life-support.
So it was a subdued weekend; his wife is legally empowered to decide if / when to remove life-support, but she's fragile at the best of times, & distraught now. His dotter has mental issues of her own, yet she's his executor. Neither his soon-to-be widow nor his dotter are financially responsible; his dotter spends money _muy rapido - _divorced with 3 children, she gets a generous amount of child-support monthly, but her parents [actually her father] often help with bills.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
well, hellfire.
I tried my damnedest to get that job direct-hire, & utterly failed.  1st i phoned the small-time agency owner, to be sure she was willing to take on another case, & that 24 / 7 for a week to 10-days was something she could cover.
[yes to both Qs.]
then i texted her son; no answer, which was puzzling. I texted the patient; no answer. Also puzzling. All this was Monday early-evening, B4 my horror-story of no vacancies / no checking funds.
Next morning, i text her son again - & they reply, 'wrong #'. Solved 1 mystery; a line on my mobile's screen made a 3 into an 8, drabbit. I thank the unknown callee, & text the corrected #. Get an answer 30-mins later, he thanks me, assures me they've already contacted the agency [i knew that, i'd said so in my text], & says we can speak directly, later - he's going to fetch 
Mom from the hospital, she was kept overnight for observation, there's blood in one lung, they want it to clear B4 she's discharged. 
.
Meantime, i've already texted his mum again - still no answer. ...???
I finally phone the son @ 2-pm, i'm only 3 blocks from their house [returned the insulated TJ's bag whose zipper broke], & i'm hoping she's home by now. She's dressing for discharge, & "they've already met Carol". My heart sinks - odds are, they've already signed with the agency. He'd already told me that "24 / 7 care" for the1st week to 10-days was the reason they called the agency, vs phone me directly - but i don't understand why they didn't phone Maria, & at least get a cost-comparison / estimate.
About 2-mins into the call, he says he just realized he forgot to ask the Doc abt visiting-RNs & PT - he rings off.
There's no return call... i wait & wait.
Over 2-hrs later, I text the RN to ask if they've joined our happy clientele - & that if they have, i'm putting in a req for overnite on-calls Wed & Thurs. Carol replies yes, they signed, but she asked for a live-in, & "U've got the Lexington case".
My blood boils - :Muted they wouldn't even HAVE this client if i hadn't wowed her with my professional competency, mad skillz, & helpful polite manner. :Rage Not only am i getting no hours whatever, i'm not even getting a finder's fee.
THE AGENCY will get thousands; i get sh*t-all.
I'm seriously ticked; even a client who ASKS FOR ME BY NAME is ignored. I'm spozed to be happy with my 3 nights of shelter & 3 days of work, each week. God help us all, what might happen if i got FULL-TIME hours weekly! - next, i'd demand benefits. 
.
I'm sick of this bottom-line crapola, with the agency raking in dough from dozens of aides, & the aides getting min-wage/ no bennies. I want a hunk, too! - why can't we earn living wages, & have something to save; meanwhile, i put in apps at 2 rival agencies. I'll be sorry to leave my crunchy-granola family in Lex, but i can't keep on like this; i have **no** savings for retirement whatever, i have a bill that will be paid a day late [$20 added fee], i have no cushion; i run out of money B4 i run out of month. :Bawling
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Since my last post, things have either puttered along unchanged, meaning barely making ends meet, or temporarily gone to hell in a handbasket, then gone back to life on the razor's edge. 
My financial situation got so tight, I asked for an advance on my pay - which the CEO took back with ruthless speed, $200 out of my net wages in each pay-period for 3 paydays running. Twice that left me with so little in my checking acct, i paid a $30 late-fee on a bill - but i had a [cheap] roof over my head, at least, on nights when i wasn't working my live-in case.
.
I made the tactical error of not responding "yes!" enthusiastically when the RN asked if i could do a 2-hr transfer case on Wed - i tried to put her off till the next morning, because i was desperately begging the Cambridge client with the busted ribs to take me on directly, outside the agency.
[We all know how that worked out.  ] The RN gave the transfer case to someone else, & was very miffed.
.
To punish me, she didn't offer me any pick-up shifts for THREE WEEKS - which severely impacted my income. At one point, i had just $30 in my checking-acct, after paying my 4 nights' shelter at a BnB.  
[BTW, *not one* has provided breakfast, IME thus far - only a bed & part of a shelf in the 'frig, & i provide my own bed-linens, towel, washcloth, shampoo, soap, food, etc. "B&B" is just an expression. I take my recyclables along when i leave, too.]
.
.
Then i had a brief explosion of job offers - 3! [yeah, i know.] 3 in 5 days! - wow.
.
One was clearly impossible - western Mass, & no public transit, so utterly unreachable. Nonetheless, it was nice to be asked. 
The 2nd was from a couple, both have cerebral palsy; they live in a rent-controlled apt close to public transit, & need help with food prep, housecleaning, & some errands [i-e, right down the street is a drugstore, i might pick up a Rx or buy toiletries], plus the woman needs someone to go along for medical appts - also near public transit.
This would be live-OUT, & i'd be paid by MassHealth; $14/hr, no bennies except holiday pay 5X / year on Federal holidays, no possibility of overtime.
One uses a power-chair, the other, a manual. They have a roll-in shower with a slide-over shower seat & grab bars - no bathing help needed, just clean-up the bathroom. Vision is a problem for both of them, as is object permanence - keeping frequently-needed items in a consistent place is imperative.
This one i can definitely do, no Q.
.
The 3rd is a maybe -
working with a 20-something woman, who needs full-body lifts to transfer - no Hoyer lift in the house anywhere, & she weighs 95#. She works 5 days a week, nearby, using her power chair to roll to & from work; she needs toilet transfers at work, so I'd go along. She eats there, so the only meal prep is Friday dinners.
Hours are 8-pm Tuesday thru approx 11-pm Friday; it's $190 per day, so $570 plus Tuesday [8 to midnite, plus 2-hrs for on-call overnight, = 6-hrs on Tuesdays]; she's on an MBTA bus-line, public transit is good.
Mom lives & works in NYC, & comes down by express bus on Fridays to relieve the *live-in *aide - that's the hang-up, I'd have to chop off Fridays in Lexington to take this job, Mom never gets there before 11 pm, & i'd need a bed for the night when I left.
The advantage would be having a bed TWTh, but i'd have to get up to turn the young lady at least once each night, to prevent pressure sores.
I told her mom i'd want to try at least one transfer to be sure that i could do it safely, as most of my clients can wt-bear at least somewhat - her daughter cannot wt-bear at all, on either leg. Stand-pivot transfers require the client to stand, at least briefly; pivot transfers U hold their full wt, but use momentum & body mechanics to swing them from one surface to another [bed to chair, chair to toilet, etc].
Client's mom said she'd find an evening we could get together & see how it goes.
.
.
I interviewed with the couple last Thurs, the same day the lady phoned - i had plenty of time to get there, & arrived with 45-mins to spare, even picked up a [cheap] sub-sandwich on my way. The interview was to be 4:30 in the common room of the apt-bldg, on the ground floor, but the BF changed the plan - when i phoned to say i was there [after eating half my sandwich], he said, "come on up".
I had to get a visitors' badge to go upstairs, but that was easy, i'd already signed in with the security guard - so up i went.
Good thing i ate beforehand - i came back down at 7:30! :Jawdrop
.
they have 2 more interviews, 1 Monday & 1 Tuesday, so the earliest i'd know might be today.
3 ppl hadn't replied to their e-mail query by last Thurs, so possibly someone else will interview.
.
.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

I noticed you've been writing more on doggy threads lately than here, I hoped it meant that things were ticking along nicely at work for you - would both these jobs be permanent? I've got my fingers crossed for you!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
good news! - the couple have offered me the job.  I'll start Monday the 26th.
I'm going over tomorrow to fill out the paperwork, so i won't need to fret over time in transit on Monday - get it done & out of the way. They wanted me to come an hour early on Monday, but with my luck, my alter ego would be late [again] returning from his days off, & i'd be stuck there. He's returned at noon just twice - typically, i'm there till 12:30 or later, as i can't leave till he's on scene.
.
I'll pick up a document from my bank tomorrow in lieu of a voided check, to arrange direct deposit - God only knows where my checks are, as i never use them, & i'm hanged if i'll make myself crazy hunting them down. I can't fathom why MassHealth can't look up my past file as a PCA in this program, & my check should still be in it - same bank. But inscrutable are the ways of bureaucracies, & i shall not scrute them tonight or any other night.
.
I told my Lexington family that if i'm hired for this job, i have plans for a celebration dinner, so i'll be buying handmade mushroom ravioli, 4-cheese ravioli, & a good marinara sauce; i'll add vegies to the sauce, & serve it with Reggiano parm, a nice salad with mesclun, spinach, & veg, & a crusty boule.
[I'll take pictures for the "what's for tea?" thread.]
.
For now, i'm still recovering from the pick-up shifts i pulled on Monday & Tuesday - over 16-hours, 10 of them on Tuesday, plus 6.25 hours in transit getting to & from the facility. That's a story for tomorrow - it's only 9:15-pm, but i'm beat.
Off to bed... pleasant dreams. 
.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Yay! Congratulonies!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
quick update:
made the lo-o-ong trek to my bank, next-door to Salem, MA, by commuter rail; i combined it w/ a shopping trip to a resle shop [used goods] that provides funds to charity - homeless, hungry, drug-addiction recovery.
.
My Lexington family love food, & are pretty good cooks, but the aging mother of the family still has the utensils she got in the 1060s when they married, which aren't S/S but cheap chromed cr*p, or other toxic materials.  I bought a S/S cooking spoon, a S/S potato-masher, & 4 bamboo utensils - slotted spoon, spag 'brush', spatula, & spade. I also found a silicone pastry or grill brush, which can be safely used on hot pans with olive-oil, etc... Last but not least, a S/S set of tongs with wooden sides riveted to them for handling hot food, or even serving salad. Each one cost me a QUARTER, so 8 x 1/4 = $2-usa.
Not bad! 
I bought a terra-cotta wine cooler to store them in, upright, on the counter-top - $4-usa.
I found 3 S/S wide-bladed spreaders [p'nut butter, mayo, etc] with serrated edges for cutting a sandwich - 25-cents each.
4.75 + 2 = $6.75-usa for the Lex kitchen - cheap, for peace of mind & food safety.
.
.
My B&B room has only a ceiling fixture, which means 'no reading in bed, unless U want to get out of bed to shut the light off' - unacceptable. I found a [cheap, small] table lamp, looks like 1960s vintage; matte-black wirework of a teapot forms the base, & the shade is a truncated pyramid of sage-green linen... plus it came WITH an energy-saver bulb, a spiral fluorescent that produces a soft ivory light. *$3-usa*
I left it on tonight as my night-light; i have a sore throat & a nagging cough, & my sinuses keep swelling shut when i lie down; i'm taking anti-histamine every 6-hrs to inhibit the swelling, it does help. 
.
I also got 4 loaves of free bread, from "When Pigs Fly" bakery - donated loaves that are out of date, but still perfectly lovely bread.
.
The downside?... I had to lug it all with me, along the street, on the train, on the subway; the engineer announced this train would be SITTING at Back Bay, so i debarked there to walk to my destination. Bad idea. I was given wrong directions by a T 'Customer Service' employee, wearing his official "customer-info" vest with reflective safety tape. He sent me AWAY from Mass Ave. 
I wandered like the Israelites & got directions from 4 or 5 locals, before i eventually got to Mass Ave & headed in the right direction. By that time, my arms were stretching with the strain, LOL.
.
I reached the apt-bldg, signed in with security, got my badge, went up, filled out umpteen forms, showed my ID & Soc-Sec, gave the banking-doc over, & was outta there. I slogged back to the B&B [1 hr & 20-mins, T plus bus], collapsed into bed @ 6:30-pm to sleep, & got up 4-hrs later to wait for my anti-H dose @ 11-pm... which i've taken, & it's back to bed.
My temp is 97.9'F, well-within norm, & the sore throat is less so.
.
It'll take me an hour to 90-mins to get to Lex, tomm - so gotta be gone by 10-am. Good night...
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Getting back to the pick-up shifts -
the Lex matriarch had dropped me off to await the bus, & i was happily browsing in a crafts shop, out of the [long-awaited, blessed] rain, when i got a text from our less-than-beloved CEO: could i get to Newton by 3-PM for a fill-in shift?
Errrmmm, given that it's 1:40-pm & i travel via MBTA [Mass transit], that would be no - best possible is 3:30.
OK, let's do 3:30 today, to noon tomorrow - the facility needs "safety awareness" data on this person, he's an extreme fall risk.
.
So there i am, headed for a possibly awake-overnite fill-in shift - when the RN texts me; facility wants me to stay till 2-pm on Tuesday. Yikes! - i hope it's NOT an awake-overnite, but OK. 
Then she texts, today i'll leave at 10-pm to get some sleep; tomm, i'll come back at 9-am & say till 7-pm. Oooo-kay... So that's what i do.
.
The client has dementia & is utterly convinced he can stand up & walk - he's very frail, & in a wheelchair. Between 3:45 when i arrive, & 6-pm, he makes 16 separate attempts to get out of his wheelchair - this, even tho when he wants to phone his daughter, I must bodily lift him from wheelchair to loveseat in his apt.  He couldn't even stand up for a stand-pivot, i simply hoisted him, one to the other.
I was warned that he was 'difficult' & i didn't see that aspect except for brief flashes, until 5 to 8, when the facility CNA arrived to give him his meds. We'd been chatting until then, but her arrival made him monosyllabic, surly, & paranoid.
By 8:30 he was falling asleep in the loveseat, & i asked if he usually wore pajamas - he said yes, & i went looking for his PJs with his permission. *In his bureau*, i found part of the source for the gray-green fug in his apt: once urine-soaked briefs & T-shirts, now so dry they crackle like potato-chips with crystallized urine.
I'd already seen his exploding laundry, an over knee-high stack towering in front of his bathroom sink, stacked precariously in a hand-washing bin.  As he only returned from the hospital on Sat PM, there's no way he generated all this - plus, there are urine-soaked briefs in there, & he's worn disposables during & since his hospitalization. That means *the staff here assumed he wouldn't come back after his stroke, & ignored his laundry - *His laundry day is Saturday, it's posted on the interior of the entry door, & this huge heap has been festering for weeks. 
There are no PJs in his drawers - nor any of the closets. I choose a clean, not-too-stinky T-shirt & fresh briefs.
.
He won't let me help him to bed; i push his call button while he's sleeping, it's a pendant around his neck. FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, a facility aide appears - she tells me they're "very busy, they'll *try* to send someone later", & vanishes like a genie. She doesn't even re-set his pendant, so i cannot push the call button again! - it's busy 'calling'.
I'd already texted our agency RN for advice; she was the one who said, ask the staff for help. I tell her my outcome.
She's shocked. // I have to leave at 10, & it's now 9:30. I take a considerable risk, leave my client, & go HUNT for another pair of hands. I find a CNA in an alcove at the far end of the hall, texting on her cell-phone.  They're all so busy, eh?...
She agrees with bad grace to help.
.
Over his protests, I roll the gent into his bedroom, take his button-down shirt off [over his head, finally - he wouldn't let us help with buttons, & he was still stuck on #1 button], lift him up, she pulls his pants down, & his briefs are... Bone-Dry.
This is not good, i arrived at 3:45 & he steadfastly refused to use the toilet every time i asked. It's 9:30 - could U go 5.75 hours without urinating, AND eat a full dinner? // I couldn't.
I lift him again after i've got his briefs over his knees; the other aide pulls them up, & she's gone. I get him into bed, & hurry out to see the facility aide waiting impatiently for the lift -- afraid i'll ask her to do something, LOL. I ask how i get his laundry done?... She says, ask at the office tomorrow, & steps into the lift.
.
My client is asleep in bed, but sitting bolt upright - shoulders to hips, off the bed. // By 10 to 10, he's finally lying supine, & deeply asleep. // I slip out at 10, leaving he door ajar in case he calls for help, & sign out of the facility. The connecting bus is late; I get to Kenmore & am misdirected by a T employee, have to go back up in the lift & go down another way.  In the interlude, my train leaves. At this hour, they don't run often, so now i wait.
I am lugging all my gear from the live-in shift - a 34-inch tall rollaway, an insulated bag of chill food, a bag of dry foods, & a shoulder-bag with my laptop. I get to Downtown Crossing, & must hump my rollaway down 3 flights of stairs. No elevator. I'm tired, cranky, & frustrated.
I get to Wellington, & i'm in no mood to wait 30-mins for a bus that will probly be late - i take a cab from the cabstand. The meter ticks over; $12 i can't afford, it's 12:30-am, & i'm at the B&B, to drag myself & my stuff to the porch [7 steps] & up a flight to the 1st floor.
I'm asleep by 1-am. // Up at 6:30, bathe, dress, out the door; buy a bagel & cream-cheese on the way, eat it while awaiting the express bus. Arr at 9-am, repeat the day before - with the addition of doing 3 loads of wash [colors, light, & towels]. I draft 2 visitors to stay with him so i can move loads into the dryer, & pray the other times that he won't get up while i'm gone.
He's on 3rd floor, but i was told to use the laundry room on 2, so i zip up & down on the lift - the stairs are for evacuation, & way-down the hall.
.
The client has breakfast, lunch, & dinner; plays a word game; watches the TV news; sees a program [assembled by the activities director] on all the Tonight Show hosts, from Steve Allen to Farrel; reads the Globe headlines in the library.
After lunch, the physical-therapist comes & works with him for 45-mins. then we go to a talk on influential physicists - my client is irritated that other residents are allowed to add their own stories or questions, & wants to leave. I keep saying "OK" & forgetting to go, LOL. Each time, he's drawn back in against his will.
[His life's work was psychology & human behavior; he was a researcher, & often consulted by law enforcement & judicial courts on juvenile crime. He helped design programs to intervene & get young offenders back into school, & avoid the revolving door of jail, out, jail... That's what we talk about, in between his meals & activities, & my attempts to get him to go to the bathroom.]
.
one BIG difference: today, he uses his walker, not the wheelchair. I have to watch him like a hawk, as he hooks the front wheels on things rather than go around them, but walking is good.  By 2:30-pm, he's starting to sundown & can't co-ordinate walking any more; back to the wheelchair. He still refuses to use the toilet, in his own room or anywhere else.
I even had his son [? - not sure if he is, altho that's how he introduced himself] ask him to go to the toilet - he said no. I thot perhaps modesty kept him from the toilet - apparently not.
.
The "son" was visiting only b/c the RIDE was spozed to phone at 4:30, & interview re his eligibility for door-to-door service.
At 4:45, he concludes they aren't calling & departs; not 2-mins later, the RIDE is on the phone, she'd called at 4:30 & left a message that she'd call back in 15-mins. No one can pick up his messages; no one knows his phone passcode. 
.
At 5-pm, we are getting into the lift for dinner when a young woman rushes up - she's the facility nurse, & wants to inventory his state of mind & health. She goes along to the ground floor, & i tell her about his refusal to use the bathroom, & his desert-dry briefs last night.
She immediately says she'll help me, thank God, & we go right to the ground-floor toilet.// He produces nothing.  His briefs are dry.
To the dining room for dinner; i go out & buy a sandwich, i'm dam*ed if i'll pay $10 flat-fee for what i can eat of the meat-heavy menu, again. // The nurse had said she'd help me toilet him again before I leave, & while we're in his apt on 3rd floor, the fire-alarm goes off deafeningly. The client gets upset by the noise - he wants me to turn it off, & of course, i can't.
15-mins later, the fire company shuts the alarm down, there was no fire.
It's 5 to 7, but we take him to the toilet, anyway; he produces a small amount of what must be highly-concentrated, very-dark urine, as it colors the water pale orange. I ask if they can use a hat to capture & measure his output, she says yes.
.
It's past 7 - i help my replacement lift him from toilet to chair, he's actively resisting, afraid she'll drop him.
7:15, i take the log to the breakroom on ground floor, & write my notes; 7:30 i clock out, return the log to his room, & take my laptop & charging cord downstairs; it's my turn to use the toilet. 
At 8-pm i leave the facility; at 9:45, i'm at the B&B. I'm wiped; in bed by 10:15.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
i'm posting from my mobile -
*Lots!* of changes recently, some very bad: my beloved MacAir laptop cannot B updated, i must somehow *BUY* a new-to-me Mac laptop, which of course, i cannot afford.
Cr*p. :-(
i arranged for a back-up onto a flash-drive, so i don't lose my personal stuff. The MacBook is over 90% recyclable, so it's literally going back to its Maker.
.
i was devastated when the tech gave me the bad news; i thot i'd B adding memory & buying a new OS, which was worry enuf at a couple hundred bucks.
My current unit co$t $1,100 in 2009 as a refurbished, fully warranteed laptop. God knows, i don't have a spare grand lying about, to splash out on a new Apple! :-(
.
After leaving MicroCenter, i went to the nearby Trader Joe's grocery & bought a "pound-plus" bar of bittersweet chocolate -
i haven't opened it yet, i know i'll need it when the emotional impact hits. After 7-yrs & 5-mos, my laptop is dead.
I can't get by without one - somehow, i MUST get another laptop, & ASAP.
.
There's 1 on sale, but it'll cost me $1,000-odd - it's 999 + tax. I won't be paid by my new 2nd job until the 14th, & I'm not sure what i'll net post-tax.
.
thank Goddess i *have* a 2nd job - a month ago, losing my laptop would have been catastrophic.
Now, it's "only" a disaster. It could have been much worse, as my initial contact with my new employers was by e-mail - what if i'd missed it on my mobile phone!?!... Yikes.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> i'm posting from my mobile -
> *Lots!* of changes recently, some very bad: my beloved MacAir laptop cannot B updated, i must somehow *BUY* a new-to-me Mac laptop, which of course, i cannot afford.
> Cr*p. :-(
> ...


Does it have to be a new / refurbished laptop ? You can get much cheaper second hand laptops eg from eBay which would certainly tide you over till you could afford a new / refurbished model.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
on my client's desktop for a brief check-in -
if i buy a used laptop, i get no warranty whatever. :-( With a refurbished unit, the warranty is the same as on a brand-new one.
.
with my current luck, i'd buy a used laptop for $300 & it would have malware pre-installed.  I'd probly have my checking acct drained, be slammed with overdue fines on all my bills, & be sleeping under bridges. =:--O
I'm not normally prone to doom-&-gloom fits, but at the mo', i'm not feeling blythely optimistic -- i'm feeling anxious.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
from my phone -
the techs phoned Mon-am to say they'd saved my personal stuff, & the flash-drive only co$t $5. Yay! 
.
bummer:
Today while @ job #2, i realized i *might* have left a pan on the stove, YIKES!! - i left @3:30, arr @ 4-pm, & it's now 6-pm.
=:--O
.
i said i gotta go, zipped down in the high-speed lift, got a cab, & fretted my way back to Allston in bumper-to-bumper traffic, raced up 2 flights, & found the pan burnt dry, but the apt intact, thank Goddess.
Parked the smoking-hot pan in the bathtub upside down to cool, & charged back to work in the same cab.
it cost me 30-bucks i can ill-afford, but hey - i saved a 3-story building from fiery ruin, with all its contents, & saved the citizens of Boston the cost of scrambling the fire-companies... which probly couldn't have arrived in time, given the crawling traffic.
.
i went back to work, stayed an extra hr to rplc the lost time, got back @ 10-pm, & i won't even need to rplc the pan -
it cooled slowly, & was undamaged. A miracle.
.
I am so thankful - it's literally been DECADES since i last forgot something crucial B4 leaving the house, & at that time, i lived in a small town in Pennsy, with a robust network of friends.
i phoned a friend in the next village, asked him to please check to see that the tap wasn't running in my bathtub [it was - he shut it off], & all was well.
10-mins elapsed time, & my apt-door was unlocked.
.
now, i'm in a major city, i know very few ppl, the apt-door IS locked, my host is out of town, & no one but me has a key -
except, of course, the bldg-Mgr, but i'd have no idea how to reach her / him, or the maintenance staff.
it's 11:30-pm local - time for sleep. I'll probly dream of burning houses, or being trapped in molasses-slow traffic in an emergency, eek!
Pleasant dreams, y'all...
.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
i'm on a library PC, can't stay long, but i'm now set up to use their system - whenever i can get here, probly 1 or 2X a week.
I've had no chance to check Apple's site for refurb units, i'm hoping there's a warranteed MacAir... meantime, it'll be my Lex client's desktop once or twice per wkend, & the library drg the week.
.
Yesterday i slept till 9-am, i was bushed - & ate brunch @ 11 as my only meal before returning from work.
good thing it was a decent meal, as i didn't get back until 10-pm... due to the "pan on the stove" panic! 









.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Can't bring myself to like your post about the pan on the stove - I felt your panic! - But brunch looks scrummy :Hungry. Good luck in your hunt for new 'puter; "what's for you won't go by you".


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
U cannot complain that my life is boring -
i rolled my 34-inch tall case into the hallway from my host's apt, there was a bump & a clatter, & i looked down to see ONE OF THE WHEELS lying on the lino.
=:-O
.
i'm in a cab... A 3-wheeled suitcase can't B easily moved along sidewalks, so walking to the T isn't an option.
:-( Thank God, my 2nd-job pay was deposited today - my acct is not scraping bottom.
.
I'll have to fix the case B4 Monday-AM, i'll need a drill, a square of sheet metal, & 4 stubby bolts.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Hellfire & damnation! --- my rollaway case, on closer exam, is UN-fixable. >:--[
.
It has a 5-yr warranty, but i have no idea how i go about replacing it or claiming reimbursement -
thank God, i kept the original tag & the receipt; i bought it @ T.J. Maxx, it's an Anne Klein suitcase in "hibiscus" [neon green w/ vivid pink trim], hard for drivers to miss when i cross busy streets.
;--}
.
I'll post a photo tomorrow, I'm too bummed to deal with this latest blow right now -
so far in the past fortnight, i've needed to rplc the OS on my Mac [pending - coupla hundred bucks], then the laptop itself [pending - approx a grand], then back up my about-to-B recycled personal stuff B4 wiping my hard drive [$70 + flash-drive cost],
& finally my rollaway suitcase [~$80].
.
.
i still haven't rplcd my lost $25 lifetime-guarantee brolly, all 36-inches width & double canopy.
.
I *did* buy a new-to-me pair of cotton khakis [$10 @ Goodwill] to rplc my summer pair, as the edges of the hems were fraying into unmendable fringe - I'd had them for 2-yrs, Tommy Bahama; i miss the interior change pocket within the rt pocket - i used it for my mobile phone - & the itty-bitty slit pocket at the waistband that i used for my door-key.
.
EDITED for corrections & add-ons, original post from my mobile.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
whew... I bought another 30-inch rollaway, this one with a 10-yr warranty [maybe it will make it to 24-mos, at least?], & I also had a **day off!** - Eureka! - What a concept. My weekday clients didn't sleep well on Tuesday night, & awoke with headaches, so they decided to take a personal day to veg-out at home & relax in PJs.
I used the day to shop for my replacement case, it's from It luggage in London, UK, & has zippered covers on Both Sides of the suitcase [vs nylon zipped over on one side, & elastic X-straps on the other of a split-book suitcase, which is the standard interior fitting].
This one has nylon with pockets on one side, & zippered mesh OVER an X-strap on the other, so that nothing falls out when opening the case - a detail I appreciate very much. 
.
I didn't get to shop Haymarket, but did get to Whole Foods - fresh local cider, a pound of 50/50 mesclun & spinach for salad, a wonderful sweet red Cheddar on sale [English import], & crimini shrooms, which are sautee'ing in EVOO as i type.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
family for dinner on Sat nite, table for 8 - 
red lentil soup, wonderful salad, vegie potstickers [i made a dipping sauce of cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar, sesame oil, & low-salt Tamari], 
& for dessert, an apple tart I made, with optional Cheddar on the side, or ice-cream - 6 opted for ice-cream, LOL.
Then we had a sing-along while one grown daughter cleared the kitchen & filled the dishwasher, & finished the evening with a killer game of Trivial Pursuit [M vs F], which ended in a draw of 9 correct answers each. 
.
my client, who has dementia, was emcee & read the questions [& answers] for both teams. It was a delicious dinner, we'll have leftovers tonite, & the game was great fun.
.
2 of us wimmen flipped the double-bed mattress for the lady of the house, after the guys [SIL & grandson] were too doggone dilatory about DOING the task so we could start the game - amazing how us weak, helpless females did all the work, & the Lords of Creation sat back & enjoyed the fruits of our labor // tongue-in-cheek, but only partly - 
the grandson played 2 pieces on the piano for his doting Gramps, & the SIL provided guitar accompaniment for the songs - if he knew the music. ;--}}
.
.
tomorrow for the FIRST TIME, i'll be at the same B&B for a repeat stay - thank God; i'm really tired of waking up & not knowing where the H*** i am for the first few minutes, & constantly having to find new transit routes --- to the B&B, or from my temp accommodations to my 2nd job.
i'm really looking forward to having some basic familiarity with the neighborhood, the routes in & out, & where i can get groceries - or basic toiletries, etc.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Sounds like you had a lovely day.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
my new rollaway is a blessing, it packs well, rolls smoothly, & i can hook a bag over the rolling-handle.
.
.
i had a long, double-shift Monday, as usual, left @ 8-pm, arr @ my BnB at 9-pm, & found... a pitch-black apt.
???...
my host did not respond to my text, she was probly @ work - i contacted Customer Svc, but their only sugg'n was a [recompensed] hotel, & another trip by pub-transit after a 12-hr day held no appeal. 
i was dead-beat, & simply wanted sleep.
The power-outage involved the whole bldg, not only the apt, & when i looked at the truck i'd passed in the street-intersXn, it was EverSource - an electric-power Co, working under a manhole.
I wanted sleep desperately, but also didn't want my perishable *food* spoiled - it had already been in an insulated bag for 8-hrs.
The 'frig was dead, merely cool, but the food in the freezer was still hard - so i slipped my whole bag into the freezer, & read by the screen of my cell-phone in the dark.
Thank God, power was restored at 11:30-pm, i staggered down the steps to my basement room with my rollaway & bags, put the table-lamp on by the bed, turned the electric baseboard heating on to 70'F, back upstairs, pulled my bag of food out of the freezer & split the contents [5 items to freeze, the bag entire in the 'frig], & at last put my own sheets & pillows on the bed, & fell into it at midnight.
.
I awoke at 4 to pee, & at 4:02, the power went out again.  I was too damned tired to care - i went back to bed, & when my host FINALLY texted me back [at 7:30-am!!!] it was working again.
.
I went back to bed, & woke @ 10-am... rested, at last. I don't sleep deeply on nites that i'm on-call, so these nights when i'm not anticipating being awakened at any moment are vital for "real" sleep.
.
a good day at #2 job, i made Chicken something-or-other [ETA: Chkn Piccata] but with pork [boneless pork-chops, 1" thick] , on Mon, & cottage-pie tonight.
Tomorrow is laundry day, & B4 i go in i'm going to return 4 books to the library - a darned good excuse to get on-line for an hour. 
.
i still have no laptop, i'm posting from my phone - which is hinky & awkward, but do-able.
However, i can't see my watched threads, open the drop-down for my alerts, or otherwise funcXn as usual on PF-uk.
i can access this thread only 'cuz i've bookmarked the page.
.
Payday for job #2 is this Friday - blessed be! 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
finally made it to the library! - I did drop off the books to B returned, but couldn't stay to get on-line, as they close @ 9-pm & limit access to the 'Net to 1-hr max. It's abt 5-pm Wed, & tomm i'll go to Beverly & visit my fave resell / used-goods store -
the male half of my weekday client couple needs pants, 2 pairs of jeans are worn to a frazzle & must be discarded. He thinks that he wears 31 / 31, so i'll buy 2 pair & hope he's right... they're having a half-price sale on clothing, 50-cents for some items [clothes & accessories - hats, gloves, scarves, etc].
.
For myself, I need long-sleeved shirts - i'll check the racks for men's LS turtlenecks or crewnecks in autumn colors or jewel tones. [Wimmen's shirts are always too short, I wear a 31 or 32 inch sleeve length.]
.
Whole Foods has an amazing 50% off sale running on organic fruit & veg, I bought a pint of red raspberries & 3# of red seedless grapes, plus 2 heads of cauliflower - which i'll roast in the oven w/ EVOO to caramelize them, maybe with some crushed garlic cloves. Then i'll make chowder, yum! :-D
I ate all the berries in 2 portions, with Greek yog, pomegranate molasses, & concentrated tart-cherry juice - one for late-night snack last night, the other for brekkie this morning. They were SCRUMPTIOUS - so when I went by to drop off compost & recycling today, & the sale was still on, I bought 2 more, LOL. I might get some to take back with me to Lexington...
.
Today may be the last day for Somerville's farmers' market, i'll try to check on-line; if I miss the artisan baker, I'm getting *When Pigs Fly *bread tomm, in Beverly - free loaves, past their sell-by date but nonetheless wonderful.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
i had a great train-trip, enjoyed a brisk 45-mins of shopping @ Bootstraps, found 2 pr of pants for my M client, 1 each turtleneck / long-sleeve shirt / wool vest for me, 5 S/S teaspoons @ 25-cts each also for my client-couple, AAaannnd... a beautiful handmade basket for moi, for $4. Very exciting stuff - the pants & shirts & vest were all 50% off, so $4 each, hurrah!
i was chuffed. 
.
.
I returned to find a new guest in Rm #1, a photographer in town for a 1-day job; born in Brazil, he grew up / lives in L.A., Calif.
i was thrilled that it began raining, a lovely gentle shower, while i was in the charity shop, & he was happy to walk in the rain to get a late dinner.
When he returned, he told me he had met a 6-YO girl last week in L.A. who told him she'd "never seen rain" when he said he was from Brazil, as she asked it rains there, doesn't it?... & then asked what rain was like.

We've had over 12-hrs of gentle rain, I'm so happy.
beautiful rain.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
my lexington client had a worrying symptomless rash on his feet - i saw it Sat-AM as soon as i took down the bedcovers, as his feet were 'normal colored' & his toes were covered by 1/8th to 1/4th inch pink spots!
Sole clue:
all lesions are BELOW the edge of his compression stockings, worn daily.
I wonder if he got new socks [go over his stockings to cover bare toes], used new soap / other toiletry, or if something in his *shoes* [usually worn simply over stockings / bare toes] pulled the trigger on a reaction?...
I soak both feet individually in Epsom salts solution, 3 Tbsp to 1.5 Qt.
.
later, when his wife gets up, she casually says "he did have ringworm a few months back..."
EEK! - bl**dy dam*ed spores are highly portable, incredibly hardy, & live for YEARS in air vents, upholstery, bedding, carpets, almost anything not disposable or that cannot be inserted in a clothes washer or dryer.

Why the H*** didn't the agency-RN tell me abt this B4 i came into the house / onto the case?! --- luckily, my own shoes are washable & believe me, they'll go in the washer B4 i leave each week, to air-dry overnite Sun/Mon.
.
He had an appt coming on Tues with a podiatrist, so i urged his wife to tell the Dr abt it & ask him to check it under UV-light, to see if it fluoresces.
75% of ringworm species glow under UV.
.
Unfortunately, if his feet R on the floor for 5-mins or more, his toes turn purple [circ problems] & the spots beome irregular puffy light-pink areas, much more diffuse & almost invisible, if U don't already know where they are / were.

the Dr saw him after he'd walked downstairs, ridden 20-mins in the car, walked in, sat in the waiting-rm, & couldn't see any rash - drabbit.
So he didn't even LOOK w/ a UV-lite. Crap.

.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I'm in Quincy, MA, & while @ the wonderful local library, i asked a fellow-foodie staffing the info desk where she'd recommend for good tastes -
not pricey nor fancy, just good food.
She suggested "the Fat Cat" - i walked there, & while it was much noisier than i prefer with a 10 to 15-min wait for a table, i hadn't eaten in a restaurant since Sept, & was looking forward to a good meal.
The librarian said they're famous for their Mac & Cheese - which i didn't see on the menu, but i *did* see fish & chips, with hand-cut fresh fries.
I love fish & chips, & haven't had them since i lost my full-time live-in in Newton, in March-2015.
I ordered fish & chips, with malt vinegar, please. 
.
i was disappointed - the fries were beautiful, but so salty i couldn't eat them, & the lovely thin crispy breading on the fish was greasy, plus tasted strongly of chicken fat.

my entire plate went back to the kitchen after 3 bites - i tried to eat the fish dissected of its greasy chicken-fat breading, but the filet was too thin & couldn't be peeled.
I ate a bowl of house slaw, drank a cup of decaf, & left.
.
.
on my way out, i passed a waitron with a ginormous soup-plate in each hand, full of... mac & cheese.
. *sigh*
.
Yesterday & the day B4, i dutifully ate my cauliflower chowder, & while it was good, i must admit i yearned for a lovely fish & chips!
.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
BTW if U visit Quincy, the next town down on the T toward Boston is Wollaston, & like many names in MA it's got a local pronunciation -
not Woll-as-tun, but WALL-uss-stun.
.
i got a glimpse of rolling hills from the train - a lovely rolling quilt of lush green pastures & multicolored tree crowns.
Beautiful. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
the last few days have been singularly cursed, re public transit:
on Monday, i walked the entire lo-o-ong concourse between Red & Orange lines, only to B told i'd have to reverse & walk back - which, i might add, is UP-hill, just to salt the wound. :-(
I was told to switch to the Green line, which has 4 car trains of low capacity - it was swamped by thousands of disgruntled, displaced Orange line passengers.
[There was a disabled train blocking the Orange line.]
.
Today, i skipped the Orange line as my BnB boasts no TV nor radio, & i had no way of knowing whether they'd cleared the track.
I thot i'd B smart, & use the Green line - which ran unusually slow, at one intersection we sat thru 2 cycles of the traffic light with no explanation given.
I hopped off at Kenmore to do an end run via the Boston Univ shuttle... & we were behind an MBTA bus when it *stopped* to drop-off & pick-up across from my client's building.
The driver wouldn't open the door so i got debark, he said "I'd B blocking traffic" [by not pulling into the lay-by].
I tartly pointed out that he was **already** blocking the rt-lane, as the lay-by was fully occupied, & the sidewalk was directly at the door. Nothing doing. *sigh*...
Eventually, the bus pulled out, ours pulled & i finally got off - i phoned my client from the foyer 12-mins late.
.
.
tonight, i hustled to the library, used their computer for 20-mins B4 i was involuntarily cut off [they close @ 9, PCs are killed @ 8:45], & i grumpily decided to go back to Whole Foods for groceries.
I scored some great food, but my timing sucked - the Green line train i caught to go "home" was stopped cold 1/3 of the way by an eejit who'd DRIVEN * HIS [assumption on my part of driver's gender] CAR * onto the train-tracks -- not 'across' the line at an intersection, but driving ===> along it!
He [again, my assumption] made it 20-ft or more from the track / street intersection B4 stopping. We had to back up past the previous intersection, & await a tow-truck. :-(
To be cont'd...
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
last night, when i began my tale of transit woes, all the passengers on our 4-car trolley had been evicted by the driver after a convo with HQ, who advised her to send us up the road to a bus-stop to "get the #57, go to Packard's Corner, & catch a train there to continue on the Green line".
We all debarked & shuffled off across the dark street, & a half-block to the bus shelter. When i looked at the bus-stop sign, I immediately worried - only an express & the #FORTY-seven, not '57', were listed. When i asked if she'd said 47, everyone near me was sure she hadn't - yet none of the crowd seemed concerned. About 5-mins later, we saw the FORTY-7, which stopped for 2 or 3, but about 4-dozen strandees remained - 10 or 12 had waited awhile, then drifted off afoot.
Another 5-mins plus, & here comes the FIFTY-7, bowling along, stuffed to the gills, IN * THE * CENTER * LANE, & blows right by - we're alongside a rt-turn only lane, leading to an exit ramp! -- & despite my saying "Flag him!", no one lifted an arm [I had 3 bags, groceries in each hand plus a few in my shoulder bag, & no hand free to wave the bus-driver down]. He couldn't have stopped, in any case. 
Everyone else dribbbled away into the dark - i couldn't hoof it, the distance was too far even if i'd had no parcels.
I trudged back to the parked trolley, convinced the [male] driver of the 1st car to open the door & speak to me, no easy task, & explained that the "#57" alternative had been a fiasco.
He finally let me sit on the train, out of the cold, & wait for the tow-truck to arrive & clear the tracks.
.
I didn't get "home" till 11:30, exhausted & anxious.
This morning i was up at 7, but hadn't the heart to check for election results - i'm without TV, newspaper, or radio in my BnB. At 9:15 i screwed up my courage & then got the bad news.
I don't want to live in this country, under this blundering bigot - period. I don't know how long it will take to find a way out, but step 1 is getting a passport - there's a 90 to 120-day backlog.
Given my financial situation, it may well be impossible, but i will at the very least, investigate it. I can't bear the thought of 4-yrs enduring his tantrums, ignorance, & arrogance. Nor can i bear to think about the damage to the nation & the planet of short-sighted profiteering & unrestricted corporate greed. I need to get out of here. Period.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
i had 2 whole hours on break, & lavished all of them on laptop-research, hoping for a refurb unit w/ warranty... plus i checked out the specs. Sadly, memory in the new Macs isn't upgradeable, what U get is *it*.
So i need to get 8GB, not 4, as i will have it for a long time - hopefully longer than my 2008-model.
.
I *did* find something thaat while a bit scary, is also hopeful: i could use a linked credit card to buy my laptop, & so long as it's paid-off in 18-mos, there's zero interest.
.
.
to pay the grand off, i have to bet that i'll keep both my jobs for the duration, **Or** that if i lose one or t'other, i'll be able to quickly slot in a rplcmt job --- which to be brutally honest, is unlikely. 
finding a job that fit 'inside' my prior committment [Fri-noon to Mon-noon] was sheer luck, as the MA governor forced disabled consumers to limit their PCs to 40-hrs / wk, & all those who need 6 to 7 days / wk care obv use over 40-hrs of aide's time.
My resume' posted on the state-run website for PCAs got me a phone-call for an interview.
.
.
I don't know if i want to chance going into debt, to get a laptop; God knows i need it, but my hand-to-mouth paycheck life, even working 6 days of every 7, means i can easily fall off the razor's edge of "barely making it". That's a real worry.
.
.
meantime, i rcvd an unusual text from our, a-hem, dear CEO. I'll tell U abt it in the next post.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
OK - so i woke late on Sat & zipped thru using the toilet, got my client up / bathed / dressed / into the dng-rm, gave him the paper, cooked his brkfst, & ate my own.
Then i went to change from PJs to daily, & found this text on my phone -- no way our beloved leader *got up* on a Sat to send it, she robo-called us all @ 8-AM.
.
this is verbatim:
.
"Re: update on live-in & 24+ cases
.
[Company] LLC is making modifications to its sleep & break-time policies for all staff effective 1/1/2017 who spend 24-hr periods in client homes.
All employees will have 8-hours of *unpaid sleep time* per day. Break time will not be a formally recognized portion of your day although *you are encouraged* to take paid breaks _*when convenient*_ for clients *for MEALS*.
Please contact myself or [agency RN] with any questions about this change.
If you are unwilling to have an 8-hour unpaid sleep period, the agency will try to place you in a position that does not require an unpaid sleep period.
Clients will be notified of this change to sleep & break structure as well.
Effective 1/1/2017, you will see an increase in your compensation for your existing position compared with today.
Although it is consistent with the minimum wage increase from $10 to $11, I am happy that you will all benefit from this increase as you all work very hard & I thank you for everything you each do every day to help your clients.
Every single one of you receiving this note is highly valued by this agency & highly respected on a personal level by myself & [agency RN].
All the best,
- your CEO / Grand Poo-bah / Hooded executioner / boss"
.
.
so... Obv, this missive was prompted by the new state rules that force her to give us all more money.
Whoopee - an extra $1 / hr, but it's still 'minimum wage'. She values us highly? - praps she could pay us a living wage, & all her aides would not qualify for food stamps?... Just a thought.

.
I'm not at all sure this ploy of hers is legal, as the "unpaid sleep hours" will inevitably mean some aides WILL be up & working during those supposedly off-hours. Toilet trips, tummy upsets, dementia wandering / confusion, etc, pay no attn to the clock. We were being paid 2 hours of our 8-hrs of presumed sleep *b/c* our clients may get us up at any time; we're on call.
She's not telling her clients that they cannot get us up, especially for any sort of emergency! ---
that's why we're here, after all.
.
I'm betting that making 8-hrs overnite unpaid, yet keeping us all on call, is not legal. It just saves her 2-hrs of wages for every aide, which will make up the lost profit from the $1 / hr wage increase.
Such a schmoozer, she says all these nice things -- while taking away a good chunk of our weekly wages, she assures us we are valued & "respected". Yeah, right. >.<
I'm losing 3 x 2 x 10 = $60 gross / wk, which is $60 x 75% = $45 net per wk, or - in a 52-wk year - a loss of $2,340 in net earnings.
.
To offset that, the state-min-wage raise will add $1 x 36-hrs / wk x 52-wks = $1,872 gross /yr, or 1872 x 75% = $1,404 net add'l per year, assuming i work every shift of every week.
.
We aides will gain far-less than she's deducting, & there's no way i'll work unpaid hours if i *am* awakened overnite - I'll put in for that time, if & as it occurs.
Interesting, that us 'valued employees' aren't worth more than min-wage. I think i'm going to begin soliciting my fellow PCAs to join Union 1199, & press for $15 / hr.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

If you don't think the new terms are legal can't you refer it (anonymously) to an ombudsman or the employment department?

If all your colleagues have been given the same terms she won't know who reported her and the authorities should be able to force her to do the right thing by her workers.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
never fear, i fully intend to talk to the Employment Stds Office, & i'll be printing the text in its entirety for them to read.
.
.
I'll also address her "on call" status for her employees, while still deducting Unemplyment Ins payments when she won't let us collect, when our hours are cut, the job evaporates [client dies, client moves into nursing home, etc], or we're laid off in favor of someone else.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
this morning, on my 1 day off each week, i spent 90-mins trying to fix a persistent problem with my mobile -
via Samsung tech-support, i was referred by Virgin Slow-boil's tech-supp.
.
.
by the time i gave-up & hung-up, after speaking to 2 different techs on 2 calls, i didn't know if i should break down & sob, or leap out the window -
but it's only 3-stories, & with my luck, i'd survive, with severe chronic injuries.
:---(
Needless to say, it's not fixed; i can't get any public-transit directions, altho 'driving' & 'walking' both work... since i haven't a car, driving directions are useless, & i can't WALK distances that take 90-mins by bus & subway!
.
.
it's making me nutz; i must phone the Mass. Transit Authority to get directions for anywhere i haven't been B4, which can only be done M-F from 8-AM to 5-PM; another of Gov Baker's money-saving ploys, he cut phone-hrs by 3-hrs on wkdays, & eliminated phone-hrs entirely on wkends.
.
.
or... IF i'm not at a client's, & IF i can get to a library, i can use a public terminal to get transit directions.
It's maddening. // I feel so frustrated. Being off-line as my laptop is dead is bad-enuf; being unable to get directions when i need them is the sour cherry on my spoiled cake.

.
it's 1:30-pm, i wasted my morning on 3 tech calls [20-mins with Virgin, 90 with Samsung], & i'm going to leave & do 3 needful things: Return my client's laundry-card, Get my mail & pray God my new chip-card is among the envelopes, & go to a library for 'Web time.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
my chip-card still had not arrived by 7-pm last Thursday; i was told by the Asst-Mgr at my bank that my temp-card "isn't usable on-line", but either she's wrong or the BnB website ignores this restriction, b/c thank God, i was able to make reservations for the wk of Dec-5th to 9th.
.
I haven't tried it anywhere else, which has caused problems for me: i missed some limited-time sales for staples i use, as i wasn't sure the card would work, & didn't want to suck-up my few off hours trying & failing to make purchases on-line.
.
.
I'm back with the Uzbeckistani grad-student in Brighton; her roommate moved out in Sept, & her BF came from Uzbeck "to visit" - they took over her former bedroom, bought another cheap twin for the housemate's previously-solo room, & rent out both as shared accommodations.
I don't think her BF is merely visiting; he left B4 she did this morning, probly for a cash-by-the-day job. We all do what we must.
.
.
Last night i was vividly reminded that i'm not 25-YO anymore; after a 14-hr day & a 90-min trip schlepping my luggage to job #2, i arrived at the BnB at last, at 10-PM.
I'd been on my feet since 7-AM & was wiped-out. My host had already texted me that "the elevator is shut down for 2-wks - renovations", notably AFTER i'd confirmed my reservation,  but said she'd help me get my stuff upstairs.
I texted her, & shortly thereafter she & BF came down, he took my rolling case, she took my insulated bag of cold food, & i carried my dry-goods & shoulder-bag... up 5 flights of stairs. I thot she was on the 4th floor & accordingly tapped at apt #4 on that floor, after dragging myself up the steps.
No one opened it, so i tapped again - & then the cavalry sounded, my host had realized i wasn't just behind her, & bugled down the steps, LOL.
She came hustling down to find me, & said, "oh, no, we're on the FIFTH floor...", at which news, i wanted to lie down in the hallway & sleep there, rather than climb another flight.
.
working 6 days of every 7 is tough; i don't know how long i can do it, & even with the 2nd income, it'll be months B4 i might possibly have 3-grand in a lump sum to get a proper lease.
That's assuming i don't get hurt or ill, at any point. Meantime, i drop $240 to $360 a week, sleeping in spare rooms or in 1 room of for-the-purpose entire apartments, whose every room but kitchen & bathroom are "bedrooms".
.
.
This is Thanksgiving week; i must get to Lexington early, as the family is going to Connecticut for a delayed T-day feast on Friday.
Next week is my birthday, & spending the next 4 days staggering up & thumping down 5 flights will keep me wondering: How much longer can i do this?
The age-gap between myself & my clients keeps shrinking; when i was 15, my 1st client was 85. In my 40s, my elderly clients had 3 or 4 decades on me.
I'm in decent overall health, but age is a fact, & i'm inexorably inching closer to my clients' ages. Last week as i was leaving my BnB, the weight of my rolling case on a shallow steep stone staircase pulled me over, & i was unceremoniously dumped on the steps - luckily, "only" bruises, but it made work Fri & Sat difficult till the sore muscles unkinked. I still have a blue-green memo on my right buttock, & a tender lumbar.
.
.
What next? - I'll need work that's less physically demanding. I can't 'retire', i have no pension, no savings, & would have no income.
I'll have to shelve that thought; duty calls...
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
amid my personal worries [aging, employment, housing...] & my worries for the future of our planet & my country, there are bright spots alight with hope.
.
.
God bless MA-state Atty-General, Maura Healey -- not onlyis she a strong voice for gun-control (curiously unsupported by her fellow Dems, in state or out, during the run-up to a contentious Prez election), but she's a strong voice for the civil rights of individuals & groups.
She established a new statewide hotline to report incidents of sexual, racial, religious, ethnic, or gender-ID discrimination, particularly verbal abuse, intimidation, coercion, or harassment. LBGTQ folks, hajib-wearing women, streetwalkers, undocumented immigrants - we all have =rights= in this state, defined by the MA Civil Rights Act, & Ms Healey intends to see those rights protected & defended.
There are TV-ads promoting the (verbal) defense of someone being harassed or threatened on the street, & explaining how to report such incidents on the hotline, or via social media.
.
.
re non-human animals in MA, the Good Samaritan bill signed in August goes into force this Thursday [Thanksgiving].
The bill protects passersby & ACOs who intervene to protect an animal left in a hot / cold car, or dogs who are tethered in dangerous weather (extreme cold, hot & humid) or hazardous conditions (accumulated waste, dirty water, etc).
So long as they make reasonable attempts to locate the owner FIRST, plus notify Animal Control, *and* use reasonable force, they can break into the car to free the animal, or report / remove the tether & get the animal to safety.
"Reasonable force" means U cannot break all 4 windows of a car in order to get an animal out of it, & similar in the instance of tethering.
Good Samaritans cannot be charged with malicious mischief or sued for the value of property damaged in an extrication / rescue.
This is a good thing, IMO.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
rough day - traffic was incredible, the bus went so slowly i swear i could have walked faster, & i was 10-mins late.
I prepped a T-day feast for 4, & the stuffing [a variation on classic bread stuffing] took 3 cups of sliced leeks, & 2 cups of celery - to 16 cups of cubed bread, a pound of sliced crimini shrooms, & a half-cup of parsley.
Then it baked, covered, for 30-mins while i cleaned house; i'd already washed a sinkload of dishes, taken down, washed & hung the shower curtains, & swept the floor, plus made cheeseburgers, tater-tots, & steamed broccoli.
I made the bed & cleaned the bathrm while the stuffing cooked uncovered another 30-mins, & cleaned the living-rm.
I left over an hour late - instead of 8, it was 9:15, so the library was closed, i couldn't return my finished book or pick up another to read. 
I waited 20-mins for the BU shuttle, finally concluded it wasn't running, & took the Green line, reversing direction by crossing over 4 stops down.
Then i waited thru 3 trains for the B line, & as i walked down the cars... the driver closed the doors, & pulled out.
I'd already waited 20-mins.
I caught the next train, but didn't get in, exhausted & hungry, until 11:10-PM.
.
thank God i'm off tomorrow - i'm in no fit state to cope with any more frustrations.
Being homeless for over a year now has been a huge strain; my dead laptop & my retarded "smart" phone have only made a bad situation worse.
.
tomorrow the city will be largely shut down for the holiday; i'm going to the arboretum, i want to see the bonsai.
it's 20 to 1; i ate sunseed butter & apple butter on a raisin bagel, with cider.
off to bed - hopefully, happy dreams.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm full of admiration for you L4L - life is such a struggle and you keep on going!

You deserve a break from the daily battle and I hope you get it soon. A nice, cushy job with an annexe to live in!

I know Thanksgiving is all about being grateful for what you have, but everyone could do with a little more 

Take care x


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
i'm just as thankful [praps more] for the things i don't have:
i don't have any chronic health conditions; other than adverse reactions to drugs, & a beesting allergy, i'm in decent health.
.
i don't have, as many women do, children to provide for, whose father took off. Women earn less, but are far-more likely to be single parents than Dads; poverty is the rule, not the exception, for households with a female single parent.
.
i don't have a car; i don't have to find a place to leave the bl**dy thing when i'm not in it, i don't have to move it for opposite-side streetcleaning or worry about a snow-plow either buying it or smashing it, i donit have to scrape up the money for snow-treads or chains, oil changes or inspections, insurance or repairs.
.
the only person i must provide for is me; that's a lot less worry. 
if i screw-up, nobody else pays for my bad decision.
.
I *do* have public transit - & i'm deeply grateful for that. The last few weeks notwithstanding, mostly it works very well - the broken elevator, the eejit who tried to drive the RR-tracks, are anomolies.
Generally the drivers are helpful, the buses & T run on time or close to it, & they get hundreds of thousands of ppl to work, to play, to appts of all kinds, & back again.
.
I *do* have work; being without a job is a massive worry, & i'm truly grateful for both my jobs. That they slot together is an incredible stroke of luck. 
I loooked for =months= for part-time, & this fell in my lap - sheer serendipity.
.
I'm thankful i'm in Mass, not Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, or Montana; & praise God, i'm out of Tidewater Virginia. Black ppl here may earn less than white counterparts, but they can become lawyers, Drs, judges, CEOs of their own companies, & they're not 2nd-class citizens.
They don't earn what their white colleagues do, but they get as much [or as little, from some ppl] respect on the street. 
.
I like hearing polyglot languages, all over town; in a given day, i might hear Farsi, Russian, Hindi, Polish, French, Japanese, & German.
Boston isn't New York, & i'm glad of it; NYC is rude, hectic, & loud. Boston goes to bed at midnight; fine by me, LOL.
Visitors from L.A. complain they can't go out to eat at 3-am; so what? -- they can eat between 5-am & 10-pm in real restaurants, or find a 24/7 diner & have the $4 breakfast special. Quit whining.
.
Yes, MA has higher taxes - but it also provides more services. There was a column reminding residents that with Daylight Savings ended, we need to be aware of bicyclists & pedestrians on the streets, & drivers need to share the roads.
A company that manufactures them donated bike-lights by the case, & volunteers would be giving them to any bicyclist they saw without a headlight.
Reflective armbands are being given out for elderly residents, so they're more visible crossing the street.
.
Boston's a big city, but it's human-scale. It's not as hard-edged as NY, nor as cosmopolitan as L.A., nor as business-oriented as Chicago - fine by me. It starts to wind-down at 10-pm, it doesn't have Watts as a perennial enclave of anger & hunger, & Sundays are quieter than the other 6.
.
Massachusetts gave all its electoral votes to Clinton - & if not for the dam*ed Electoral College, she'd be moving into the Oval Office as Obama's successor.
Mayor Walsh wrote a personal letter to reassure residents of Boston that the presidential election results, while disappointing, were not reason to fear; wholesale deportations & a revival of discrimination weren't going to happen on his watch. I apppreciated that - not only the fact, but that he saw his residents were worried, & took the time to write.
.
I'm struggling, but so are many other ppl; we all cope as best we can. I'm not sleeping under bridges [yet], i'm not eating out of Dumpsters, i'm not going to soup-kitchens or dressed in 2nd-hand polyester.
Yes, i shop at GoodWill, but i'm buying my clothing, not digging thru a cardboard box for anything in my size in a church hall.
It could be worse. Anything can happen; complacency is potentially deadly.
.
as for keeping on - What choice is there, really?
I'm not doing anything remarkable; suicide is messy, & persistence means i just might get a lucky break. Ya never know.
.
my one plan for today is the Arboretum - i love bonsai, & tho the bonsai pavilion won't be open, i can admire them thru the windows, & the acres & acres of garden are open to the public every day of the year.
Free admission.
I'm packing a picnic lunch. 
.
Yesterday abt 2-pm, the agency CEO offered me a 12-hr shift today @ time-&-a-half; 8-am to 8-pm. I said no, thanks - i had a prior committment. Didn't tell her it's to me. ;--D
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Hope you had a lovely day!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
my Uzbeki host warned me i'd have to share "my" room for Thurs night with a male guest, & i was rather dreading it -
he arrived this morning at 11 [getting to bed after midnight, i was asleep till 8:45 today], & thankfully he's English-fluent, friendly as a puppy, & gay as a trivet. 
.
all i knew before his arrival was that he's a college student from S Korea, & several of the Korean men i've known were rather morose & very demanding; women, in their eyes, were mostly for ordering about.
I'm glad he's cheerful, charming, & utterly disinterested in women, LOL.
.
.
I'll be here again the 2nd week of Dec, & then i'll share the room nightly - again, with a male. I can only hope he's half as nice as this man.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
it's 5-pm, pitch-dark, & spitting a fine, chilly rain; i didn't get to the arboretum, *but* i got within sniffing distance, know How to get there, & saw a huge new chunk of the city.
 I'm very satisfied. // I'd never been to Jamaica Plain, so the entire area is new to me; saw some wonderful architecture covering over 2 centuries, Edwardian, Victorian, turn of the century, Roaring 20s, Art Deco, some hideous block-bldgs from the Bauhaus era, mid-century modern, 1960s panel & pane - including the marvelous Mass College of Art & Design, eye-catching in daylight & gorgeous after dark - & right up to the present.
.
The grounds of the park surrounding Arboretum are massive, & glimpses can be seen from the height afforded by a bus seat; many trees are still holding their tinted leaves.
The trip was much-longer than i expected, & i arrived with an hour or less before dark, with a minimum 20-min walk to the gate.
So i cased the area, ate my lunch, figured out how to get there, & caught another bus back.
.
Snow was expected, but the air felt damp to me as soon as i left the BnB, & the sky looked pregnant, so i wasn't surprised by the rain [my $8 GoodWill coat, a NorthFace all-weather missing its zip-out liner, has a hood, & water runs right off it].
.
my timing was great! - the bus hadn't gone a block from the terminal when fine rain began to glitter on the windshield.
No matter - I'm currently exploring the Prudential Center, a sprawling city-block plus of shopping arcades, restaurants, hotels, business towers, boutiques, & kiosks. 99% of it is closed today, but i'm window-shopping & getting the geography down: client #2 comes here, especially in winter, so it behooves me to know where stuff is. ;--}
.
my new chip-card [debit] *finally* arrived, i picked it up yest, but haven't activated it yet.
In the same batch of mail was a birthday card from the agency, enclosing a gift-card for Dunkin' Donuts. [if DD offers senior-discount coffee, i'm gonna stretch that baby out like taffy.]
.
.
Gotta get to sleep early tonite, my Lex client phoned, she'd like me to B there by 10-ish, so a 9-am departure.
They want to depart for Conn. by 11, 11:30 at the latest [the lady of the house has a hard time getting out the door, despite all her best efforts, so my task will be getting all needed items into the car - hubby, walker, traveling pack, tissues, drinks, snacks, & then separating her from things not done or the landline, so we can leave.]
.
I'm looking forward to the trip, i haven't seen much of CT since we camped thru it when i was in high-school.
The family dinner will be a blast, i'm sure; 4 generations, possibly 5, opinionated, affectionate, educated, & fun-loving.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
we had a wonderful trip, minimal traffic [just one 10 or 15-min slo-o-ow trip to a single-car width exit ramp], & had an incredible feast. 
The sole major glitch was that our designated driver, their adult daughter, decided not to go at beyond the last minute - we were literally waiting for her in the car, already late, & the lady of the house came out, got in the driver's seat, & we departed.
[Their daughter is dealing with advanced cancer, & will leave this coming Thurs for hyperthermic treatment in Europe - she decided she had too much to do, & couldn't afford to spend the day & evening in CT.]
.
We picked up their other daughter, who drove the rest of the way up & back, as the lady of the house won't drive after dark - she can't handle glare & her night vision isn't good.
.
We had a beautiful trip, on a soft damp autumnal day - thin gentle showers, light fog in the uplands, still some muted color in the trees. Here & there, masses of granite or slate erupted from the ground, forming domes or cliffs.
.
we arrived a little past 2, the house was boiling with relatives - sisters, brothers, grandkids, nieces, nephews, BFs, GFs.
The kitchen island was covered with noshies, dolmathes stuffed with seasoned rice & raisins, spanakopita, carrot-&-squash soup, stuffed shells [2-bite size] filled with ricotta & mozz & baked in marinara, a cheese board with 4 cheeses, crackers, good breads.
There was a storm of introductions, a SIL & a grandson each took an arm for my client while i held the gait-belt behind & we went up 4 steps into the house.
Everyone ate & drank & talked & laughed, caught up on lives & jobs & changes, & now and then, talk of the Trumpling brought the party down. 
But they were too happy at being together to stay down long.
.
.
dinner was scrumptious; a roast turkey was the only non-vegetarian item, even the 2 dressings had no stock or broth, so the veg-heads had a field day.
Israeli cous-cous in a warm salad with cranberries & almonds; mashed pots with sour-cream & Parm; baked sweet potatoes, peel & all; kale casserole; a ginormous tossed salad; challah for Sabbat; pumpkin rolls; more stuffed shells, for anyone who missed the 1st batch. It was all luscious. 
.
.
after dinner, we took a break & split into clusters around the house, then rejoined for desserts - pumpkin chiffon pie, pecan pie, apple pie, 3 kinds of cookies, decaf coffee, more wines, tea, cider.
.
finally, a rousing game of Apples to Apples with 15 players [by this time, 8 ppl had left] rounded off the day.
Sated & happy, we left at 9:30 & got back at 11:30; it was midnite B4 my client was abed, as his grandson & wife did some 4-hand piano B4 daughter, SIL, & G'son left for their home.
.
I got up at 7:30 just to ensure i had some time for me; my client was up at 8:30, & having brekkie at 9:30.
We'll go for a walk B4 lunch. 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

It sounds like you and your client and family had a wonderful time. The list of food sounds delicious.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
we had a great walk B4 lunch [client & i] - he always worries abt "being cold", LOL, so he wants to bundle himself into immobility, but it's been worryingly mild [50s in daylight] & a light jacket was plenty.
I added a light woolen scarf, a canvas bucket-hat, & gloves; gloves only b/c the walker is aluminum, & chilly to hold.
.
we walked the entire "block" again, & this time without 1 break for a sit-down to catch his wind.
It took us an hour when we 1st tried it; today we got back in 40-mins flat.
.
we'd just turned back onto their U-shaped street & gone past 2 houses when i touched his sleeve to stop him: the local flock of wild turkeys was 30-ft ahead on our Rt.
I yelped a few times, we walked up slowly, & they paced us, feeding in yards & thru the woods along the way.
The old tom is still missing; the 2 adolescents & the stubby-bearded kid were there, plus all 11 hens / adults & youths, mixed.
Some of the presumed "hens" are young toms; their heads are pinking-up.
.
they paced us almost all the way 'home', at one point when we outpaced them, half the flock came sprinting behind us, then passed on our left, still trotting speedily with necks outstretched & long legs scisssoring.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Glad the Turkeys survived Thanksgiving! 

We've seen a few Pheasants at close quarters recently on our walks.

Beautiful birds - hope they stay down here away from the guns up on the farm shoots!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
when we 1st moved to Bucks Co, Penna, we had bobwhite quail, ringneck pheasants [China natives, imported & released], lots of local farms, & no local deer - they'd been hunted out.
Until sometime betw the Great Depression & WW-2, there were no closed seasons & no limits on hunting ONE'S OWN property. So long as hunting was legal where U lived, U could take what U liked anytime.
My mother told me how angry ppl were, when the Feds limited not only how much, but what seasons, a landowner could hunt legally - ppl were furious.
.
.
bobwhite disappeared as nearby farms were sold, or aging farmers retired & no longer planted their ground.
Pheasants began a long decline, also due to changes in land-use & cover.
Whitetail deer moved in from neighboring areas, & bred madly - soon, they exceeded the carrying capacity.
We went from oohing & aahing to shrugging, then cursing the deer, who ate EVERYthing - tree bark, fruit trees [blossom & branch], all grains, any vegies planted, flowers, shrubs... birdseed in feeders, fruit, nuts, the roots of our poor tomato plants, dug out of the ground; the blossoms on peanut plants.

.
amphibians, once plentiful, became scarce. Box turtles, once common, vanished.
RUFFED GROUSE arrived when i was 18 - a big change.
.
along with land use & density changes, climate was changing.
Snow had been a constant feature; from the 1st fall sometime betw Hallowe'en & T-Day, until the last storm in April or early May, snow covered the ground; a lot, a little, fresh or a week or 2 old, but always there.
.
by the time i was 22, Bucks Co had its 1st OPEN WINTER in over 60-years. No snow whatever; lawns died, trees died, severe cold was unmitigated by insulating snow, groundwater levels fell.
.
Climate change is ongoing; i'm eternally grateful i was born when i was, & grew-up as i did, in a largely intact farming community with a functioning ecosystem.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I have a half-day! -
i was exhausted last nite, missed the stop on the outbound T after 12-hrs of work & a 90-min commute schlepping my luggage to job #2. 
I had to get *off* the train, shove my rollaway along the station, then thru a tunnel under the 4 tracks beside a street, up a ramping sidewalk, thru another ticket-gate, & hump my case & gear BACK ONTO * THE * SAME * TRAIN... God help us, if i stayed aboard & rolled around to the station for the return-trip, the world might end! -
who knows what cataclysms it might release? 
I finally reached the correct stop at 10-to-11; i'd been up & working or traveling since 7:15-am, & Sunday nite, my client's wife & daughter were "practicing" FaceTime into the wee hrs (at the dotter's insistence; with her Thurs departure looming, she's reached a near-manic state, & stayed up thru Friday nite, all day Saturday, & didn't go to bed / sleep until 3-am Sunday).
They were shouting up & down the staircase, as Mum is deaf & non-techy, & Dotter is self-involved & anxious - she's very tech-knowledgeable, but simultaneously paranoid; they use Ethernet in the house b/c "WiFi causes cancer" & she didn't own a cell-phone b/c "every call or text is tracked" or might be compromised. 
So at 2-am, she's yelling Qs & instructions up the echoing stairwell to her Mum, setting up FaceTime & trying to use it.
I turned on a fan in my room for white noise & resolutely ignored the clamor.
.
last night, my host met me on the sidewalk, carried my rollaway up the stairs [1 flight, no light whatever in the foyer or on the steps, other than spillover from a small ceiling-pot in front of the door], & showed me to my room.
It's exceeding small - the twin bed literally takes up half the width of the room, & if the door could swing open fully, the edge of the door would be mere inches from the bed - but very comfortable.
I suspect he's forced to be a super-host b/c he's so far out of town: bottled water, a variety of individually-wrapped snacks, shampoo/conditioner/moisturizer in hotel-sized samples as a sealed package, & even a blister-pack toothbrush & mini-tube of toothpaste, are all here, along with the usual towel & washcloth.
He departs, I slip my fitted sheet over the (cheap) microfiber one on the bed, fold the matching flat sheet, tuck mine in, brush my teeth, & collapse into sleep.
I woke at 10 to NINE - over an hour later than 'usual', which is between 7:15 & 7:30, if i go to bed when tired [abt 11] / get up when i wake.
.
my #2 clients have tickets for a hockey-game tonight, & are excited - Boston College? Boston Univ? - one or t'other, are playing the city team, & they say it's always a packed house & lively, vocal crowd.
So i'll have all the evening to myself; no dinner to make, no housecleaning of anyone's messes but mine, no humping trash or recycling to the apt-bldg basement.
**HURRAH!** -- don't get me wrong, i am deeply grateful for this 2nd job, & genuinely enjoy many aspects of it, especially the cooking (they have wide-ranging tastes), but free time is a real thrill. 
I want to try to schedule a haircut by someone who actually knows how to cut curly hair; a decent cut will last 3-mos or more.
There's a stylist in Watertown who specializes in curly cuts, so i'm going there to find out how much it'll co$t & when i might get in.
I'm also thinking today might be good for my Arboretum trip... blessedly, it's a cloudy, drippy day, after a scorchingly-dry summer of drought.
.
.
I need groceries; i need to look for a pair of leggings to wear under my slacks, the cold will soon be too bitter for 1 layer pants.
I need XmaHannaSolsticeNukkah prezents to send / give; a trip to my fave charity-shops would B timely.
.
May? or June-2013 was my last good haircut; it's been DIY since, with the glaring exception of one Godawful hack-job late-summer 2015. 
I hope the curly-stylist isn't an extortionist, but i really need a decent 'do.
.
.
I slept very, very well - it's now nearly 11-am, & traffic noise is heavy. I've had coffee & a BelVita; i'll nosh a banana & pick up fruit on the way, I'm off.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I accomplished some of my intentions; as so often, not all.
For my B-day, i went to dinner with a friend, then went XmaHannuSolsticeNukkah shopping for gifts; serendipitously, the discount store [Marshall's] had shoes & boots on clearance, & i found a pair of men's boots w/ Gore-tex interfacing [a boot inside the boot, sandwiched betw the lining & exterior; Gore-tex allows heat & moisture to exhale, while blocking the ENTRY of liquids - ergo, worn year-round, it keeps feet dry & vents sweat as it forms, but snow, streams, puddles, etc, don't penetrate].
My 2nd-hand boots from winter 2014/15 were handsome, but *cold!* with zero insulation on the foot-sole or over the toe-box, & not waterproof - if i let snow linger on them & melt, it seeped right in.
These aren't what i'd choose for looks, but hey, they're practical & 1/3 the MSRP, plus they're 1/2-size too big [for air insulation & for extra-thick or 2 pairs of socks in extreme cold].
I nab them. 
.
.
I find utensils for my #2 clients [S/S 12" tongs that lock shut, with silicone tips & side-pads; the pads run almost half the length, & protect one's fingers from heat conduction, e-g, when turning over something in a hot oven; & a S/S ladle for serving. Both have a lifetime warranty; Cuisinart tongs, Core ladle].
.
.
I find organic lollipops & vit-C real-juice lollipops from Yum-e-Earth; chocolate thins in a tube-canister; a nice comb for client #1, whose comb is at minimum from the 1960s, raggedy solid nylon with some tines missing.
I find small stocking-stuffers for fellow aides, a wide-tined "wet comb" for client #1's dotter who has thick wavy hair - this will gently detangle wet or dry hair w/o breaking strands.
I find a really-nice organic moisturizer for his wife; kitchen gadgets for family, a slate plate for cheese & other noshies (everybody needs at least 1 small tray, even if the don't throw big parties - this will serve 3 or 4 small hunks for cheese sampling, or one cheese, bread fingers, fruit, & a dip / mustard / aioli].
.
.
I had a great time picking out things i knew would be useful, but were also well-designed; JosephJoseph does **amazing!** kitchen tools; so do Soft Tools & Core.
.
.
This BnB is a bit odd; it's 16 steps up from street level, the staircase is wi-i-i-ide & 2 ppl of 300# each could walk up side by side, or pass easily as one ascends & the other departs.
The apt-doorway is the 1st big anomaly, the entire doorway opening is aluminum-beam framed, with heavy glass panels which have been painted over the privacy-frosting to make them opaque; 1/3 of the 10-ft wide opening is a vertical side-panel of glass, & the apt-door is a whopping wide commercial-style glass panel with a pull tab on the open side of the jamb, & a push-type panic bar on the interior side.
It looks as tho it belongs in the doorway of a boutique in an indoor mall, where security is not the same worry as on the street.
Inside, 2 rooms down a short corridor have big 3-ft H x 4-ft wide windows beside their doors, with venetian blinds for privacy - facing the interior hallway, like exam rooms in a Dr's office, or treatment rms in a chiropractor's practice.
The "living room" is very corporate-image, there's industrial indoor/outdoor wall-to-wall & sliding overhead LEDs on traction-pinned wires.
[2 of the 4 light switches in 2 double-switch panels are dead, deliberately disabled, & the thermostats in the "living room" / waiting room plus the 1 in my bedrm have been disabled by removing both switches, the one to adjust temp at the top & the "function" switch @ the bottom - heat, fan, cool].
The kitchen has clearly been modified from a previous purpose; there's a half-wall diving it from the waiting-rm, & scars where a swinging gate was taken out to leave the wall-break open.
The refrigerator, b/c the retrofitted kitchen is incredibly narrow & slot-like, sits beside the half-wall on the 'living-rm' side.
It's a very odd layout; that said, as a B&B it works well, the primary bedrm / master is on the far side of the waiting-rm & the 1/2 bath has a glass-walled shower shoehorned into it.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I know that we tend to focus on what was lost, in dementia or disability, but sometimes there are ... perhaps not 'compensations', but comforts.
.
my client's wife mentioned one, during the round-robin of what we were each thankful for, this year.
Her husband used to manage all the financial affairs, from paying monthly bills to choosing an insurance policy; now he can't, & that falls to her.
She didn't mention that, but she did say that her DH is now demonstrably affectionate - which he wasn't before - & the day starts & ends with a hug & kiss.
i'm sure it doesn't make up for the loss of cognitive skills & short-term memory, but at the same time, hugs & kisses are sweet & comforting.
.
I didn't know him 'before', of course, so i can't compare the warm, open man i met to the distant, deeply-reserved one, but i think despite all that is gone, this at least is a gain - & a small but crucial comfort.
.
.
on our walks, he's developed a bad habit - putting the rolling walker ahead of his toes, & leaning forward to reach it. This puts him out of balance, & makes a fall more-likely, but reminding him has been ineffective, & what's worse, it upsets him - it feels nagging.

So yesterday, to avoid ruining our nice companionable walks, i lowered the height of the walker by 1 click - & now, he can't park it so far ahead. 
No more bad feeling, *far* fewer reminders, & a safer trip.
Win!
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Hugs and kisses as a new phenomenon would indeed be a comfort 

So sad though, when a hitherto affectionate partner goes the other way - deeply upsetting 

I know it's not the same, as your client clearly needs his frame but it reminds me of something that haooened with my nan.

My nan used to insist she couldn't walk unaided and therefore needed to come and live with us. Impossible in a small 2 bedroom terrace already containing mum, dad, me and my sister.

She used to pick up the walker, take a couple of steps and put it down - she didn't actually need it at all! 

But then she also once pretended she had gassed herself (because granddad went to the betting shop against her wishes ) by opening the oven door and laying on the floor next to it! 

Poor granddad, in his shock and panic, failed to notice the cat sitting happily on her chest washing his paws and nearly had a heart attack!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Nana may have been manipulative, trying to convince U she needed a Zimmer & to be taken into an already-crowded home, but her revenge on her hubby did make me laugh, tho Lord knows the poor man must've been in a panic. 
.
did the fake-suicide reduce his betting habit, or did he bet even more often in retaliation? -
it could have changed nothing, too.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

It is lovely that your clients wife is benefiting from your clients more affectionate side now but very sad that it also represents the steady loss of the man he once was.

I fear that I am on the first baby steps down this road with my own father and from watching my grandmother's decline it is a difficult journey for the individual and their family.

Your solution Re the stroller made me smile. Goes to show there are usually several ways to solve a problem. Glad you client stays safe with their dignity intact 

PS a belated happy Birthday to you LFL. I missed your earlier posts.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
thank U for the B-day wishes, Kitteh -
it was quiet, but fun.  I did 90% of my holiday shopping that night.
.
yes, dementia is progressive, but blessedly in his case, the primary symps are minimal short-term memory, & higher cognitive functions.
He reads the newspaper, the 1st sxn & sports section, daily - but often doesn't recall he already read it.
He can't follow the plot of a film even with prompts, but historical bios can hold his interest - "Franklin & Eleanor" was a big hit.
He used to read Heidegger & other deep, dry books; he was never a fan of fiction.
.
I wish he enjoyed MAKING rather than *thinking* - he has no artistic or craft or creative impulses, despite a multi-generation ancestry famous for their musical talent.

Piano, violin, woodwinds, viol... & he can't even play a kazoo.
.
.
he does enjoy singing; "Old Man River" is a particular favorite. But activities that spark his attn are few & far between; i have clay, coloring books for grown-ups, watercolor pencils, sewing crafts, but none of these appeal.
.
.
the wildlife outside are a closed book to him, he can't tell a Blue Jay from an English Sparrow - one is bigger, & the little one is brown; but he has no idea of their names, how they live, & so on.
He got a kick out of it when the 15 wild turkeys walked down the road with us, but it was the novelty of it, not the idea of normally-shy wild game birds keeping us company by choice.
.
.
He adores his college-age grandson, who bless him, comes by as often as poss, but scheduling visitors to amuse him or pass the time would be an imposition.
.
I can't wait till we start using the fitness equipmt @ the Comm Ctr; i think just getting OUT & saying hi to pppl other than his family will perk him up, & add new topics of conversation.
He watches political-news, but talking heads by the hour gets old.
.
all in all, it's tough to find activities that hook him.
If anyone has suggestions, plz fire away - i'm flat-out of new ideas, but willing to entertain anything.

.
.
.


----------



## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

If he likes music, in the UK we have a charity called Playlist for Life where donated digital music players are loaded with music that is meaningful to the person. Do you have similar in the US?

http://www.playlistforlife.org.uk/#2946


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
not that i know of -
they do have a wide range of musical genres on dedicated TV-channels, everything from 50s /60s thru current salsa, hip-hop, Latin love-songs, to classical, jazz, & Broadway.
I turn on light classics or Singers & Swing [Am songbook & 40s big-band], which he enjoys, but no-one else ever uses the music channels.
.
.
.


----------



## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

The key to this is that personally selected pieces of music are used which have significance to that individual person, and they may trigger memories or fire up something in the brain that evokes special meaning. So each playlist is unique. Family might help in creating it. Please do look it up, they have examples of people who have stopped speaking restarting (albeit to a limited degree but recovering some speech nonetheless), also check out the short YouTube video of Naomi Feil with Gladys Wilson. It's based on the view that the part of the brain that processes music is often intact long after other parts have deteriorated. It is surprisingly effective, very powerful, and so simple to do.


----------



## Jesthar (May 16, 2011)

JoanneF said:


> It's based on the view that *the part of the brain that processes music is often intact long after other parts have deteriorated*. It is surprisingly effective, very powerful, and so simple to do.


This is true 

Until it closed earlier this year, I regularly used to go singing with two church friends (another singer and a lady who plays both the piano and the trumpet very well) to an Age UK day centre which also had a dementia/Alzheimers etc. unit attached. There was more than one of that group who could be disruptive or unresponsive most of the time, but the moment the music started they knew every note - not the words, usually, but there was one lady in particular who would la-la-la the tune to pretty much every old song we did, she must have been a real music lover in her day. 

There is also another lady I know whose husband suffered a sudden and devastating neurological collapse for no apparant reason, to this day doctors have no idea what happened or why. It's left him with a mind that constantly wipes itself clean, so he constantly feels like he's always waking up from a coma as he can't remember what happened literally five minutes ago - but there are two things he DOES remember. The first is his wife, and that he loves her with all his heart. And the second is how to play the piano to concert pianist level - put any piece of music in front of him, and he will play it.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

What about jigsaw puzzles?


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

How much is he aware of his loss of cognitive function? might he be tempted by puzzle books, wordsearches, codewords etc? if he is humiliated by their being simple compared to what he used to be capable of, then obviously not, but if he has a certain work ethic of challenging himself, whatever that takes, he might find them rewarding. 
Also to echo what others have said about music, my mother's cousin who had Alzheimer's had sung in a choir and could still sing most of his repertoire long after he had stopped recognising his own son and daughter. 
Did your client have ANY hobbies? he might relish telling you about them or even just limited aspects of them.
What about photo albums, compiling them or looking at existing albums?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
he has photo-albums, even a keepsake book made of his own history, in photographs from infancy on.
.
he seems to have never had a hobby - & i mean literally none.
He worked, read the news, watched talking heads discuss politics & business, ran the family finances, read TOMES not 'books', ate & slept.
:-(
.
I'm familiar with the persistence of music & even lyrics, having seen it many X in ppl who were no longer verbal.
He spouts word-salad when he's sundowning, but otherwise is mostly communicating, altho his vocabulary is much-reduced.
.
I don't know if crosswds, etc, would appeal; it can't hurt to try. 
.
maybe sudoku, as he liked numbers? -
but puzzles of actual pieces, no.  As with so many things, I'd enjoy them more than he does.
.
I thot old movies might be a key, but he rarely watches them - they're on pretty frequently, his wife enjoys Myrna Loy, etc.
He'll sometimes glance at the screen when she says, "oh, there's So-&-So!", but that's abt the extent of his interest.
He did comment once that Maggie Smith is "a good actress", & he recognizes Cary Grant, but has no interest in / ability to follow plot lines, even w/o any commercial interruptions.
.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Card games?
Word games, as simple as I spy with my little eye....?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
card games, no -
he *does* emcee at Trivial Pursuit games, when 8 to 10 ppl have had dinner & are relaxing after - he reads the cards for each team [women vs men].
But Gin Rummy, solitaire, 21... nah.
.
.
word games, maybe! - didn't think of "I Spy...". Deffo worth trying, thanks. 
.
.
his dotter [now in Europe for specialist trtmt of her cancer] has great spurts of enthusiasm, vowing to make him a DVD of his grandson's piano performances, old songs special to him & his wife, etc - & then forgets about these planned projects. 
I have no way of recording any collection of tunes, so it's not something i can do.
I can offer the music on the genre channels - but that's the extent of my resources.
.
he doesn't have a DVD player, Apple iTunes, etc; his wife has a cell-phone that's turned off 99% of the time.
[She'll phone me from her mobile, & shut it back off after she hangs up - thus i can't return the call, but must find her in Contacts & phone the land-line... which if she's not home, LOL, only confuses things.]
.
.
I'll try word-games, & keep turning on various music channels - 'Singers & Swing' & light classical often bring up pieces he recalls.
.
his greatest joy right now is watching the Patriots football games [not an enthusiasm i can share].
In the summer, he follows the Red Sox baseball team, but not with the same avid interest.
.
.
he has no interest in cooking - even making his own sandwiches, is something he's literally never done; at least, not since his wife replaced his mother as general homemaker & chief cook.
Maybe for some brief moment in his college years, he was forced to make a meal or two - but i rather doubt it.
He lived in dormitories & ate in dining halls.
.
they've never had a veg garden, & only his wife ever planted flowers.
Despite living in suburbia all their lives, they've never had a bird feeder, a birdbath, a bird-house.
.
he's never sketched, colored, or painted, not even painted a cabinet or a wall.
He wasn't a handyman; cars, household fix-it lists, etc, were taken care of by hired help.
.
.
it's an odd sort of existence, to me - i fixed fence & helped make or repair storm-windows when i was 10-YO, & i'm not even male (if stereotypes held, my elder bro would've done that stuff - he was too busy larking off).
.
there just seem so few places where i can engage him.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

What did he do for a living ? Is there something there that you could work with perhaps ?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
he worked for a large national company - developing applications.
.
He has multiple awards in his former office, now the den with an HD-TV dedicated to his sports-viewing; one of the most-prestigious had to do with his development of an atmospheric studies program w/ NASA [space admin], so when i saw that DiscoveryScience cable-channel had a nightly 30-min live broadcast from the Int'l Space Station, i was excited - here, i thot, was something different that would intrigue him.
Nothing of the sort; he was utterly disinterested. 
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Has he actually expressed or demonstrated boredom or frustration? 
My dad suffered hypoxic brain damage after a cardiac arrest, and it changed his personality. He'd always been hyper, driven, and extremely capable in everything practical but had zero empathy. He was hard to live with especially when anything got in his way - a common cold was elevated not merely to flu status, but to "TORTURE!". 
After the arrest, he could no longer count or tell the time or operate the TV controls , he could still read but nothing held his attention, he walked with a zimmer, and we all braced ourselves for an onslaught of redirected abuse. To our shock, he turned into a sweet and mellow elderly gent. He enjoyed and was polite to visitors (including family!!!) and looked forward to being taken to the day centre which previously he would have regarded with patronising contempt. 
I only say all this to make the point that your client may be more content with his situation than might appear. I know you have a lot of experience and none of this will be new to you, but your earlier post about your client having become more affectionate than previously, really struck a chord with me.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
he does get bored, but rarely complains of it; he either gets restless & wanders the room / house in his wheelchair [or worryingly, stands up when solo to explore something, yikes!], or he simply sleeps... for hours on end.
The bored sleeps are not naps, he isn't tired - he simply has nothing to do, often when none of the talking heads he prefers is holding forth on political stuff, business trends, economic worries, ______________ . He can't grasp what they're saying; he recognizes certain words, & thinks he understands it, but if U ask what the TV-host is talking about, U often get back a garbled paragraph with a few of the terms used, but no sense. He just feels comfortable listening to voices he trusts, about issues he knows are important.
.
I know he gets frustrated when there's nothing he wants to watch on TV, he's read the paper 3 or 4X, there are no visitors, & no sports events are coming - with their endless, endless discussions of fantasy-football, recent injuries, statistics by the ton, & so forth, preceding the actual GAME for an hour or even 2 [2 hrs of preview & rehash, followed by 2 to 3 hrs of the actual game, & i'm ready for a rubber-room, LOL].
.
he has a certain look when he's bored / frustrated, a worry wrinkle on his forehead, & his eyes are unhappy; when he's relaxed, his mouth always has a slight smile, but when he's frustrated, his mouth is a thin, straight line. 
.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Can he write? could he manage a brief daily postcard to his daughter in Europe? ("hello. I am watching football. terry is pulling her hair out")
Would he listen to talking books? even if he can't follow and has no interest in a plot, there may be some reader's voices that he likes to hear?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
he can sign his name, just barely - he can no longer write or even print words. 
He *can* read typed text, tho haltingly, silently or aloud - but to know what sense he makes of it, U have to ask him what he thinks.
He may be utterly befuddled by it, but he won't offer that - he just nods, as if it was very apparent to him. When he tries to explain it, his comprehension or lack of it, is revealed.
.
.
Audio-books might be good - his wife complains there's no comfortable place to read in her bedroom [hubby's hospital bed takes uptheir former shared room], so it might be something she could use, too.
Thing is, he's never read fiction - only hefty dry tomes. Philosophy, economics, etc. I don't know if there's a recording of someone reading Hannah Arendt's work... but there's gotta be a catalog.
.
.
I found a craft-book for *me*, "100 paper flowers", with templates for various leaf & petal shapes, a photo of each completed flower, & a list of supplies for each - right down to the wire-gauge for main stems vs off-shoots.
How-to for coloring petals or bleaching patterns onto paper is included, too - U buy colored or plain paper, or cardstock for heavier pieces, Ur choice of colors or patterns, & create a lifelike mimic... or if U prefer, a fantasy flower.
I think it's a terrific book, i'm going to have fun with this. 
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Do the family have photos or old cine films he could look through or watch?


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

Would he be willing to learn to give his wife a hand massage?
I was putting moisturiser on mum's legs recently, she found it luxurious, and I asked if dad had ever done it for her. She just snorted - but tbh in the last couple of years of his life, I'm sure he would have willingly done things like that for her.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
he's not all that keen on photo-albums, altho he promotes his own "legacy" hardbound keepsake book of photos from his entire life - even to relative strangers, LOL.
But he doesn't look at it much himself - he will say it's wonderful, tell U which picture/s to look for, etc, but he's seen it B4.
.
Films B movies are also something his wife enjoyed when they were dating, & continues to enjoy, but he's liable to simply drift into sleep during movies.
Even films he enjoys ["Franklin & Eleanor"] he will fall asleep abruptly, so the video is paused & the rest of the audience disperses till he wakes up again, & the video resumes.
.
.
I'm back at his home again; on Monday last, when i was putting his compression-stockings on, i was alarmed to see grape-blue toes on his left foot. 
His toes & forefeet are 'normally' pinky-purple; at 11 that morning, toes 2 thru 4 were a deep grape-blue!
[His big-toe & pinky were unaffected.]
I immed took pix & sent them to the agency-RN, plus told his wife that this was a circulatory issue, & scary - losing toes would affect his walking gait.
She said he had an appt for the next afternoon with the Vets-Admin Dr, & that she'd leave it to him to make any decisions / referrals.
I was worried that 1:30 the next day, over 24-hrs later, was not soon-enuf to be safe.
As it was, ALL 5 TOES were blue the next day, & his VA-Dr was frightened; he wanted him to go to the hospital by ambulance, but his wife overruled the Dr & drove him herself, to a hospital close to home. [they even stopped to eat on the way.]
.
they waited TWO HOURS for him to be seen at the E.R. / A&E, & the Dr confirmed all toes had a pulse, plus his tissue-color had returned to 'normal' [for him] when he was, at long last, seen by the Dr... after hrs with his feeet elevated.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Lucky there wasn't anything sinister going on with the toes. I am surprised at his wife's laid back attitude though.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
it frankly scared me, I've never in my life seen skin / extremities that color -
an opaque grape-blue? -- Never.
i've seen BLACK necrotic tissue in thin lines edging a wound or a burn - but that's clearly dead tissue, not "cold to the point of stiffness" purple-blue, intact, unbroken skin.
.
He now has 4 or 5 ruptured / peeled skin over bony prominences on 3 of those 5 toes / left foot.
Looks as if they rubbed his feet too hard or for too long, it's obv caused by low-level friction.
The largest is over the big knuckle in his left big-toe, abt a 1/2-inch opening with a frame of thin standing sheets of skin, all round the edge, & a 1/4-inch pink [but dry - no weeping!] central dome, directly above the knuckle.
.
I'm sure these will heal & close in a week to 10-days [with normal circ'n, they'd heal in 3 to 4 days, easy].
I'm going to apply moisturizer, *AND* as my Solstice gift, I'm buying him a circulating foot-bath for daily use, to get blood-flow increased with warm water & hydropressure.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
turns out his dotter, the dancer, had a foot-bath with heat & 'massage' [actually just super-noisy cheap vibration of the entire bath, which sends the tub chattering across the lino, if he doesn't use his heels to pin in in place]. The water jumps in place, with hundreds of tiny vertical stalagmites that pop up & just as abruptly collapse.
We used it 3X on Sat & 2X on Sunday - it does help, his toes blue-up again within 40-mins but it's not as marked, nor stiff chilled tissue. So an improvement.
He's spozed to see a vascular surgeon - maybe a stent might help, i dunno.
.
.
Meanwhile, i feel fuzzy-brained & stoopid - I'm back on antihistamines, the lady of the house offered me chocolate almond milk & i was using it in place of dairy in my decaf; meanwhile, i was also eating a granola with whole almonds in it. I overdosed on all those salicylates, especially as i also ate tapioca flour & tomato sauce on Sat night [guests for dinner & Trivial Pursuit; ravioli for the meal].
My face & interior [ears, nose, throat] swelled on Sunday night, & 2 sips of coffee with almond milk sent my face puffing & swelled my sinuses closed in 10-mins. 
.
.
I'm avoiding moderate to high salicylate foods for a few days, while my system calms down; the OXALATES in the almond milk may have exacerbated things, too.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
when his toes get markedly blue, his fingertips turn dusky [like berry-picking stains on the pads of the fingers], & he becomes remarkably less cognizant, can't think, can't find words, more word-salad, etc. So the blue toes are merely a symptom of something larger, over his whole body & brain.
.
He enjoyed the visitors on Sat nite, tho he read the playing cards with difficulty, he needed more help than before, but we had a blast & he had fun, too. 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> turns out his dotter, the dancer, had a foot-bath with heat & 'massage' [actually just super-noisy cheap vibration of the entire bath, which sends the tub chattering across the lino, if he doesn't use his heels to pin in in place]. The water jumps in place, with hundreds of tiny vertical stalagmites that pop up & just as abruptly collapse.
> We used it 3X on Sat & 2X on Sunday - it does help, his toes blue-up again within 40-mins but it's not as marked, nor stiff chilled tissue. So an improvement.
> He's spozed to see a vascular surgeon - maybe a stent might help, i dunno.
> ...


Food allergies /sensitivities are horrible aren't they. Hope you manage to clear it all out of your system and feel better soon.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
problem is, U cannot avoid salicylates, period; they're in most fruit & veg, to one degree or another. 
Many very-nutritious foods are moderately-high, like tomatoes & other nightshade family produce.
To complicate things, there's no rhyme or reason to *which* fruit & veg are zero, low, mod, or insanely-high.
One form of the same food might be moderately-high [whole roasted almonds] & another form crazy-high [almond milk].
.
it took me over 6-mos coming off that low-salicylate diet to be able to eat ketchup; another month to eat an entree-size portion of pasta with tomato sauce; & almost 6 more months before i could eat more than 2 small gingersnap cookies.
.
it's become much, MUCH easier - but obv, it's still not something i can ignore & eat as i please, carelessly.
I've still got to be mindful, & it's the *total* in 24 to 48-hrs, not the individual item's level, that matters, now.
.
just another balancing act - like keeping my jobs, being homeless, arranging for a room, trying to have a personal life 1 day a week in between necessary errands.
lacking a fixed address is bl**dy complicated.
.
I'm off the antihistamines in daytime today; i'll probly need 1 at bedtime or midway thru the night.
At least my brain is clear again - that feels better! 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Glad you are beginning to feel better. I have sensitivity to bakers / brewers yeast which can be a pain in the derriere as it is surprising ( to me) how many foods contain it and I also react to broccoli but avoiding these seems far easier than what you have to do to avoid salicylates. :-(

Hope you have a happy holiday and 2017 is a much more positive year for you.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
since avoiding high-salicylate foods was a work-around to reduce my immune system's reactivity way-back in 2009, when i had that wicked reaction that no Dr has yet diagnosed or explained, U'd think i'd be more fluent at managing my diet, LOL.
The wrench in the works is that some soils allow higher salicylates & / or oxalates or other food chemicals to accumulate in the fruit or veg grown in them; others, less.
WHITE-skinned potatoes have less than red, white-FLESHED less than blue or yellow-fleshed.
Stored potatoes from a past crop have less than fresh potatoes just dug; but how do U know in a grocery store when a potato was harvested?
The variations are all over; even the same variety of organic corn can vary in salicylates, depending on the soil it grew in.
So it's very fiddly, & mostly watching for early symptoms to catch it before it's a crisis.
.
.
it's been... 6-wks?... i think, since i last took any Hydroxyzine HCl, & IIRC, that was just 2 nights running - nothing by day, when i'm vertical.
Lying down causes even small amounts of soft-tissue swelling to narrow my airways, so nights are always more-likely to be problematic.
.
At least i've *finally!* convinced my primary-care Phys that it's not a figment of my overheated imagination -
but it took a visit to the E.R. & another Dr's notes, plus her Rx to take my HH every 4-hrs, to convince her.
Arguing with my PCP to get a scrip for more than 20 tabs at a pop was scary, & sheer H*** for my peace of mind; histaminic reactions get much-worse under emotional stress, so having my Dr tell me it was a personal delusion & i didn't need medication on hand was Really Bad.
Good God, if i'd imagined myself into rashes & internal swellings, why in heaven's name would my allergist have prescribed an epiPen?!?! -
Of course, he could just as well have prescribed an ocean cruise, for all the practical good it did me; a $2,000 epiPen might have been a Tiffany diamond, it was so far out of my reach.
But at least he believed me.
.
I can't imagine what she thot i was getting *from* my antihistamine; it's not addictive, doesn't make U euphoric or provide any physical or mental thrills.
But she sure didn't want to write the Rx.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

What a nightmare!

I fibd avoiding certain ingredients through diet choice is difficult enough, but for serious health/medical reasons sounds very arduous.

Glad you are feeling much better now.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
so am i, LurcherLad. 
I haven't had a multiday *daytime* reaction needing meds in... over 6-mos for sure, possibly a year-plus.
I think it was April-2015, shortly after i was cut to 3-days per wk on my Arlington case, that i had to go to Urgent Care on my 2-hr break.
It's been a while.
Gingersnaps & almond-milk will be off the menu for a wk or 2, & then slowly re-introduced - but no more almond-milk when i'm eating a granola containing almonds.
& no gingersnaps in the evening when i ate almond granola for brekkie - that should prevent multiplicative problems.
.
my current BnB is a formerly-lovely Victorian that's been sadly abused; she still has oak treads on the stairs, but half the treads on the steps to the 1st floor are split - probly by burly guys carrying heavy sofas, etc, over the decades.
There are still several surviving stained-glass windows, the kitchen is huge & has floor to tall ceiling cabinets & loads of counter space.
But the house also has mice, the upstairs shower is leaking, & every rm that can be, has been converted to a bedroom.
The direct exit from kitchen to backyard DOES * NOT open: the doorknob spins uselessly, so in case of fire, U can't leave that way.
[Given how often fires start in kitchens, that's a worry.]
.
the host claims to be 'abroad', but he's replying via mobile, so could be the next street over - but he's defo on a strange wake / sleep cycle.
The garbage disposal in the sink jammed on Tues nite, an Asian guest made dinner & stuffed it with leek trimmings, onion skins, & day-old rice - so water is standing in the disposer, & fills the sink when the taps are run.
I looked for a reset button, but found none.
Hopefully it's been fixed - that was 11-am yest.
.
today is my day "off", so groceries, mail, & library are on the agenda.
I slept in this morning, what luxury!, & didn't need an antihistamine till 3-am, so that's excellent. 
I'd better stir my stumps - lots to do!
starting with a bath & brekkie... banana & a BelVita biscuit, decaf & applesauce, yum.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Sat nite, my Lexington client had family over, & we celebrated - Hannukah, Xmas, Solstice, & Kwanzaa! 
the grandson played piano, the SIL his guitar, & the client, his wife, dotter, SIL, grandson, grandniece, & Yrs Truly sang along...
carols, American song-book, Top-40 hits from WW-2, all sorts.
.
i bought Hannukah gelt for everyone, plus a set of 4 mugs for dotter & SIL [Democratic winners of 4 past Prez elections, the headlines of the NYX on bright blue pottery: Clinton, Kennedy, Obama...],
an "old NYC" wall calendar of sepia photos with squares large-enuf to write appts in for the grandniece [a teacher & speech therapist],
3 organic persimmons for the ever-hungry grandson,
& a pair of silicone oven mitts for the client's wife.
[I bought a front-page NYX puzzle to put together with the client, but didn't bring it to the table; he'd only be confused by the box.]
.
their dotter bought me a lovely "teabag teapot" with a little silicone slot to hold the string or chain from a teaball, so it won't fall in to be fished out.
It's just 12-oz, & a very pretty spring-green porcelain. 
.
we had a wonderful dinner, latkes for appetizers, stir-fry with brown rice as main dish, & then moved to the living-rm for the songfest; went to bed an hour late, sated & smiling. 
.
on Sunday, my client had a big upset:
his digital watch got bumped [4 silicone buttons frame the face, & he's lost the owner's manual], & the time was wrong. 
I don't know how to reset it, nor does anyone in the house - the other aide fiddled with it for an hour or 2, & figured out the functions of the buttons in October, but didn't share.
So he became very upset, disoriented & obsessive, talking endlessly & trying to rationalize to prove his watch was right, & *we* and the clocks, TV, our mobile phones, etc, were all wrong.

He has also been having increasingly-frequent hallucinations [& aside from baby-aspirin, he takes NO medications whatever, other than herbal decoctions].
He sees objects & ppl who are not there; his dotter thinks his mind is preparing to die, seeing ppl who are long-dead, such as his brother.
.
in any case, Sunday night, the bedtime routine, & an hour later were all disturbing; he insisted he needed to "read the time" on the instep of his right foot, on his sock; he GOT * OUT * OF * BED * ALONE an hr after being helped into it!, turned on the dresser lights, & sat *atop* the bedlinens, disoriented & frightened, thinking he was alone & not recognizing his own bedroom...
& on Monday morning, 10-mins after i'd checked & found him still sleeping peacefully, his wife opened the partly-closed door to find him intently reaching overhead for invisible objects, completely unaware of her standing in the doorway.

.
he lost a lot of cognitive -
the circulatory issue is somehow affecting his mind / brain.
.
it was all upsetting to see, & his distress after midnight on Sunday night, frightened & cold, crouched on his warm covers, not knowing where he was in his own bedroom, was especially heartbreaking.
I'm praying they get that vascular specialist ASAP.
There was spozed to be a phone-call to set an appt, but it never materialized.
.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

So glad you had a lovely celebration. The teapot mug idea sounds lovely. 

Your poor client, it must be so frightening for him and for his family too. I know when my grandmother had a bad kidney infection it really affected her mentally and she suffered all sorts of strange hallucinations so it does sound like your client is having some side affect from some other health problem. I hope they sort it out soon.

Re. the watch, if you can post the make and model here we can search for instructions for you so that you can change the time and also have a record written down in case it happens again.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
thanks, Kittih -
i'm going to Google the watch & find an on-line manual, i'm fairly sure there is one.

I'll need to do it after 11-pm, as he wears it constantly, even asking why it comes off at night
[b/c the dial does not light-up & can't be read in the dark -
he has a red-LED light alarm clock by the bed, altho he no longer understands AM vs PM].
.
.
yes, i've seen UTIs create confusion, cognitive loss, & babbling in affected clients, but the symps came on over a 24 to 48-hr period.
In this instance, the cognitive cliff & vocab loss happened in 12-hrs or less, w/ no symps of stroke, UTI, infection / fever / illness, & no cardiac / lung issues.
hence, i suspect circulatory problems (altho of course, i'm not a Doc & can't Dx).
The sooner they see the vascular specialist, the happier i'll be. 
.
.
it's 5-am & howling winds are outside; i really should charge for my services, i closed the window in my BnB bedroom & got it locked securely to limit the draft & keep exhaust outside.
.
last wk, i climbed chairs & stood on wide, old windowsills to clamp shut windows that had been slightly ajar for *years* on end - the sashes were filthy with black & grey grit, exhaust particles from traffic that gusts of wind carried up the hill. They wouldn't have grown that coating in a few summer months!
.
plus i hauled food waste out of the recycling bin, washed the dirty recyclables tossed in the trash, & last but most important, pulled 3-inches of felted **lint!** out of a stuffed to-overflowing filter in the clothes dryer.
They were dam*ed lucky it hadn't caught fire, carrying flames into the wall space & up to the roof in minutes via the vent.
.
I should charge for my services, LOL, & halve my BnB costs. :-D

.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
i just had one of those surprise encounters with wildlife, but this wasn't the good kind that leaves U stunned with privilege & grinning idiotically -
this was the sort that gives U nightmares. *shudder*
.
I was walking toward my BnB & passed a house that has a high wooden privacy fence, vertical tongue & groove with a flat 4-inch wide 2-by as a rain cap; it reaches almost to my armpit [i'm 5'8"].
The 55-gallon wheeled bins for trash & recycling stood in a row in the near corner, paralleling the sidewalk... level with my shoulder, as they're on an elevation behind the fence.
Atop the last lid was a large, phenomenally large, rat.
He [yes, i'm sure] had an agouti coat, pinky-brown ears as large as the tips of my thumbs [I wear extra-large gloves, size 9 or 10], & light grey whiskers like fine wire.
He didn't spook, flinch, or freeze in panic - he looked me dead in the eye, & went very still, not in fear but p*ssed off & ready to rumble over HIS turf, HIS garbage, HIS yard.
He was not tense, simply poised, but he looked really angry.
I glanced away, pretended i hadn't seen him, & kept walking - all the while deliberately *not* thinking of rats who fling themselves at human necks, since i was less than 18-inches from him, & my shoulder was level with the lid.
I was very, very happy to reach 2 houses beyond him, & see him resume his [hopeless] assault on the can lid - 1/4-inch thick ABS plastic. Even if he had gnawing incisors the length of a Smilodon's fangs, he'd have a hard time cracking that nut.
.
.
that rat weighed easily 4# --- i've seen domestic rats that big, & i don't mean fat, i mean huge, but aside from giant pouched African rats, i've never seen any Norway AKA sewer rat AKA ship's rat that big.
Gave me the creeps. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
my current BnB is something of a dump, except for one vast privilege:
i have an en suite bathroom, with a tub/shower, good-sized sink, & toilet.
The bedroom is best described as barren: a queen-size cheap white-painted iron bed, modern pipe, not cast nor wrought; an adjustable table of the sort used to reach across hospital beds, ugly chocolate-brown steel frame, black plastic casters, fake "wood" Contac over particle-board; industrial carpeting in a tweedy grey so dirt won't show.
The door has been kicked in at least once, the spline panels are split in 3 places & the doorknob is held in place by a wrap-around rectangle of brass-plated steel with the axle of the knob thru its center.
But the bathroom is 12"-sq grey-veined marble on the floor & entirely framing the tub, all 3 walls to the ceiling.
The tub is deep & almost long-enuf for me to lie submerged - i'm tempted...
but knowing what lingers in bathtubs, i'll stick to showers.
[A former consort shared his plantar warts with me; i didn't know anything about them, couldn't fathom what the painful dimples in my formerly-smooth soles & heels might be.
Mike shamefacedly told me he'd had some removed years before; the virus was still in the shower floor. He even promised to pay for my dermatology appts, 4 visits to freeze the little bast*rds out of my skin... of course, that didn't happen, i paid hundreds out of my post-1981 unemployment, 40% of my wages while i was laid off.
The alternative was to limp along on growing warts -- not a valid choice, & i had no medical insurance].
The luxury of not sharing a bathroom is enormous. 
.
This isn't a "home" at all, it's 2 apartments chipped-up into rentable rooms, with a shared "dining room" table & chairs, a dirty microfiber covered couch, & a big, empty kitchen.
The hosts want guests to remove shoes at the door; the carpet on the stairs is filthy, & my new insulated, waterproof, calf-high boots are *not* going to be left in the foyer where the mail is dropped 6 days a week, to be stolen! 
if they want ppl to walk up the stairs in sock feet, they should vacuum the carpet on the treads every few months. :yuk:
.
I boldly wear my boots as far as my room, then switch to foldable fabric flats for indoors.
.
thank God, the refrigerator was 90% empty when i arrived, & i slipped my insulated bag of chilled food right in. 
.
.
tomorrow is my annual cardiologist appt, he's a nice guy & this time, i know where i'm going; no chance i'll be lost & frustrated, stressed-out & late. Hurrah! 
Then i'll pick-up my mail, & hit the public terminal @ the library.
.
.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
oops -
* chopped-up
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Hope the appointment all goes smoothly


----------



## sandy68 (Jan 5, 2017)

Happy anniversary 4 years 
enjoy today 
sandy68


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
he wants to try a low-dose Rx to lower my borderline BP. 
It hovers in the 135 range, but he'd rather edge it toward 120.
*sigh*
Given my past history with Rx meds, i asked if we could start low - to ensure i can hopefully tolerate it before going any further.
So it's a 5mg tablet.
.
I had a strange bulletin from the receptionist, she said my insurance came up "inactive" - I phoned them immediately, & they told me MassHealth had notified them in NOVEMBER that i was "ineligible".
So why in H*** didn't MassHealth notify ***me***?
Or, after being 'notified', why didn't Boston Medical notify me, themselves?!?! -
.
I didn't want to try re-scheduling, with only Thursdays open it might be months till i could get in - so i paid it myself.
 $50 for the BP reading, plus ausculting my chest [lung sounds & heart], & $30 for the pills.
.
I'd haveu paid nothing for the cardio & $5 for the Rx, if the insurnance policy i *thought* i had was still in effect.
I hate these nasty little surprises.
.
anyway, i'm fully paid, got the Rx filled, & I made an appt for a professional haircut on Tuesday - before all this insurance nonsense.
The beautician who specializes in curly hair will be cutting mine next Tuesday.  I haven't had a proper haircut since... March 2013.
I'm looking forward to it - hoping she does a nice job.
.

It's almost 1-am, back to my Lex client tomorrow - gotta get to bed.
Pleasant dreams...
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I spent the next 3 weeks trying to get MassHealth to ANSWER THEIR DAM*ED PHONE - then discovered that their open enrollment period closes on the 31st of Jan. The eejits dumped me without notice on Nov-10, only notifying my insurer [Boston Medical] & not me... thanks, fellas. >:--\
.
I even left my own mobile # 6 separate times, as when hold times are over 20-mins an option cuts in - "hang up & call again later, or leave a call-back # & we will return Ur call".
they **Never** called back. I even borrowed my client's land-line, desperate to get thru & waiting 30 solid minutes on hold... only to be *disconnected *at 5 mins to 5, *on a Friday, & they close at 5-pm. *
*.*
I finally went to Mt Auburn Hosp & got help in the Financial Planning office - for her, they answered on the 2nd ring. 
that was Monday - today, my insurer told me [when i called to ask them to notify me next time, B4 cutting me dead] that Masshealth can *retroactively *cut off my coverage. I can be told at 9-am that I'm insured, go to a 10-am appt, be billed 2-wks later, & told my insurance was retroactively stripped 3-months before.
WTH?!?!?!... -this is insane.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I didn't qualify for Barclay's credit w/ Apple; it's been nutz trying to do anything on-line with library access only, I've ordered a refurbished Mac with a 12-mo warranty.
It will leave me short; i don't care, i* must* have 'Net access. Too many things to do, & no time in which to do them, with just 2-hrs max on a public terminal in any 12-hr "day" when the library is open.
.
I'm borrowing another guest's laptop to post this, tonite. 
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

What a nightmare!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
yeah, posting via my mobile -
being told they can "take it away retroactively" pretty much ruined my whole day, yesterday -
it leaves me in a constant state of wondering WTH i'll do if i'm actually hurt or sick.
Assume i'm covered? Assume i'm *not*? - Avoid needed care?!
Cr*p. 
.
to boot, my med-insurance MAY not be re-activated until March-1st, if they treat me as a "new" customer.
My elderly client in Lex is still coughing / recovering from pneumonia; if i catch it, i will have to seek treatmt immed.
The bill could be staggering.
.
I'm really worried - & discouraged. I've been living on a razor's edge for so long, actually got a 2nd job, i'm finally able to cover my B&B costs w/o constant anxiety, & i just fell off the financial cliff.

I have 3 unpaid medical bills to cover, now.
.
I'll be re-visiting the Financial Planning office for help in spacing out the repayment -
she can negotiate terms for me.
This is literally the 1st debt i've incurred in almost 10-years.
I've been poor to dam*-near or even flat broke, but i've NEVER had an outstanding bill - till now.
.
Very discouraged. And tired of all the crazy hoops i must jump thru.

.
The only good news is that this coming Monday, i will *have* a refurbished laptop.
That will be fully paid, with a 12-mo warranty!
Now, i just have to figure out if my Ethernet dongle will still connect it to the Lex clients' hard-wired 'Net. It had better - that 5-inch dongle co$t me 30 bucks!
.
.
.


----------



## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Im sorry to hear this .  I hope things improve for you very soon .


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> yeah, posting via my mobile -
> being told they can "take it away retroactively" pretty much ruined my whole day, yesterday -
> it leaves me in a constant state of wondering WTH i'll do if i'm actually hurt or sick.
> ...


This, I find incomprehensible! So unfair 

Really hope you can get back on cover quickly.

Can you get some medical masks to use around the coughing patient to give a little bit of protection, with regular use of antibac hand gels, etc?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
no mask permitted - if he had Tb, of course, but not for pneumococcus. 
"too objectifying for our clients", doncha know...  Well, i for one know that a pneumococcus doesn't give a dam* who it infects, & i have no control over the microbes.
.
I guess prayer is spozed to protect me --- & my fellow aides --- from infectious illnesses. To boot, altho the State of Mass. has passed a Domestic Workers protection bill that stipulates we **must** get paid sick-days & paid vacay, beginning last year [2015], I have never been offered either - nor did the agency office send us any update on company policy, per the new law.
.
.
I believe they hoped that NONE OF US - "us" being the employees / aides -- knew it was passed in 2014.  Plausible deniability.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

How crazy! 

I read somewhere that smearing Vaseline around the inside edges of the nostrils can "catch" germs before they get in the nasal passages. 

Hope the agency fall into line on pay unch


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
well, given that 3 times in 4 nights I was up with my Lex client, who is getting out of bed again, & NOT A WORD was said about "pay" for my nocturnal excursions [which i do log, on my phone & on the agency telelog - i record a message each time],
i think our Stingy Leader intends not to pay us for night calls on overnight shifts.
She's already cut our expected sleep time / mandatory overnight brreaks from 8-hrs to 6; i'm betting she'll pretend that the missing 2-hrs are magickally included in the pay computation.
.
.
for an extra $1 / hr in State min-wage, from $10 to $11, I've been rooked of $2,340 net annual wages [2-hrs each night x 3 nights / wk x 52 wks / yr, less 25% of that gross],
& in exchange i'll earn $1,200 net on my 'daytime' hrs [36 / wk x 52 wks / yr - (25%) of that gross].
.
meanwhile, for every $11-hr i work, the agency scoops up $16 or more; $26 is their minimum hourly rate.
If they charge more than that, for a client who needs specialist care, there's no guarantee i'll get a dime more - since the agency never reveals what they charge clients TO THEIR AIDES, i found out by asking a client, & she showed me the monthly invoice.
.
We little mushrooms are carefully kept in the dark, & fed a lotta sh!t about how deeply we're appreciated & how much we're each valued.
 It's a cheap facade.
.
for me, the primary value of that job is 3 nights each week that i don't need to pay for a bed.
Of course i also am extremely appreciative that this client's family is kind, warm-hearted, involve me in family activities, gave me an overnight break when i got sick from something i ate & called in the other aide to cover my hours, taught me the thrill of killer Trivial Pursuit, & want me to enjoy my time with them, even while i'm working.
I've *had* Godawful clients who were drunken, angry, irritable, threatening, verbally abusive, irrationally demanding, & just plain nasty -
this family is wonderful, & i know i'm lucky. 
But that free bed for 3 nites is an incredible "extra" - giving up $3 / hr to not-pay for shelter is more than worth it.
[MassHealth insurance, which pays my downtown clients' care, pays $14 / hr; the agency pays min-wage, which rose from $10 / hr to $11 / hr on Jan-1].
.
.
My wool & cashmere vest was snatched out of my shoulder-bag last week while i was on-line at the library Tuesday night; i'd only paid $2.50 for it, but i really loved it, kitten-soft, smoke grey, & warm. 
I'm going to the main GoodWill sorting facility to try & find a sleeveless wool vest to serve in its place; it won't replace it, but i need the layer for the coming cold.
There's all of Feb & then March to get thru, before any warming can be expected.
.
We finally had some snow, but it's a postcard-picture snow: laying on the grass & atop walls, but the sidewalks are merely damp.
New England is warming *faster* than any other region of the mainland U-S, & this JANUARY was 6 full degrees warmer than the historic average! 
That's incredible - & scary.
Boston's waterfront will be submerged, possibly before Florida shrinks by half as the ocean creeps up.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
interesting day on Tues, i'll tell ya about it later - meanwhile, we've got a blizzard arriving tomm betw 6 & 7-am, it'll snow till 7-pm.
Anything from 6 to 10 inches, possibly 12 to 14".
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
OK, to explain Tuesday, I'll go back to the wkend briefly. 
It was my client's B-day & we had a lovely celebration, beginning w/ dinner for 13 on Sat, lasagnas baked by sis-in-law & her dotter, ginormous salad brought by his own dotter, wine brought by nephew [who's a wine merchant], & for dessert, 4 flavors of ice-cream pie.  Wow.
He got a New England 'Patriots' T-shirt [which i washed that nite, so he could wear it for the big game Sunday] & a 'Patriots' tall tumbler with a screw-on lid & a jumbo straw, plus a lovely cake with tall taper candles to blow out.
[I skipped the ice-crm & the cake, sampled both lasagnas, 1 veg & 1 4-chz, & had a big salad.]
.
the next day, 7 guests returned for brunch, making 11 @ table [the dotter in Europe for hyperthermic cancer trtment came home last Thurs nite, to be here for Dad's b-day; so her parents, herself, & me make up the daily household again].
Sis-in-law brought wonderful NY-style bagels, & we provided the toppings; a longtime neighbor, whose daughter shared the same b-day with my client, sent over a gorgeous-looking artichoke quiche [sadly, she made it with marinated 'chokes, & everyone commented how salty it was, so i enjoyed a sesame bagel & gave the quiche a pass].
.
the football game didn't go to plan, the opponents were trouncing the Pats for the 1st half, then they slowly came back & finally tied, winning the Super Bowl in overtime.
[Meanwhile, his wife & i watched the new episode of 'Victoria'.]
.
.
15-mins after i'd put him to bed, i'm in the bathroom -
& i hear him coming down the hall past the door, saying, "Where is everybody?... I've got to go..." 
His wife & dotter walked him to the bed, i lowered the foot to get him back onto it, tucked him back in, & left his wife trying to convince him to stay in bed & go to sleep.
He was in bed @ 11, up @ 11:15, back in bed by half-past, & *I* was in bed by midnight.
At 6-am i got up to pee, he's wheezing audibly, he's slid down the bed & his head is floded forward by the pillow, & his legs are bared to the knees [compression stockings & sox, but he's kicked off the sheet & both blankets].
I lower the head, raise the foot high as it goes, wake him, & help him slide up the bed; i remove the pillow, raise the head more to ease his breathing, UNcross his legs!, put the foam noodle under his Achilles to float his heels above the mattress & wedge a 2nd hunk of noodle from his knees to his soles to try & prevent him crossing his legs, cover his feet, pull the blakets up to his chin, & he's out like a light.
He sleeps till 9:30; i wash my socks & dress slacks while eating brekkie, clean the hall bathroom, get his AM-herbs ready, set up his granola in a mug, then wake him, bathe & dress him, vacuum, empty all the trashcans & re-line them, wash both bathroom rugs, take the recycling out, pack my bags, put them in the car, & eat lunch.
.
the other aide arrives while i'm vacuuming; he's 15-mins late, i fill him in on developments [wheezing at night, tilt the head of the bed higher; pressure sores on heels are still open, left is bigger than last wk, Rt is slightly smaller; he can't seem to co-ordinate the dual brakes on the rollator plus slow down on downhill slopes plus keep the walker consistently *close* to his knees -
he shoves it ahead & leans forward dangerously, trying to "keep up with it" 
.
Monday morning, he *swallowed* his toothpaste instead of rinsing his mouth with the water & spitting it out.

Thank God, i've had to remind him not to swallow it for the past 2-mos, so i persuaded his wife to buy fluoride-free toothpaste when she bought the latest tube.
Still, it was a shock, & brought home how fast he's slipping, tho his wife doesn't see it; he's lost 20% of the muscle in his legs, from 20 leg lifts holding the leg horizontal for 4-seconds each time [seated in his wheelchair], he now struggles to lift his weaker leg level 10X, *not* holding it there, & can only manage 12 reps even with his stronger leg -- again, not holding it there, merely lift it level & put his foot back down on the floor.
Big change, & not for the better. 
.
his manners are slipping: he picks his nose in public, & wipes it on his sleeve - he's NEVER done either B4, he always asks for a tissue or reaches for a paper napkin.
.
he's choking often when he drinks liquids -
he gets it close to his mouth & INHALES instead of sipping, then chokes.
The agency-RN thinks he's aspirating fluid, hence the persistent rattle in his lungs; a straw helps by reminding him to swallow, not "breathe" the drink.
.
He can't get the sequence right when taking his supplements; he'll drink the water / juice, *then* put the pill in his mouth.
I have to hold the cup with the pills, prompt him to choose 1, prompt him to put it in his mouth [or he'll drop it], bring the glass to his lips, & remind him to swallow liquid & pill.
.
I went over the Heimlich maneuver with PCA Isaac on Monday B4 i left, just in case he chokes seriously while i'm gone.

.
.
to be cont'd -- it's 1:15-am. Bed!
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Exhausting just reading it - don't know how you do it!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
LurcherLad, it's mostly sheer need, LOL - i need income, ergo work, my clients need care, & i fill the need. 
I do consider myself doggone lucky to have a family that's warm, kind, & supportive in Lex, via the agency, AND a couple who lack family support, but are committed to being as independent as possible.
All 3 of my clients are great - polite, considerate, appreciative, & willing to explain what they need [in the case of the 90-YO, if he can't, his wife can tell me what he wants / needs, most of the time].
With my elderly client, i'm afraid he's hit that downhill slide; the change in the past 2-mos is quite shocking, & last wkend was a blur of new, sad mileposts. 
In November, he read all the Q cards for both teams in Trivial Pursuit - he can't do that, now.
.
.
Tuesday-AM i wanted to do some things for myself, but i'd realized while making my bed @ the BnB the nite B4 that i'd left some essentials in Lex.
 Luckily, my client had a block of 4 med-appts @ Mt Auburn Hosp, so rather than spend 2-hrs backtracking, i could meet them there, & my counterpart could bring them along: my Rx antihistamine, S/S travel mug, & gallon bag with TP spares, lip balm, Q-tips, & band-Aids, all on the nightstand in our dual-twin-beds guest room.
He was amenable, but the lady of the house chickened out... 10-mins from home, she U-turned & went back. 
By that time, i was at Harvard station, less than 10-mins from the Hosp. >.< Waaah!...
so i took the train to Alewife terminus.
When i caught the Green line in Allston @ 10-am, 10 or 12 guys were waiting under the shelter in a cluster, loud, boisterous, & literally stinking-drunk: i could smell them, 10-ft away. 
1 thot he was especially amusing, when the train pulled in, he stuck his right elbow out while facing the rear car, & hit each car with it, dragging it along the car --- hooking on seams & protrusions.
Good God, what an arse - if he'd been knocked down & fell under the wheels, i wouldn't whip out my mad 1st-Aid skills to save his sorry butt.
.
turned out Boston was holding a parade to celebrate the Pats' winning Super Bowl; every other stop, fans climbed on, many half-bagged.
The car soon reeked of stale beer & liquor fumes & last night's funk.
.
At Harvard, i stepped into the car & stopped dead in surprise - 3 to 4 dozen mini-liquor bottles littered the floor, under the seats, in the aisle, rolling around when the train moved. Yow.
I saw 2 inspectors walking the platform at Alewife when we pulled in, told them about the debris, & one went for a broom & butler while the other went to the car.
.
I asked abt the bus to Lex & was told 11:55; noon came & went, no bus. It's not snowing anymore, there's only a 2 to 3" slushy coating... turns out he's running 30-mins behind. 
Eventually i get on the bus, arrive in Lex, & i've cleverly planned to cash my "holiday bonus" during my layover, as i need to phone for a cab.
TD Bank is right there; i get out check & I-D, sign it, & the teller asks how i want my cash. Then she asks if i want to open an account?... No, thanks.
She caps it off by telling me there's a $7 fee to cash any check for non-account customers!
>:--\ My blood-pressure goes up 20-points, & i ask to see the Mgr. He comes over, walks me to his office [out of hearing of the staff & other customers], & asks what he can do for me?...
I tell him i've been ripped-off quite enuf times by commercial banks, & i strongly object to a $7 fee for negotiating a check on an acct in that precise branch - they can see there are adequate funds, what exactly am i doing that costs them so much?
Bank of America evaporated my $300 acct for a secured credit card, Wells-Fargo told me i'd have to present myself IN * PERSON to close my VA acct [which held all of $5, but the next day, the monthly fee on said formerly free checking-acct would be deducted, & i'd be fined a $30 overdraft -
they couldn't mail it, transfer it to my new bank in Beverly MA, nor PayPal deposit it].
Wells-Fargo got to keep my last $5, & good riddance to bad rubbish.
Colin, the Mgr, told me they could waive the fee "just this once", & i got my cash & left. By dam*, if i get another TD check, i'll open an acct & close it within 48-hrs... blood-sucking barstewards. >:--[
.
then i called for a cab, rode to my clients', walked down their drive so he needn't slither down the unplowed hill, & nabbed my Rx etc.
Back to Lex for the return bus, & i'm $20 poorer [out of that lovely holiday bonus - thank U, thank U, thank U].
.
the inbound bus is 'only' 10-mins late, but the ride on the T takes forever; we "stand by" between 3 & 10-mins at each station, idling at the platform or in the tunnel.
I have no idea why - no reason given.
The Orange line is no better; i text my client at 3-pm & jokingly tell her that at this rate, i might not get there till 5. :-D
Actually, i arr @ 4:30, a half-hr late.
.
so Tues definitely didn't go to plan, i frittered my free time away fetching my Rx & poking along on public transit - thank Heaven, i had a book with me!
*pats my own back* 
I must have read 5 or 6 chapters that day in transit.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
today it began snowing at 9-am with a mild gusty breeze, abt an inch per hour; by 2-pm, the wind was over 35-mph & snow fell 2" or more per hour.
Mayor Walsh closed the elementary & 2ndary schools for today yesterday afternoon, & there are many happy kids & almost as many UNhappy adults, today, I'm sure, as Mom or Dad must find someone to stay with the kid/s or the parent must stay home, lose wages, & quite possibly lose that job.
[Employers don't give a hoot that U've got other responsibilities, they expect U to be there, short of a nuclear catastrophe or an incoming asteroid, & many accept no excuses].
.
for me, this is a wonderful day -
i'm *free* of other ppl's needs, it's a beautiful powdery snow, chilly & breezy but not frigid... Gorgeous.

and sorry, Mr Mayor, i'm *not* staying home, LOL.
.
.
.


----------



## Jonescat (Feb 5, 2012)

I remember your snow stories from last year - hope it goes gentle with you this time round.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Ha ha, but don't sell yourself short L4L - not everyone can do the job you do and certainly not with the same level of kindness and compassion you seem to! 

I take my hat off to you!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
thanks, LurcherLad -
it's been a rough return to Lex, my client is having more visual delusions, but even *worse*, his blister-gel bandages were not COVERING the pressure-sores on his heels!, despite a note describing how to center the sore in the bandage & to use paper-tape to secure the lower edge, so his compression-stockings won't roll the bandages upward like window-blinds, plus to use a =shoe-horn= to get the stocking over the bandage every time.
Obviously, the PCA replaced both bandages; the sore on our client's L heel was so painful, he yelped & flinched when i went to put his shoe on...
this gentleman is very stoic, so i knew something was Very Wrong. 
.
I had to change his slax B4 i could get his stocking down, his sweat-pants all have triple rows of very-tight elastic which slide just a couple inches up his calf.
When i took the comp-sticking off, i was shocked & angry to see that the bandage on his L heel was 3 full inches ABOVE the sore - missed it completely!
It was covering perfectly healthy skin. 
The sore was bare, angry, & inflamed... such a setback.
.
to boot, my client *Got Out Of Bed* 4 nites of 5, & we STILL don't have a bed-alarm! - this is a serious fall-risk, & it's been a worry since October.
His wife cedes such decisions to her dotter, who can "do research" for months on end B4 making a choice / purchase. IMO, we don't have the luxury of "more months" - it's already been 4-mos, & he's had 2 falls on my watch already, & 1 on the other aide's shifts.
We've been incredibly lucky that he hasn't taken a serious fall & been badly hurt; he's had nasty bruises & several skin-tears, but it could so easily be skull fractures or broken bones.

.
meanwhile, i cleaned both wounds on his heels, replaced the bandages [he's more comfortable, the Rt is virtually unchanged, only the L is def worse],
& his dotter just sent me "an important e-mail" listing all her research on alarms to prevent him getting out of bed / wandering.

Some [per her description] are PRE-RECORDED MESSAGES telling him _____ - "Go back to bed, John, we'll be right there to help U, U're at home...", etc, in his wife's voice, & similar.
.
to say i think that's ineffective & a waste of money is an understatement; she also thinks a fabric banner with a hexagonal 'STOP' sign will keep him *off the stairs* in the middle of the night.

I'm beginning to wonder who is the more delusional. 
.
He's so confused now, on a daily basis, & he's becoming unco-operative... while on the toilet this afternoon, he called me 'ready' to get up, & when i entered the room, he was pulling hard at his [clean, dry, disposable] briefs - when i put my hand on his & asked why he was doing that, he snapped, "**_I_** don't know! - I don't know why i do ANYthing!", frustrated & angry, & later he repeatedly put one foot or the other on the floor [off the half-noodle / pillow / footstool arrangement intended to prevent edema & "float" his heels above any contact].
Every time i asked him to please lift his foot up / plz keep it on the stool, etc, he looked irritated & complied in slow motion or asked shortly, "Why?!"
.
I see rough times ahead. 
His wife cancelled *all* his Tues appts [4, all in the same facility], so no-one ausculted his wheezy lungs this wk nor did the geriatric specialist see his heels / pressure sores; it was a month ago he was last seen.
.
the agency-RN *thinks* he's aspirating fluids (when he drinks & 'inhales' over the lip of the glass), which is potentially life-threatening... yet the other aide didn't use straws for drinking, despite my text to him.
.
I'm very worried, & praying he actually stays in bed, tonite -
i don't want another medical crisis in the wee hours, they are stressful & scary.
Even more, i don't want him to fall & be hurt! - he's not retaining his muscle mass, his balance is off, & he's markedly more frail.
.
Hoping i can convince his wife & dotter to *try* a floor-mat alarm with a remote monitor [no recordings, no blaring buzzer, silent in his room].
Say a little prayer to the universe or any Higher Power for me?... Thanks.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I was abruptly awake @ 4-AM when his dotter yelled, "Mom!" in anxious tones -
she takes a complex schedule of supplements to fight her cancer, & is often up all nite / to bed betw 6 & 8-am.
She saw lites on brightly under his door, which is left ajar 2", & when she went in, he was already out of the bed / had *been* out of the bed, to walk to the wall-switch & turn it on!, & was falling sideways as she came in the door.
She lowered him onto the [raised] foot of his bed, & that's when she shouted.

I pulled on my robe & shoved feet into slippers, & by the time i went 8-ft down the hall, his wife was in the master bathrm, & his dotter was trying to ask why he got up.
I don't care why - he's only wearing a thin split-back jonny & under it, the long-sleeved turtleneck he wore during the day, plus traction bed-sox... he's chilled, confused, & barking Qs is unlikely to get any understandable info, even if he was warm, comfy, & fully awake.
I lower the head & foot, get him back into the bed, look for injuries [only a 1/2-inch wide scrape on one knee, probly from clambering past the bed's rail], & get his ankles onto the noodle: i put a longer hunk of noodle betw his knees & shins, hopefully to prevent him crossing his legs.
His dotter is still questioning him, & he waves his arms about & talks animatedly; none of it makes sense. I can't keep his shoulders & arms covered; i give up, go back to bed, & leave the 3 of them to it, dotter questioning, wife soothing, client rambling.
10-mins later, a knock @ my door - "he wants to go to the toilet".
He's wearing 2 disposable briefs & a urinary guard; to use the urinal, i'd have to rip them down the sides, then replace them, & he'd have to roll over at least 3X to get the new briefs on.
Going to the toilet when he's in a hurry only means he'll be wet when we get there, & cold again.

I tell him not to worry, just let go, & that's what the briefs are for - to soak up the pee.
Back to bed; it's 10 to 5, snowing, & reflected light is washing the windows with blue-white skim milk light.
I lie in bed & read to get back to sleep.
.
Thank God, he slept the rest of the night; i heard his dotter rattling or walking or the TV, but i mostly slept till 7:45.
We have abt 6-inches of fine, powdery, brilliant white snow reflecting into the house.
//
he slept till 10, & when i enter his room, he's sitting on the bed edge - abt to get up, again! 
His wife is right behind me; i've been checking him every 10 to 15-mins since i got up, his door is ajar, & he was sound asleep 10-mins B4.
He hasn't called anyone for assistance nor called to ask if anyone is there, etc; he simply woke & decided to get out of bed.
TELLING * HIM * NOT * TO * GET * UP * ALONE is a waste of breath; he doesn't remember things said for 5-mins, let alone for hours while asleep.
.
I'm going to get out the 3 x 4-ft alarm mat & see if there are AA batteries in the house [for the monitor].
Hopefully we can try it out tonite; this is simply too dangerous.
.
.
It's 1-pm; he's been out of it mentally, nodding off while eating [a mug of hot granola in his hands] & even while talking, between sentences... zonk, & he's sound asleep, twitching & drooling.
He stayed awake long-enuf to do 20 knee-lifts with each leg, & squeezed a foam ball 10X with each hand; when i got his shoes on to walk around the house, he fell so deeply asleep i was afraid to get him up, for fear he'd doze off while standing.
This is def *not* his "usual self".

.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
i've been abed since 10 to 9 -
so bl**dy tired i'm brain-dead, & it was an awful day. 
.
I couldn't find the nerve to suggest the floor-mat till this morning; their dotter gets so upset when i move anything, change anything, or do anything w/o getting prior permission, & i just wasn't up to another 30 to 45-minute exploration of the options [buzzer? ringer? chime? - should there be a recording in his wife's voice?...
how about the infrared motion sensors, they adjust so that U can choose when they go off?...],
& i certainly didn't want my head on a plate b/c i'd gotten an alarm to try out without her pre-approval.
.
I finally asked her mother this morning, & then *she* was angry with me... for not telling her about it sooner.
Last night / between 2 & 2:30-am, she was abt to go to bed when she found her husband sitting on the edge of the bed, & when she tried to get him to get back into it & under the covers, he was agitated & obsessed with "the mail" -- something needed to be sent, she couldn't get him calm.
After the previous 2 nites of broken sleep, i slept thru that, & when i did wake around 3, the house was quiet & he was asleep.
Then she said that along with unnecessarily worrying her with a broken night's sleep, i'd put her husband at risk - getting up, he could fall, & he's been getting up almost every night.
.
I suggested a bed-alarm back in... September?, & more urgently in Nov, but not even the 'research' began till his dotter returned from Europe.

Now it's my fault that he didn't have one, beginning Friday night?
oy, vey.
That fairly well ruined my day, but it got worse.
.
I'd forgotten my BnB was pre-reserved for this wk back B4 Xmas, & i hadn't been able to get on-line all wkend; every time i asked, it wasn't a good time.
So at 10-am, i realized i had no reservation for tonite. 
.
I asked my boss @ the agency to set up an Uber for 1-pm, meanwhile i've already showered my client, he's dressed & i made hot cereal, added 3 prunes, gave him his 7 supplements with OJ thru a straw, changed the bandages on his heels, cleaned both bathrms, emptied 5 trashcans & made his bed, vacced all the rooms, washed most of the breakfast dishes, washed his hair [with a washcloth while he sat in his wheelchair], packed my stuff, & took my cold food out of the 'frig.
His jonny & pullover were wet with urine, as was a long-sleeved shirt he'd apparently gotten out of bed & put under his bum during the night; i give them a 4-min prewash, then add sox & hand-towels for a 10-min load.
I hang them on the folding rack.
.
The drive is still nearly knee-deep in snow, the plow-guy is busy with multiple jobs; just as i'm putting my bags at the open garage door, someone begins running a snowblower down the drive.
I ask no Qs, just thank him as i lug my groceries, etc, by, then go back for my rollaway.
Turns out it's the next door neighbors, hubby with the blower, wife with a shovel. 
.
the Uber driver is a nice guy, gets me to the Red line station & i board the train; i switch to the Orange line, debark & eat a Subway tuna, haul myself & bags to my couple-clients', & get there with 15-mins to spare.
.
[my battery's dying]
Meantime, i've texted 4 past BnBs, no vacancies. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I ended up taking a vacancy @ a BnB i didn't want to patronize again, they have 7 rooms in a Victorian house with a servants' stair in the rear from the ground-floor right, it's a duplex - the front porch has 2 doors, the left opens directly into the stairwell, which is steep with pie-treads @ the turns.
The dining-room archway into the 'front room' above the street is closed, making the former parlor / living-rm into another rentable space; upstairs, on the attic level, are 3 more proper rooms plus some poor devil can try to sleep in a passageway that gives access to 2 rooms into an adjoining bathroom.
I'll post a photo later - it's literally a bed, no chair, desk, closet, drawers, not even a hook to hang clothes, & no lamp, just a ceiling fixture & wall switch.
With 7 rooms, 8 if U count the pass-thru bed, there's only 1 small-to-Medium 'frig, & it's packed. They have long-term tenants as well as overnight traffic, lots of churn.
They don't provide paper-towels, so the counters, stove, & shared dng-table are always messy.
.
.

more later...
.
.
.


----------



## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)




----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I interrupted myself to get a load of my gear down from the [USA] 3rd-floor room, as part of the BnB deal is that she had 1 room for MTW & another for Th; i gotta move from attic to mid-level.
Another guest was leaning in the hall with his towel over his arm, waiting for the fella in the shower to get out - who happens to be last nite's guest in "my" next room, he was spozed to check-out by 11.
I ask the waiting man if he'd like to use the 3rd floor bath, unlock my room so he can get to it, & lock the 2nd door so the rearmost guest won't walk in on him, explaining he needs to lock both doors, but be sure to UNlock this one when he departs.
Then i nab my shoulder bag, dry-food tote, coat & boots to carry downstairs.
.
to get back to Monday nite, i dislike this place b/c they've monetized EVERYthing; no one *lives* here, ppl STAY here & leave. If they could charge for toilet-tissue by the square, they would. 
I'm spending $200 in 4 nites' stay, & can't wipe the kitchen counter unless i provide my own cloth.
They buy soda & 8-oz water in bottles, & mark them up to $1 each; it's a wonder they don't rent the refrigerator by the square-foot.
.
I tell her i'll pay via PayPal & take a cab from my client's apt-house to the library; i've tried to pay her using my mobile, it doesn't go thru - a dozen times, i hit "repeat transaction" or "send $", neither works. I'm ready to scream with frustration. >:-[_]
I get to the library WITH * ALL * MY * LUGGAGE... & it's closed, locked-up tight. The wind is shrieking, the cold is bitter, & i can't get to a computer to pre-pay for my lodging. It's maddening.
.
I drag myself & all my gear across the street to a restaurant; i can't take my gloves off to text outside, it's too bl**dy cold.
I text my host; she tells me i have till 9-pm to pay for my stay, *after* i've already told her the library is closed.
WTH can i do to get her the money tonight?! - it's a nightmare.
Finally she agrees to take cash, her "brother" will come by to pick it up in the morning, & she sends me the 4-digit door code.
I drag me & all my stuff a block & a half along bricks, cobblestone, 2 to 3-inch thick ice where the snow was compacted by feet, into & out of flooded curbsides, holes, over frost-heaved pavement.
I pass the covered archway of a church, homeless ppl in worse straits than me huddle there to get out of the weather; 3 are drunk, 2 are arguing, the air is vicious with obscenities & threats. I thank God i don't have them as roommates, & stagger on.
I get to the 7-11 & withdraw the $, plus a $2.50 fee; i buy a small ice-cream novelty so i'll have exact change for the morning.
.
I phone the same cab-driver who dropped me @ the library; he was spozed to pick me up at 9, but i want to go now, i'm so tired my upper arms twitch, & i still have to get my bags up 2 flights of steep stairs.
.
He's free & arrives within 5-mins, i'm so grateful to get out of the cold shop with the hard-eyed, bored clerk & the homeless crowd eyeing me thru the window; we drive to the house, i swipe my debit & lug my bags to the door along an icy walkway with a 12-inch wide stip cleared to the bricks, up 4 stairs to the porch, unlock the door - it takes 3 tries, & i swear - & sling my stuff over the high threshold, going back out for my rollaway.
.
I get everything upstairs with considerable effort; "my" room door is ajar. This is odd, cuz she doesn't come to the house, only her "brother" - who isn't always the same person - comes to change beds, empty trash, etc.
Turns out the door DOESN'T * LATCH - the doorknob lock works fine, but the strike-plate is installed on solid wood, no opening for the bolt to enter, AND it's misaligned.
I lay my case down against the door, strip & remake my bed, get PJs on, brush my teeth in the downstairs bath, stand my closed case sideways across the door, & fall into bed.
.
Next morning, i tell Brother my door doesn't latch & show him the problem. He 1st misunderstands, showing me how to lock it & asking for the key - I try again, they're Middle Eastern & her English is better than his. He gets it, says he'll fix it within 30-mins, & i pay the rent - getting his printed signature on a hand-written receipt.
It's actually over an hour & a half later, but he does fix it - the latch goes home, the door doesn't pop open. 
I can leave wthout worrying that my gear will be rummaged thru or taken.
.
At 1-pm, a text from my client says they got no decent sleep, & i've got the day free; i spend it reading, take a 2-hr nap, try to regroup & recover my optimism. I feel discouraged, exhausted not physically but mentally & emotionally. Being rootless & trying to stay employed, keep a temporary roof over my head, & stay sane is bl**dy hard work.
.
the state of Massachusetts wants to raise taxes & prevent unoccupied AirBnBs - no one is supposed to rent a room / bed / sofa for more than 150 days of a 365 day year.
Obviously, that means folks like the 2 doctors who have TEN listings, on the Cleveland Circle line, & the realtors who "managed" the all-rental BnB in Roxbury near Jackson Square [where my 'hostess' claimed to live & lied, where i arrived to a power-failure & an unheated room], will be out of business.
Those properties will theoretically be back on the market, but i will be no better off; in fact, it will be worse.
.
I can't afford to rent them, month to month or on a lease; i certainly can't BUY one. Currently i can rent them by the night / wk / etc, but if they're no longer AirBnBs, i will be limited to only occupied housing stock - a much-smaller pot, thus demand will go up, & prices will soar.
Even a shared room with 2 twin beds, or bunks like a hostel, may be out of reach once this legislation takes effect.
Shared rooms now are $35 to $45 per nite; single rooms are $60 & up, some over $100 a nite, depending on amenities.
.
I could easily be on the street without options, soon.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

It sounds grim LFL. I really feel for you. Living so precariously day to day is not really any way to live and it must be so hard to maintain hope and optimism.

I helped out a friend recently who was homeless and with that no job. With no permanent place of her own it was nearly impossible for her to find steady work, get financial help or even search for jobs as she couldn't afford credit on her phone for internet or travel. Giving my friend a place to stay and lending her money and use of a car meant she stood a chance to stand on her own feet and luckily she is working hand has a place to stay. It's still pretty precarious for her but far better than it was and with luck she will get herself in more secure situation.

From what you say LFL you are trapped in a situation that you cannot get put of without someone to lend a hand :-( A terrible situation - I really hope your situation can improve soon.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I bumped into someone on the Green line tonite, after a long day of errands hither & yon - he'd just finished shoveling snow [which is now incredibly heavy, the nice fluffy powder was rained on, walked on, defrosted by sun & refroze overnite 3 or 4 or 6 times...], & both of us shared our woe at being dam*ed tired at 9-PM.
I mentioned my housing worries & the pending legisltion on BNBs; turns out he works for an NGO to provide affordable housing. 
They have a website & [of course] an application - i hope it's reviewed by human beings, not algorithms.
I still haven't gotten over spending TWELVE HOURS filling out over 10 pages of information on a job-app for the U-S Navy to work dispatch in their 911 office, & being told via an auto-reply that no human eyes ever saw my application; it was found lacking by a machine, & trashed. That was a bitter pill.
.
but at least there's hope; the public housing stock for low-income or controlled rent housing has a *minimum* 2-year waiting list, & in some areas, it's 4-years. That's assuming U meet their criteria.
Being single is not an advantage; they'd rather give that apartment or duplex or condo or even SRO to a woman with an infant, or a couple.
.
hopefully his organization doesn't prefer to score big by placing "families" vs individuals, 'cuz i'm not about to adopt a minor just to qualify for a roof over mmy head, LOL, nor will i place an ad for a marriage of convenience to move up the list for housing.
It's bad enuf worrying about myself; i don't want to add more folks to worry over.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Fingers crossed that the application gets you somewhere.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
it was inevitable, but still frightening:
my client took a bad fall. 
.
I woke hearing the distinctive rattle of the commode, which was weird & snapped me awake by the very oddness of the sound. It was left standing to the far side of his med-bed, & the low-level nite light was deliberately plugged in on the near side, to lure him to exit onto the alarm floor-mat.
.
I rolled out of bed, shoved feet into clogs, saw him at the foot of the bed on the near-side, BUT... he's facing the head, his back to me. WTH?... how'd he get in that orientation?
I'm walking briskly the 6-ft or so to his door when he turns to try & SIT on the raised foot of the bed, the mattress bends, & he falls face-forward to land with a loud thud on the bare hardwood floor. :-(
.
I was sure he'd have a ferocious nosebleed, the force he hit with & the orientation, & of course his 1st dazed reaction was to GET * UP urgently - i had to repeatedly talk to him & hold his wrists to keep him from trying to scramble to his feet, groaning loudly & asking, "what's happened to me?"
.
I finally got him somewhat calm, got a pillow under the back of his head, & called thru her door to his wife - it took a few minutes for her to get up, & by the time she got to us, the stunned shock had passed, & his head hurt - as did his left knee, he'd landed on it, too, with his legs crossed in a tangle behind his skull aimed like missile at the floorboards.
I told her he'd have to be seen, & she wanted to get him dressed - I said we can't move him, he needs to be picked up bodily for transport to the E-R.
She didn't like it, but gave me permission to call.
I changed his wet overnite briefs while waiting, after hanging up the phone; she dressed for the trip to hospital.
The ambulance arrived & i bagged his meds, still in my PJs, & they left.
His dotter said his speech sounded funny, it was a minor lisp to my ears & i think he whacked his upper jaw as well as the visible pink knot forming over his right eye, but that scared the EMTs & they were anxious to get him aboard & get on the road - his dotter kept offering things, today's NYX, a water-bottle, & his wife put on lipstick while the crew chief fretted in the hall - her hubby was already in, was she ready?!...
.
his other dotter phoned, she plans to play chauffeur if he's there long, so his wife & i can swap shifts & he's not solo / we both get sleep.
.
I've bagged a change of clothes, his shoes, & put an insulated bag in the freezer to put food in, when we go - there was only room for one on the truck, his wife went.
//
it's been 4-hrs, he'll be discharged, CAT scan was clear / no bleed, thank God.
Gotta go, need his coat, scarf, hat, gloves...
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Glad he wasn't badly injured and will be OK to go home.

What a nightmare though! Strange how his family react though? I wouldn't have bothered with the lippy tbh


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Glad it was not serious but shows how easy it can happen. :-( I hope his family take your concerns and recommendations as to what will help him, them and you seriously and act promptly.

I agree with lurcherlad that the wife didn't act the way we might expect. That said though I have come across people doing very unexpected things in urgent or traumatic situations so people's brains don't always work the way you would expect.

Hope you manage to catch up on well earned rest too LFL


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
got back to the house abt 4:15, it wasn't as simple as the 2nd-hand message!
His *wife* wanted to take him home; he arrived weak, pale, with raised BP & erratic pulse, despite a long-term pacemaker.
Dr wanted to keep him for eval & overnight.
.
If he needed in-depth evaluation, the geriatric Dept at his usual facility would be a better choice.
If he only needs basic nursing care, he's got a wheelchair, commode, & hospital bed @ home. I just want to be sure I won't hurt him in a pivot transfer.
.
we did 2 transfers while the Doc & RN watched; he was OK, his sore ribs are luckily below the armpit & aren't painful when I lift.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
finally persuaded his wife to put the bed parallel to the wall - one less way to get out of it.
Also laid 2 4-inch deep, 6-ft long foam cushions side by side on the 'open' bedside floor, they came from the den sofa, & are laid on rug-pads to help them stay put on the hardwood, should he step or fall onto them.
.
the near cushion is topped by the 2-ft x 4-ft alarm mat, to give me notice he's up.
.
Something woke me @ 5:25, he was wide-awake & gazing all around the room, his shoulders uncovered & his arms out from under the blankets.
When i spoke to him, his eyebrows lifted but he didn't reply, just stared - i think he assumed i was another of his frequent visions.
I tucked his arms under, covered him to his neck, & told him it was time to sleep - then he wanted to talk, but i said it's still dark, everyone's asleep, go back to sleep...
then his wife got up, hearing voices, & i had to try to explain to a deaf spouse without exciting her hubby's interest that no, he wasn't out of bed...
.
.
it's now 6:30, i put my own laundry in the washer, brought in the papers, checked the weather forecast, & i'm about to shift my wash to the dryer.
THEN i'll go back to bed.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I never did get back to bed... he dozed off over half-an-hr later, & i gave up & stayed up.
.
it's now after 4-pm, I got a late message last night that *I'd get today off *from Job #2, so I went to the computer-service storefront & picked up my new-to-me refurb Mac, which had been loaded with my personal stuff [photos, etc] by their tech, & now for the 1st time since OCTOBER 2016, I'm on my own laptop.  The keyboard feels odd, the keys are stiffer than the 2008 model, & the icons are strange looking, but I'll get over it, in time.
I do miss my long-time darling, tho.  . *sniff*.
.
I'll be staying with a male stranger tonight - he rents out a futon in his living room, so i'm hoping all will be copacetic. I'm too exhausted to hunt for other options; the price was right, or at least affordable, & it's on the Green line, so accessible for getting to & from that 2nd job.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
the futon is bearable, altho its pad is poor quality & has shifted filling; I can fall asleep on it, altho I awaken with uncomfortable areas - my lower back, especially [this despite side-sleeping with a pillow tween my knees, & another of memory-foam in the curve above my hip].
My host wants me to strip the futon the instant I get out of it, which is a bit of a pain, but I can deal. // The biggest advantage is being close to job #2, there's a bus that will take me there in a 10-minute ride, so that's a huge benefit. 
.
Something bit me just as I was leaving my clients' apt on Tuesday night, & it itched madly - there were 3 bites, 2 on my index finger / Rt & 1 at the juncture of wrist & hand. The one furthest out popped open on the trip home - I looked at it, realized that the 1/16th-inch blister was wet, tilted my hand & saw a tiny divot in the skin, at the center. // That one never became very itchy; the one at the WRIST has been driving me mad.
I woke at 2:30-am on Wed morning, sweating & itching - the itch localized, the sweat everywhere. Took an antihistamine, stayed in the bathroom for 45-mins to let it kick in [& let me cool off...], & went back to bed. Took antihistamine every 5-hrs until 7-pm last night, when i went to every 6-hrs. // This morning the nickel-sized hump on my wrist is OPEN - hopefully the draining will ease the itch. Hurrah!
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I was right about the bite on my wrist - draining did help, the itch went down as did the swelling. BUT - 2 more bites tht apparently got less saliva? / venom? / WTH, popped up on my L elbow area & drove me bl**dy mad with itch all weekend, despite ice-paks on & off & antihistamine every 5-hrs. 
The uppermost ruptured on Friday night, the lower one - on the inside just beyond my elbow-crease - didn't open & drain till Sunday @ 4-pm. The target-rash around the actual bite was over 5-inches in diameter, a large pink ring around a pale welt, like a single hive. // I slipped a silk knee-high sock over a gel-pack from the freezer, put it inside my shirt sleeve, & tied it in place with the other sock, outside my sleeve in a figure-8. It stayed on well, & really helped kill the impulse to gnaw on my own arm. :Rage
It was not an improvement to my wkend.
.
The client's vocabulary is shrinking daily, he is losing key bits of polite behavior [wiping his nose on his sleeve or glove, vs use a tissue; picking his nose in public, something I'm positive he hasn't done since he was 5-YO; picking at his teeth with his fingers after a meal, while sitting at the dining-rm table...].
His lower legs now look sticklike - his calves are shrunk to near-nothing; his thighs are a third smaller; he can't HOLD his extended leg parallel to the floor [while seated] - he had been doing 4-second holds, 20-reps per leg. He barely managed 20-reps of up & right back down, on Sat.; no 'holding' whatever, & by 15 he was grunting with effort. 
.
.
This morning, twice - more than 5-mins apart - I asked him to take a deep breath; both times it kicked off a coughing spasm, & he wheezed & gurgled. // Sunday night he was dreadfully confused, & i wonder if his pneumonia is back, or if he aspirated?... His face was grey this morning. Luckily he had an appt with the vascular specialist, to see his sore heels [pressure sores] which STILL refuse to close, dammit.
The timing was excellent, as his toes were deep-blue again this morning, as was the ball of each foot. // Fingers X'd she has some suggestions - a wound-specialist visiting nurse would be fantastic, but requires an Rx.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I'm in a [cheap, seedy] hotel tonight - i just couldn't find any past-BnB who had an open room / bed / sofa, & finally gave up. // At least i'm solo in a quiet room; that alone is a blessing. It'll be an early night for me.
.
.
*ETA:*
Oops! - forgot to mention - my stay at Futon House was horrid. 
He likes to leave his sidewalk-level casement windows *open* at night, & the noise, to say nothing of the CRUD in the air!, drove me nutz. The sills are 1/4-inch deep in charcoal-black grit & fine particulate, i dread to think what my lungs look like - & the fire sirens, cop-cars, & ambulances were whooping at least a few times each night, plus truck deliveries in the early-AM for the restaurants on MassAve. 
.
I won't be going back - & he owes me $140 which he has signally failed to reply to, via a PayPal request. :Muted Thinking bad words...
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
made a yummy pasta dish for the downtown clients last night, ravioli in a homemade sauce - browned the beef, removed it, sauteed onions in the fat, drained 'em, added crushed tomatoes, roasted bell-ppr diced coarsely, parsley / basil / oregano, garlic, Parm-Reg, & simmered it for 30-mins. Dropped in spinach ravioli, simmered gently 12 mins, & served with crusty bread.
.
.
There's been a series of tornadoes in the past 4-days, & we here are expecting THUNDERSTORMS tonight - so i will be watching for wild, gusty winds. This is of course, not normal for this time of year - it's the "new normal". 
I can see thunder-phobia will become an increasingly-common & difficult problem in dogs, as noisy storms spread across the calendar - it used to be a July-thru-mid-September "hot" storm-season, now it's becoming 9-mos of the 12. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
just checked tomm's forecast -
partly sunny, High Winds Advisory from 1-am Th to 7-pm, so my day off will be March "in like a lion..."
.
wonder if i can get to the Arboretum tomm?... Hmmm.
.
.
.


----------



## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

Terry, if only you were in the UK. You wouldn't need a licence of any kind to set up as an animal behaviourist and nearly all our care workers are non-British. It seems from what I have read that the US make it very difficult for anyone to earn a living. I wish you luck and hope you find something that suits and that you can get your teeth into.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
hi, Newf'sMum! -  Nice to see U.
well, as i'm past 50, i doubt very much the UK would want me - employed & employable or not. 
The vast majority of countries want immigrants to be 35 or under, so they pay in for a long time before retiring & taking anything out.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I took a pajama day, last Thursday - didn't set foot outdoors, ate the food i'd brought with me, took a nap in the afternoon, watched a movie.
Boring, utter bliss. 
.
my weekend client continued to slip downward; his vocabulary is smaller & smaller, the pressure sores on his heels refuse to close, & his wife forgot to ask about a wound-care specialist visiting nurse, during last Tues appt with the vascular specialist - which sucks, as she [the circulatory Doc] is out of her office for the next 2 weeks.
.
he still wheezes when he coughs; sometimes inhales liquids vs drinks them; & swallowed the water meant to rinse his mouth after brushing his teeth TWICE in succession, despite prior explanations that it was For Rinsing, DOn'T Drink It.
He wobbles visibly when he tries to stand or walk; his lower legs look like a flamingo's, there's no muscle to speak of. He's cheerful & has a good appetite, but he is often bored & i can't seem to hook him into any activities. Tried everything from crosswords to crayons, puzzles to Play-doh; zilch.
.
Sat-AM, i woke at 6-am to his voice as he talked to ppl who weren't there; he was chilled but still in bed, his covers were level with his elbows. I covered him up & told him to get warm & go back to sleep; he woke at 8.
Sun-AM, he was OUT OF BED 3 separate times - @ 5, 5:30, & 6:10-am; the 2nd time he was standing & wobbling, & i literally pushed him back onto the bed so he couldn't fall down. The others, he was sitting on the bed, feet on the floor.
Sun-nite into Mon, i was awakened by a short, sharp noise - didn't know what; jumped up, checked, he's asleep, i go pee, back to bed. 20-mins later, again... he's asleep, house is quiet. It took a 3rd blatt before i realized the BATTERIES WERE LOW in the receiver - despite being plugged into a DC converter, thence to the electrical outlet.
Got up & rummaged for C batteries, found exactly ONE, swapped out the middle of the 3 batteries, plug it in, turn it on... 1 more blatt, then silence for the night.
The last time i looked, it was 5:20-AM, & i was listening for the newspaper to be delivered. 
.
.
so after a fortifying brekkie, i left for my PM client - & at 2, got a text - her power-chair was repaired, they were celebrating by going to the mall & having dinner out.
Yay! - spent the day mooching, saw a MOVIE in a theatre! [Lion - excellent film], ate lasagna in a family Italian cafe, early to bed [10:15], woke at 7 to pee, back to bed, slept till TEN a-m... yes, i was really, really that sleep-deprived.
Feel much more human.
.
.
.


----------



## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

I swear if you wrote this as a book, it would be snapped up by publishers and turned into a film, maybe starring Angela Bassett
Honestly how you manage on a day to day basis amazes me 
if you did write a book, it should be required reading for this present 'gimmee' generation,
A Life Lesson in Working For a Living and for Others


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

QUOTE, mrs phas:

I swear if you wrote this as a book, *it would be snapped up by publishers & turned into a film*, *maybe starring Angela Bassett...*
...

/QUOTE
.
.
LOL, that tickled me, I can't imagine it!  But thanks for the vote of confidence. I appreciate it.
.
I spent today doing laundry [3 enormous loads] & in between made air-fried chicken tenders, steamed broc, & jasmine rice in chicken-broth; made the bed; cleaned the bathroom; stocked the mini-frig with bottled bevs; & boiled a chicken breast for later use.
Some dingbat opened the dryer on one load, did NOT re-select the drying setting when they closed the door, & the 60-min timer ran out on the cycle before i went downstairs to fetch them out; I had to re-start it, & pay for another hour of drying, as they were stone-cold & wet. :Shifty So i paid - or my clients paid - for FOUR drying cycles, not 3 [$2 each].
.
.
I went to Whole Foods after work, got off 30-mins late cuz of the extra load of laundry running late; bought some good things for brekkie [low-fat org cottage cheese, apple butter, croissants...], lunch [50 / 50 mesclun & spinach greens], & general [sunbutter, apple butter, dried fruits, whole-grain org bread...].
Tomorrow will be YUMMY. 
.
Not sure what i'll be cooking tomm; my clients told me that the Prudential Center has an enormous new eatery & grocery complex, EATALY, all Italian - the place is gargantuan, they took over the entire former food-court & filled it, it took them over a year to build it out. There's a cheesemonger, fishmonger, bread bakery, pastry sections, olive bar, made-to-order cannoli bar, a charcuterie, a general grocery, AND a tablecloth full-service restaurant... plus a trattoria offering casual fare - sandwiches, coffee, etc.
I'd like to go there, after work, just to check it out. Foodies are such cheap dates, LOL - looking at food, reading labels, smelling food, reading menus, are all happy occupations that don't require actually -eating- the food. 
.
.
.


----------



## newfiesmum (Apr 21, 2010)

I wish you well, Terry. I couldn't do it, but then I don't like people. I could do it for a dog, certainly, or any other furry creature, but people? No chance.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
today's big project for my client was stripping the bed for the season & washing *Every*thing - including the ginormous Queen size puffy spread, & both pillows.
The spread & each pillow took dryers solo, so 4 dryers whirling away - the monster pouf was dry outside, but the inner surface was damp with only 15-mins rmng, I had to haul it out, open it the other way, & stuff it back in, LOL.
Kinda like getting a down sleeping-bag into its stuff-sack... 
.
I went to the library, found 3 new nonfiction books i want to read next, & put 1 on hold for next week.
["Coming Rain", late-1800s / early 1900s Oz, a young man earning a living shearing, herding, building fences, etc, traveling the country.]
.
I went to EATALY & bought a small gelato, wonderful - local milk from High Lawn Dairy, local eggs, Fla cane-sugar, Bourbon vanilla pod.
Also bought a gorgeous rustic loaf of fig bread @ the bakery. That'll be brekkie, with sunbutter & apple butter. Scrumptious.
.
.
.


----------



## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

just a tip [you may/probably already know it
if you put three tennis balls [cheap ones will do, I use ones from the £shop] in the dryer with any puffy things they help distribute the heat and keep the puff puffed
it what i do with my eiderdowns
[yes, all who are cringing now, i put a real proper 1940's eiderdown in the wash and dryer........deal with it]


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
thanks, Ms Phas  
I sometimes use tennies with tougher down items, but this was a [cheap] synthetic-fill coverlet - the problem was it's sheer *S-I-Z-E*, the bl**dy thing's queen-sz & massive... so it wasn't the fill causing problems, just that the hot air couldn't get INTo the wrapped center. Flipping it "inside out" to put the damp innards against the dryer walls, & the dry "outside" innermost, solved the problem nicely.
.
personally, when i want to fluff my stuff or simply dry a load faster, I use felted-wool balls that do a brilliant job; the super-size are 6" diam, the regular sz are 4", & they bounce around MUCH more quietly than the banging & thumping from the tennies.  I've got 3 super-sz & 4 std-sz, & they work like a charm.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
this was so discouraging, i couldn't even write about it.  Sunday-morning, i got up & checked on my client, sleeping peacefully, used the toilet, & began collecting items to carry to the dining-room for my breakfast - I bent over my open bag of dry goods to nab my sun-butter, & *my nose began to bleed - AGAIN. :Jawdrop*
I'm so bl**dy sick of this nonsense, & i really thought that the cauterizing last April had finally, _*finally *_stopped this recurring PITA.
.
I had one minor nosebleed back in Nov, when the heat had been on for about 10-days; I shut-off the heat vent in 'my' room, i've been using spray-saline at night & lip-balm inside my nostrils during the day, & there was no recurrence. Then, about 2 weeks ago, the dotter who lives @ home [she has cancer & is treating it - that's her FT job] began to complain she was cold, so her mother raised the house thermostat another degree.  It's the desert-dry setting on the whole-house dehumidifier downstairs, plus the FORCED HOT-AIR HEAT, that cause my left nostril to bleed... & sometimes it won't _*-stop-*_.
.
I plugged it with a Vaseline-coated cotton ball, & tried to calm myself down - anxiety will only push my BP higher, & slow clotting of the dam* leak. :Arghh Then i took the receiver for the alarm-mat with me, went to the dining-room, & ate my breakfast - cold EVERYthing, as nice warm fragrant steam can itself kick off bleeding. :Meh Damn & double-damn, i'm sick of this [email protected]
It stopped actively bleeding within 30-mins, but i left the [ugly, huge, paper-taped in place] cotton-ball there until i went to bed, AND FOR THE NEXT WEEK, I must not bend over, but I must _squat_ to do *any*thing at less than full height. :Grumpy By Wed, my thighs will be screaming.
I also can't have hot bevs, any spicy foods [cayenne, mustard, etc], or any hot / fragrant foods - 'warm', yes, not *hot.*
.
.
Monday-morning my client got out of bed TWICE - at 5-am, when i had great difficulty convincing him to go back to bed -- _"I heard them talking, i need to know what they're talking about!..." - _& yes, both his wife & dotter were still up, & yes, they'd been talking in the dining room. I think the LIGHT coming under his door was also a potent factor - I keep turning off the overhead lights in the hall, his dotter turns them back on. [I flip the wall switch in his wife's room & leave it on to illumine the hall, instead of the hallway ceiling lights; the light from her bedroom throws less-intense light out the door, & softly brightens the far end of the hall from the brightly-lit dining room.]
I got back to bed after 45-mins, & was again awakened by the alarm mat at 7:45, which was actually SIX Forty-Five... & found him already fallen, luckily entirely on the crash-pad beside the bed. :Arghh However -- after yesterday's nosebleed! - I dare not even try to get him up solo. 
I phone his dotter downstairs, & she comes up, leans the outer cushion against the wall [I have to take one end, she can't do it solo] so that I can get the wheelchair into the room, we brace the chair for him, & he gets to his knees, then uses the chair arms to get himself up. He doesn't even have a minor bruise - which is good & bad.
.
We go direct to the shower, he's up for the day, & the visiting RN is spozed to be here between 10 & 11-am.
Today is shift change, the other PCA is due at noon, & i have a to-do list two feet long. // He has a lot of trouble with directions today, while bathing & dressing - plus he's so wobbly, i put his gait-belt on before he gets up to use the grip-bars to go to the doorway. I'm glad i did - the last change of grip is right hand to vertical bar on the door frame, & he staggers backward, hanging on his left hand.  I'm holding the gait-belt at his waist from the front, so he goes nowhere, but scares himself - & me!
.
.
He's had his herbs, 2 licorice chewable tabs [prevent gas], digestive enzymes [ditto], brekkie [almond granola with oat milk], 4 prunes, 8-oz OJ to take his supplements & baby-aspirin. // I have already eaten, & start cleaning... At 11-am, the Visiting-RN phones, she won't be here till betw 1 & 3. // I'm packing, the trash is out, bed made, bathrooms are clean, vacuum run, plants watered [my alter-ego isn't a houseplant kinda guy, left to him, they'd all be desiccated sculptures of once-green vegetation].
At 12:30 I'm stuffing a salad in my face, all my gear is in the car, & the V-RN arrives.  At 1:30, she's on-line looking for heel protectors on the client's desktop, with the lady of the house watching over her shoulder. The RN put a brand-name silver impregnated bandage on his heels, but the dressings are so bulky, he can't wear his compression stockings. 
.
I was starting to fret when we finally left - I had a bus to catch, & a fairly long ride on the T to reach my next client, with a transfer at a very busy station. // The RNs will come by MWF to change his dressings, we'll try a condom-catheter to see if that will STOP the out-of-bed trips [my suggestion, he often says "I'm wet..." when he protests getting back in bed], he'll wear heel-protectors to stop the overnite pressure from the mattress, & hopefully we can get the goddam pressure sores to finally -close-.
.
.
Tuesday we'll have a blizzard - 8-am to 8-pm in Metro Boston, running later west & north. The city expects approx a foot.
So my PM-clients opt to have me do everything for Monday AND Tuesday on Monday, & i won't be back till Wed-pm. // I clean like a madwoman, wash a bazillion dishes, make pork-chops in the air-fryer, steam broccoli, re-heat the Jasmine rice, & make sandwiches for Tues. I re-stock the small 'frig with bevs, make the bed, take trash out, recycle a hundred small items, & fetch the mail from the ground-floor box.
There's chicken breast for a soup & enuf for chicken-salad as well; there's salad greens & carrots, tho neither of them has ever eaten a salad at home since the day i began, at the end of September; she's decided to try WeightWatchers, & i'm hoping this is a good change. 
I arrived at 3:15, ate my homemade salmon-spread by dipping the fig-bread into it, & started work at 4; i leave at 8, & head for the cheap hotel again. :-( Not my preference, but i'm unable to book thru the BnB website, & i don't have any former hosts' direct phone numbers; they've blocked me from replying via the app, i can't text them nor e-mail them.
.
.
TUES MORNING:
It's snowing steadily at 8-am when i get up to pee, I went to bed at 10:30 & was asleep by 11; i go back to bed. // At 9:30 i wake up again, & finally feel rested. The wind speed & snowfall increase all morning, by noon it's a 40-mph steady gale with near-whiteout visibility. // The satellite signal on the TV goes in & out, we've lost half the few channels [there are only a dozen].
I'm dry, chilly, but out of the weather - the room's about 65'F, I have to wear my wool vest to be relatively comfy. I have food in the 'frig, including milk for my decaf. I've got bread, sunseed butter, apple butter & applesauce, some cheese, salad greens / dried fruit / dressing, & i'm taking good care of my fractious nose - NO bending, NO lifting, squat, squat, squat, saline spray / lip balm, & lots of positive thoughts. 
.
I want a nose transplant. :Bag Anyone who wouldn't mind *not* blowing their nose for 4-years & who wouldn't be bothered by spontaneous nosebleeds, please contact me - we can trade. Trumpster's health-care will surely cover the surgery on us both.
.
.
.


----------



## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

wishes we had a big {{{hug}}} icon x


----------



## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

newfiesmum said:


> I could do it for a dog, certainly, or any other furry creature, but people? No chance


@newfiesmum: I so totally agree with this...when you think of what you do for cats/dogs without a second thought and without even finding it gross...cleaning out the litter tray, wiping up vomit, losing the odd finger or two when administering a wormer. No, certainly could not do it for a stranger, even if the money was attractive (which it undoubtedly isn't).



mrs phas said:


> I swear if you wrote this as a book, it would be snapped up by publishers


@mrs phas: @leashedForLife: There's certainly enough material here for the first few chapters of something readable (or maybe in diary form in a magazine).


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I wanted to know more about silver-impregnated dressings -
http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/3156
.
I especially noted, QUOTE,
_"...silver ions not only kill bacterial cells, but can also kill host cells - Dr. Ovington warns against using silver dressings for long periods of time. She points out that *using topical silver for longer than two to three weeks* *may increase the chance of cytotoxicity to host cells."*_
.
So Monday the 13th was the 1st instance; we have until the 27th to show significant improvement, & should stop using silver by the 3rd of April. Good to know, 
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I can't swop noses, but I feel guilty for moaning about my knees today! 

As I was complaining that the escalator wasn't working, and wincing as I bent each knee, I spotted a chap on crutches with 2 paralysed legs, zooming along the walkway - that put things into perspective for me and I counted my blessings.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
snowstorm Stella is still dumping snow over us, the wind has gusts of 50-mph or more that rattle the windows in the frame, & my only regret is that i forgot to bring my SNOW PANTS with me, dammit! - I'd not only be warmer, as they're windproof, but also i'd be safe from snow melting into my clothing - they're waterproof & they insulate so well, the snow falls off still frozen.  Rats - that's the biggest problem of homelessness, anything U leave somewhere is invariably *in the wrong place* when U need it. 
.
.
anyway, the satellite signal for the TV is back, the WeatherChannel is thrilled with all this snow / cold / wind / ice, trees falling, auto accidents, power outages... they're milking it for all it's worth. 
All the metro-Boston schools are closed, from pre-school to university - (i'm glad i don't have a young child, ATM, as with my luck, i'd be working today with nowhere to send my kid for the workday, & an unsympathetic employer who'd tell me that's MY problem, get my a$$ to work & stop whining.  ) 
Visibility varies from zero to 1/4-mile, depending on where U are across the state. Coastal flooding is possible, as the high winds pile up the surf & keep tidal inflow from receding.
.
.
Most folks are staying off the roads in Mass; Connecticut banned all nonessential travel by road beginning at 10-am today, tickets will be issued to drivers without a dam* good reason to be on the road. The T & buses are running a Sunday schedule, so ppl who must work or travel are strongly encouraged to use public transit so the plows can keep up with the snowfall.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weath...-new-hampshire-as-snow-falls-rapidly/70001108
.
.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/video...h-east-coast/s4dg5hyte6aqt9q_0dagp8_lnask-8f8
.
.
Time-lapse video: almost 2-ft of snow
http://www.accuweather.com/en/video...-in-new-york/1wawliyte6n8-rqvsbuwgqpcreyrtdq5
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Today, BTW, is 'Pi Day' [3.14...], & women in science are celebrating it - the meteorologists are dressing for the day in a color-block dress, to distinguish themselves & hopefully encourage young girls to get interested in STEM subjects. 
.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weath...all-wearing-the-same-dress-on-pi-day/70001114
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
this photo-album, 11 pix, is worth scrolling thru - especially the 11th photo, the Golden Retriever on Boston Commons, 
There are photos from NYC, Hazleton, PA [western-central, coal region], Philthy, Newark, NJ, D-C, & more:

http://fortune.com/2017/03/14/photos-of-winter-storm-stella/
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
some storm Stella local trivia:
metro Boston has 700 snowplows working today.
Massachusetts has over 2,400 pieces of equipment on the road - plows, sanders, dump-trucks, 'dozers, snow-melters, ...
.
currently, 156,000 ppl are without power in MA.
.
Conn will lift their statewide travel ban at 5-pm; the state of New York has banned TRACTOR TRAILERS from all interstates, as wind gusts are expected to reach 70-mph soon [not only in NY, but here in Mass as well].
Almost 900 plane flights are cancelled for tomorrow - thousands of flights were cancelled today; anyone who could, left yesterday & paid hundreds more to get out ahead of the storm.
.
there will be several days of severe cold after the storm passes, all the way into VA & south, & clear to Canada. // I'll be dressing extra warm - I have a balaclava hood with a face-mask, as winds will still be high tomorrow. I also have a wool neck-warmer, very thin & over a foot high, that reduces leakage at my collar.
My down coat goes clear to my calves, & has buttons all the way down - the zipper ends at mid-thigh, the buttons lap it below. My boots, thank God, are Thinsulate lined - no goreTex, but U can't have everything. 
.
Coastal flooding is expected from Delaware to Massachusetts - so NJ, Maine, RI, etc. Glad i'm not in Salem, MA, right now. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Wow! -- just had a 72-mph wind just reported in Mass, that's only 3-mph below minimal hurricane force. 
.
Philthy got less snow than expected, so not as much accumulation - but worse, they got a LOT of freezing rain.  Trees are heavy with ice & bending under the weight, & they're getting high winds, also. Driving there is very treacherous, the roads are glazed, bridges are solid ice, & trees / branches are falling.
They will have more power-outages than Mass. [my *personal* prediction!]
.
.
Yesterday's daffodils in Philthy are now frozen solid. 
.
it's spozed to stay cold until next Thurs, here in Mass.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
here's a cool tool! - An interactive SNOWFALL ACCUM MAP, which shows the past 24-hrs accumulation across the USA.
.
http://www.vox.com/a/national-snowfall-map
.
Blow up the scale & use the "hand" logo to drag the map to a specific region; click on any point for a specific past-24-hrs accum in inches.
Nifty! 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
this truck jackknifed on the Zakim bridge, just past noon today - BEFORE things got really nasty:
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2017/03/14/zakim-bridge-truck-spinout-tractor-trailer-blizzard/
.
.
thankfully, no one was hurt, & no damage done - to the truck, to the bridge, to other vehicles.  Very lucky.
.
ETA: 
scroll to the raw footage, it's down near the middle of the page, from the *Boston Herald * via another trucker who had an in-cab camera filming as he drove.
There's also a traffic-safety camera clip, from MassDOT.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
new peak wind-gust in Mass, along Cape Cod: *79-mph*
.
.
Jefferson, NY, got 32" of snow. // Pittsburgh got 14"; Philthy 6", parts of NJ just 2" - they got more rain / less snow.
.
It's going to rain here, unfortunately - probly by 11-pm.  That'll make the snow soggy, heavy, & footing will be ICY. 
Anywhere the snow gets compressed, it will be _*slick. *_Bridges, roadways, foot paths, sidewalks, etc.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

I was planning to celebrate pi day with a walk across the fields of exactly 3.14159 miles followed by some delicious pie but managed to ruin the plan when I tripped in the garden and bashed my knee badly. So will have to defer pi celebrations till the 22/7 (British pi day :-b )

I can commiserate LFL on the nose bleeds. Much of my childhood memory of trips out involves being in the back of my dad's car for hours parked in a layby or entrance to a field waiting for my dads nose to stop bleeding.

He generously passed this tendency to me so much of my adulthood was spent getting nosebleeds at very inconvenient times.

I had a very bad one when travelling by plane from Europe once just before the flight was due to depart. The few tissues I had were no match so I had to use whatever I had in my hand luggage which turned out to be a few sanitary towels, clean underwear and a t shirt. All got hastily stuffed back into my rucksack, soaked with blood. Fellow passengers gave me a wide birth as I must have had blood on my face and I did have it on my hands but no time to clean up. Once I landed after a short flight I was able to clean up the gruesome bits. However I caught the eye of the customs official who took my stress to indicate I was up to no good. The guy was even more suspicious when I told him he should put on gloves before opening the bag. He saw what I meant when peering in all he could see was a sea of red. Suspicion turned to concern and he was all for trying to cart me out in an ambulance. I dont think he quite believed me when I said it happened all the time and was no big deal.

I used to get nosebleeds during my period (vicarious bleeding) or in warm showers but that stopped after a few years.

It's a pain to have especially as you just want to get on with normal stuff.

Hope your nose starts behaving itself again soon.

Have seen all your snow on the UK news. Looks cold. We've been having lovely spring weather here but I think your cold weather is heading our way :-(


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
gee, i really REEALLY wish i could 'outgrow' these blasted nosebleeds. :Arghh Unfortunately, the Drs think it's "thinned skin" caused by the low-dose steroidal spray i was given to use by my allergist, back in 2009 / 2010, when i had a severe reaction & my airways kept swelling shut. 
If i could, i get a dam*ed skin-graft inside my left nostril! *desperate*
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> .
> gee, i really REEALLY wish i could 'outgrow' these blasted nosebleeds. :Arghh Unfortunately, the Drs think it's "thinned skin" caused by the low-dose steroidal spray i was given to use by my allergist, back in 2009 / 2010, when i had a severe reaction & my airways kept swelling shut.
> If i could, i get a dam*ed skin-graft inside my left nostril! *desperate*
> ...


Yeah I still get them too especially anywhere dry like air conditioned offices. The doctor said I had a particular rich and extensive set of wider than usual blood vessels nearer the surface than most people. Great ! I go through phases where I have them lots and then hardly have them at all, more when it's hot or I am stressed. It is definitely a pain.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
yeah - blood dripping, running, or dribbling steadily out of facial orifices is not popular in public - or for that matter, in private. :cryin:
Waaah! 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

leashedForLife said:


> .
> .
> yeah - blood dripping, running, or dribbling steadily out of facial orifices is not popular in public - or for that matter, in private. :cryin:
> Waaah!
> ...


Driving with a raging nosebleed with nothing to hand to stem the flow also leads to some very interesting patterns - everywhere. :-(


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I carry my 'emergency kit' everywhere - cotton balls, Vaseline, paper tape to hold it so I have both hands. // Thank God, i don't drive.
Ppl think it's silly, but dammit i never know when / if it might happen. AC dry or ESPECIALLY dry hot air will trigger it, but *bending over *is a common start - dripping into the bathtub i'm scrubbing, how delightful. :Arghh It's H***.
.
I can't spend my entire life vertical. Nor can i avoid lifting weights - helping my clients _MOVE_ is part of my job. 
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Someone needs to invent a nose bleed catching device which you can install on your nose, go about your daily business and it catches and transports those red blood cells away discretely and cleanly.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

By the way, I noticed that you mentioned that you grew up in Bucks County PA ? I have friends in Yardley. Nice part of the world


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

QUOTE, kittih:

... you grew up in Bucks Co, PA ? --- I have friends in Yardley. Nice part of the world. 

/QUOTE
.
.
Yardley is abt 30-mins from our village - let me find a pic...
.
they are much-more cosmopolitan than my hometown - which is a village with a U.S.P.O., :lol: No grocer, no shops.
Yardley has _*a train station... *_ooh! :Jawdrop
.









.
lots of surrounding development...
.








.
Yardley also has another part of the canal & towpath, that runs beside the Delaware river from Easton on the north, to New Hope in the south...
New Hope, like Milford [once Mill Ford] & Riegelsville, is a twinned town - there's one in Penna, & one in NJ across the river.
.
.
.









.
Yardley has enuf local residents & thru-traffic to support such amenities as a fitness gym. :woot:
.
.
.








.
.
"my" little corner of Bucks Co has a gas-station with a convenience store - 20-mins drive from our farm, on Rt 412. Since the postmaster gave up his general store [per orders from the Fed Govt], that's the nearest shop with food for sale.
We usually went to Hellertown instead, for the actual GROCERY there - much cheaper; bread [after my mum stopped baking it @ home, 'cuz we could afford to buy it, now], TP, condiments, cleaning stuff, etc.
We grew a *lot* of fruit & veg, but bought pasta, onions after ours ran out, garlic [didn't grow it], bananas, oranges, etc.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
typical view along a local road - Good reason not to drive over 35-mph. This is summer...
.
.








.
.
the restaurant where i worked as a teen, before & 'between' college - for an alcoholic owner [who groped young girls] & not one but TWO Italian chefs, the head [Santos] & sous [Tony].
Below the glassed-in dining room on the left is a series of pools, fed by the spring on the far side of the driveway - it runs year-round, & the stream & pools have trout. We used to jump into the pools to cool off, at 10 or 11-pm, after a bl**dy hot, sweaty, 12-hr day in the steaming kitchen - the shock of the cold water could make U shriek.
.









.
.
our famous Post Office - it served as the stop for the local school-buses, but the Postmaster's adult son, Carl, was such an unwelcoming git, we often stood on the porch even in foul weather, rather than enter the building & listen to him mutter irritably & slam the mail into the boxes as he sorted, furious that we'd tracked rain or snow onto his floor mats.

.








.
.
another view of the Cascade, the near foreground is the stream as it enters the last & largest pond, the stream is full of watercress & the pond surrounded by cattails [native reeds] - this is late spring after the 1st mowing of the year, note the leaves are only half-out on the maple in the rear.
Horses graze the field around that pin oak.
.








.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

leashedForLife said:


> QUOTE, kittih:
> 
> ... you grew up in Bucks Co, PA ? --- I have friends in Yardley. Nice part of the world.
> 
> ...


Ah yes the canal. We had a lovely walk along the tow path. My mum and I made the mistake of walking along the road to the store. Lots if fascinated drivers wondering why two (British) people were walking and a very insistent friend of the family trying to give us a lift.

The store owner explained that people who wanted to enjoy the fresh air and exercise took the canal tow path which was lovely. Weird Brits !


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
the Pennsy canal - view within a few miles of "home", the river [Delaware] is to the left behind the belt of trees, about 20-ft down; the road on the right is narrow, high-crowned, & treacherous, running at the base of the Palisades, a very old chunk of red shale; in winter, the many springs seeping from the face make ice massifs that can fall, & falling rocks that form hillocks in the roadway can happen year round.
The footbridge crosses at a once-upon-a-time lock.
.








.
there's a long, skinny "park" formed by the towpath & adjacent grounds, as the canal parallels the river & the space between them widens or narrows - Roosevelt Park. We used to picnic along it, or fish in the canal on summer afternoons when chores were done.
I learned to carefully chew bluegills to find the fine bones, by eating the fish we caught.
.
.
an abandoned farmhouse - sadly, not rare...
.








.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
a view very-similar to that opposite our neighbors, the Pollards [universally referred to as The French Couple] which would overlook our other neighbors', the Hughes - in which case, there'd be a big red barn roof just about center of that near swale... and the open grassy area beyond, with the silo & house, would be continuous forested rolling ground, to the river.
.








.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

QUOTE, kittih:

Ah yes - the canal.  We had a lovely walk along the tow path.
My mum and I made the mistake of walking along the road to the store. Lots of fascinated drivers, wondering why two (British) people were walking, & a very insistent friend of the family trying to give us a lift.

The store owner explained that people who wanted to enjoy the fresh air and exercise took the canal tow path, which was lovely. Weird Brits !

/QUOTE
.
.
LOL, yes, i can see that.  Local roads are often very narrow, walking the verge is bl**dy dangerous on Rt 32 [seen above, winding between the cliffs of the Palisades & the guard-rail beside the 12-ft deep muck of the canal].
.
The towpath is lovely for walking, no traffic, very level, but it can be very 'fragrant' if the weeds are not kept from growing too rank, which makes the water slow & stagnate - but that's only in high summer [or was - now, it might start in June, for all I know. Temps have risen so much, late Spring can be as hot as mid-Summer].
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
as expected, snow has been cleared from roads, etc, but there's lots of ice, esp'ly in shade.  I'll be walking VERY mindfully.
Tonight there's a 50 / 50 chance of snow from 5 to about 10-pm, & it'll be bitter cold - 25-mph winds, accelerated by the high-rise buildings around my client's apt. Predicted feel is 9'F, which is bl**dy cold, indeed.
.
I'll be using my balaclava hood, & wishing i'd brought my wool-felt broad-brim with the ear flaps that fold down below my ears, all the way around behind my neck. Ah, well - can't be helped, it's in Lex with my snow-pants, dammit. *sigh*
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Day 4 - _squat... squat... squat... _My thighs are screaming, my temper is thinning, & my nose - thankfully! - is still intact. No leakage of vital fluids.
.
The wind has dropped, it's still hovering around freezing [30 to 32'F], vivid blue sky, few clouds.
.
The milk froze in the mini-frig, so i had to defrost it at room-temp [~65'F] to get it out of the bottle, & into my [cold!] coffee - at least 3 more days of 'no hot bevs' to go. 
.
.
I'm going to the Agency office today - a short-term client, the nice woman whose skin had the terrible tendency to TEAR under any pressure or friction, died 2-weeks ago; she left me a piece of china, & i'm going to pick it up.  Mary was such a lovely woman - i was happy to hear that her PCA was with her, holding her hand, & she went very gently.
I only spent a week with her, but she made a big impression on me - i'm glad i'll have something to remember her by.
I haven't been to the office in over a year, as it's so awkward to reach via public transit.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Lots of changes / updates in the past 2-wks, but i'll hit the highlights - or lowlights. 
.
my MassHealth coverage is *denied* - with 2 jobs, i make "too much money". // I have to get coverage via the Connector.
I'll have an $85 'credit' each month, to reduce my monthly payment.
.
I still don't have 'net access for BnB reservations; they want a copy of my bank statement, i'm not comfortable sending it.
Stalemate. // All the "trust" apparently has to be on _*my *_side, not theirs. 
.
I'm dropping $90/nite plus tax & fees, 4 nights a week.  // At least i have a toilet & bathroom that i don't have to share. 
.
I want to see at least PART of the Flower Show, tonight - tickets after 5-pm are discounted.
.
.
.


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

So sad to hear about your former client but glad she had a peaceful end with someone there to provide comfort. Iys also lovely that she remembered you in her will. You obviously left an indelible a impression with her too. 

Sounds crazy that you don't get masshealth coverage based on too much earnings. :-( What are they thinking. Us Brit's are so lucky with have the NHS and I really hope we keep on having it for a long time to come.

Hope you manage to sort out your accommodation issues. Is that airbnb you are having problems with ?

The flower show sounds lovely. Are you going to be able to visit again ?


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Rrrratts!...  I didn't *check the dates *before hauling myself way-the-heck-out to the World Trade Ctr, & the Flower Show was last week/ wkend.
Blast & hellfire. // Ah, well. I got all excited when i saw the ad promoting it in a weekly-freebie newspaper, but it only listed the WEBSITE for tickets, so i just went straight there, & discovered when i arrived that this week is 'Wheels' - classic cars are all well & good, but that's not what i wanted.
.
I went to the food co-op for groceries on the way back, at least that was worthwhile - 2# of organic dried black-beans for $1.79 / #, on sale. 
Among other things, of course.
.
I picked up my mail on the way to the WTC, & was expecting 1 package - i had THREE. :Jawdrop Very exciting! - a book on making paper flowers [on clearance], rolls of art-shade crepe paper [on sale], 2 gauges of floral wire [wholesale, 50-pcs each, 18" long], wire cutters [on sale]. // I will have fun stuff to play with, over the wkend when i get a break.
So i had to haul it along with me - some fit in my backpack, some had to go in a bag.
.
Someone among my recent / last 6-mos of shopping SOLD * MY * ADDRESS to various catalogs - :Meh
There were 8 catalogs in my mail - 2 of them *duplicates*, & none that i've i ever bought from, before. // I'll be making 800# calls tomm, to cancel every bl**dy one. I hate wasteful bulk-mail. Grr.
.
I put away my chilled food, & i'm reading a 1966 paperback sci-fi.  The thrill of it all... *sigh* // Tomorrow, back to work.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
it's 4:30-am, my client has been trying to get out of bed / raving loudly since 1:20-am. 
.
his wife, on Dr's suggestion, increased his melatonin dose; per his dotter, this can cause hallucinations / agitation. [I don't know - haven't seen hallucinations listed as a side-effect of melatonin.]
.
I got back to bed at 2-am, got up a 2nd time to get his legs back into the bed, went back to my bed and actually slept briefly, & the alarm-mat chimed again at 3:45. // His dotter gave him a small piece of pot-brownie in an effort to relax him, at 4-am; he's still raving, but a little less loudly. I'm sitting in the den, no point going back to bed, i might be needed if he slides out of the bed again.
.
Let's see... that's 3-hrs & a few minutes sleep, so far tonite. // I hope the marijuana kicks in soon.
If not, i'm going to suggest easing him onto the crash-pad on the floor, covering him, & leaving him there to sleep. He can't get up off the crash-pad --- we'd have to phone 911 for a non-emergency assist later this morning, to get him off the floor safely, as he doesn't understand how to get up on his knees to lever himself off the floor anymore.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
It's 5-am & the noise level has dropped to intermittent normal-volume conversation, from loud continuous ranting. 
Maybe i'll get some sleep yet...
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

OMG! 

Hope you get some sleep eventually!


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Left the den @ 5:15, got back to bed @ 5:30 / he was finally asleep.
.
Woke @ 10:40, heard silence... went to his door, he's SITTING on the bed edge, asleep, with his feet on the alarm mat. [to make it sound, U have to lift or move the contact - just once. STAND on it with 1 foot, or sit on it unmoving, & nothing will happen.]
His feet are twice normal size & *deep pink - *his lower legs from knees down are swollen. He's been sitting on the bed-edge FOR HOURS, asleep. 
.
I lift his feet / legs, cover him, raise the foot of the hospital-bed, put the heel-protector back on that he'd kicked off, put his eyeshades on him, & tell him firmly to "go to sleep" - then go to the kitchen, get a cuppa decaf, bring in the newspaper, water my paper-white narcissi, & ... *the phone rings. Once.*
I grab the damned instrument wanting to throttle the caller, & start to say i can't get the lady of the house when --- too late! - she picks up. Never mind; it's 11:15-am, she's awake, she didn't go to bed when i did & won't want to nap. // She'll spend the day falling asleep at random moments, sitting upright, looking exhausted. 
.
Turns out they stayed up till 7-am, his dotter sat on the crash-pad & held his hand to keep him somewhat compliant / in bed.
He's still talking to himself, but not attempting to get out of bed nor ranting. // It's an improvement. Hoping his legs / feet go down, the edema is marked.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
been an odd day - he was pleasant but incoherent / mumbling when i bathed & dressed him, couldn't seem to roll over or help in any way.
But his appetite was normal [he'll eat anything, anytime, & eats "by the clock" - if he eats brekkie @ 11-am, he'll still cheerfully eat lunch AT NOON, 'cuz it's ... noon?  He never seems to have any grasp of his body's function, no clue of being 'hungry' or not, & if he's sleepy, he simply blanks out].
.
He's been talking in sentence fragments, & at one point, said he'd "made a bad presentation this morning", & over an hour later, "I wasn't prepared, the materials weren't good..."
He's been RETIRED for approx 30-years, so Lord knows where that came from.
.
At least he's not fighting me - Sat nite he pushed my hands away when i was undressing him for PJs / bed.  He also couldn't wake enuf to stand / get his pants down; I hauled him up by brute strength & held him, his wife slipped his trousers to his knees, & i set him down. // Direct to the bed from the wheelchair.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
got some decent exercise in for the 1st time in a month or more, between 'brekkie' @ noon & 'lunch' @ 4-pm; he seemed somewhat alert & oriented, but vocab was tiny & all directional terms / body parts seem to be lost. 'Breathe', 'walk', foot, knee, mouth, seem to be gone for good.
.
He fed himself 2/3 of a mug of oatmeal @ brekkie, an open-faced egg salad at lunch, then FAILED to eat his soup @ dinner, and prunes w/ yog - both with a spoon, i had to feed a spoon at a time. // He can't deal with pills - CHEWS every pill in order to swallow it. [Some meds aren't meant to be chewed, they can be less efficacious or even cause problems when chewed.]
.
Wouldn't even try to stand up to walk to the toilet; i gave up, & pivot-transferred him w/o any wt-bearing, just slung him from wheelchair to bed, then pulled his pants off by log-rolling. 
His bowel function will be quickly affected if he stops walking entirely - yrs ago, he had a blockage & had ab-surgery, plus he's lost abt 1/3 his stomach some 20-yrs back due to a perforated ulcer. He needs potent digestive enzymes to help, esp'ly as his abdomen inflates with gas every few days until he has an explosive BM that's mostly gas. Then he feels better - for 2 days or so, as the gas begins to accrue again.
it's a persistent cycle; the chewable LICORICE tabs help, but "not walking" throws a whole new level of complication into the mix of issues.
.
Hoping we all 3 sleep tonite. All digits X'd.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
my Lex client continues his rapid downhill slide; rarely any coherent words, can no longer comprehend body parts / directions / requests - "Move Ur feet" is not an understandable idea.
Starting Fri afternoon, i could no longer walk him from the doorway to the toilet of the master bath - even with the grab rails, as he can't be relied on to WALK even when prompted to do so, & his knees repeatedly buckled - my hand on the gait belt & my other hand on the waistband of his sturdy khaki pants were all that kept him on his feet. :-(
.
We have to feed him approx 1/2 the time; even eating finger food such as 'animal crackers' has become difficult to impossible.
.
He's been coughing for WEEKS - today his wife decided he needed to be seen [& none too soon, as he coughed & expelled saliva from both his mouth AND both nostrils.  ] He's not automatically swallowing his saliva; everyone produces saliva 24 hrs a day, & that's normally a brain-stem function, nothing we think about.
Personally, i think he's got fluid in at least 1 lung, quite possibly both as he wheezes, whistles, & gurgles while breathing. // He may be aspirating his saliva.
.
We went to Mt Auburn Hosp to use the walk-in clinic, & i caught the bus to Harvard from there, then the orange line to my next job.
.
He can't stand up anymore; all transfers are direct hoist. I have to move him from the commode to the bed to get his pants back up, then from the bed to the wheelchair.
.
He has ALWAYS slumped - his shoulders, & slumped down in his seat - now, he tries to make his wheelchair into a bed & LIE DOWN in it, which not only doesn't work, it's goddam dangerous. The other day, he got his buttocks within 3-inches of falling off the seat, direct to the floor - & i've been lifting his dead wt up to shift his butt back multiple times every hour, let alone every day. // I've got a ThermaCare wrap on my lower back, 12-hrs of deep heat overnight should help my poor overworked back. Ow.
.
he had a tiny open wound on his bum last week - about 1/16th inch. // that was Fri nite, going to bed. THIS WEEK he had 3 - all in an area smaller than my palm. Not good - pressure sores are H*** to heal, & he can't walk any more - he sits on his butt all day & all evening. // We now have to put him to bed with a pillow wedged behind him, ON HIS SIDE facing the wall, for at least 2-hrs every day - to try to get his bottom to heal.
He tries repeatedly to get onto his back, so I have to sit beside him & rearrange his legs [left knee over right & beyond it] to push his RIGHT hip behind him, & keep him on his right side; he doesn't co-operate, even in his sleep. :Arghh
PLUS we use a moisture barrier ointment on his bum, every time he uses the commode or changes his briefs.
.
He gets up most nights multiple times, even when the clerestory windows in his bedroom are pitch black - obviously "night" outside, not day. And his dotter wants a 2nd night light in his room - WTH is she thinking?!... he needs minimal light, sorry that means U cannot conveniently _"peek in from the doorway & see if he's asleep" -_
No, U can't see iF HIS EYES ARE OPEN while standing in the doorway.  Shame, that.
.
i'm exhausted. // A 12-hr day in 2 different places, plus 90-mins of wrestling my case & bags from Watertown to downtown Boston.
The very physical aspect of the job, now, is equally a very nonstop job - he CANNOT be alone anymore, even for a few minutes. It's draining.
.
.
.


----------



## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm not surprised you're exhausted, I am just reading what you have to put up with.


----------



## Sophie17 (Feb 16, 2015)

OMG! Poor you and poor him. It must be very hard.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
I didn't get to text the other PCA until 10-pm last night, worked @ downtown clients', then caught the bus / Red line, checked into my [cheap] hotel, & found the bed hadn't been changed.  Good thing i carry [& use] my own sheets, altho normally i put the fitted sheet over the CLEAN sheet already on the bed...
this time, there were bloodstains on both fitted & flat sheets, AND on both pillowcases. 
Blecch. // Thank Goddess for nutrile gloves, & that i carry them with me - tho typically it's for eating or prepping a meal, or housecleaning, not for stripping the bed i'm about to sleep in, LOL.
I carried the soiled sheets direct to the front desk, & she was very apologetic - but i'm pretty sure it wasn't an accident, the hotel Mgr is an obstructive PITA who will deny U anything she can, apparently for the pleasure of saying, No. // The room was yellow-highlighted on the cleaning roster, which confused the heck outta the PM-receptionist, as that means "towels & trash only". Yet it was listed as completely cleaned & ready for guests on the computer - & she'd been told to rent it to me. :Meh Hmmm.
.
After re-making the bed & cleaning the toilet seat, I texted my fellow PCA & he replied that our client had been *admitted to hospital - *as i'd feared, fluid in both lungs, plus a possible heart-attack.  This despite 3X weekly visits by an RN for wound-care, trying to get the pressure sores above his heel bones to close.
She takes vitals every time, auscultated his lungs MWF. 
*Yesterday *was the 1st time she didn't do BP / oral temp / O2 saturation (often that's unreadable, his finger circulation is poor & a clip-on scanner is useless) / pulse / resp / *auscultate*, in the past 4-weeks.
.
He's been mostly happy in himself the past month, just a few times [such as last Saturday night] when he actively resisted care in his confusion - I couldn't get his 2nd pair of briefs on for overnite, that night, & for the *1st time ever*, couldn't get his eyedrops in -- he was so agitated by my changing him out of pants & overshirt, he struck my hands away when i tried to put in his eyedrops, which a mere week previous, he'd have reminded me of... even if "eyedrops" was the only word he said, he'd have said it.
.
His appetite yesterday morning was fine, he had no fever [i checked], & tho he was working to breathe, he wasn't in distress. // I'm hoping he recovers, but given his age & also his cognitive decline, that may not be kindest for him - nor for his family. His wife has been very upset by his recent freefall into helplessness, as he's been 'steady' - not improving, but only gradually losing words & understanding - for so long.
.
I slept from 11-pm to 11-am, with just 2 interruptions; my back feels MUCH, much better, the deep heat overnite worked beautifully.
I must consider that i may not have a job, nor a place to stay, come Friday; i've got to make less-costly arrangements for a roof. My client may still be in hospital, or he might die - or enter hospice, or a nursing home.  I'd prefer he died at home, if possible - in his bed, or at least in familiar surroundings -- but this is crisis care, & until he's recovered somewhat or takes a turn for the worse, who knows?
.
.
In any event, everything is in flux - as usual - & i got a text while i was sleeping, my downtown clients are going out for the day, i'm *off till 10:30-am tomm* [1-pm dental appt], so i'll run the laundry thru & cook before we leave for that, accompany her & help with transfers, accompany her back home, & make dinner early.
.
I have a lot to do, on my unexpected day off - better get cracking.  1st things first: wash my hair. // Practical tasks are very grounding.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Update -
he didn't have a heart attack - the fluid in his lungs is due to heart *failure*, not pneumonia [probly left-side, IME].
There's no infection. // A speech therapist wanted to test his swallowing, but they couldn't get him to open his eyes - he's had nothing by mouth since breakfast on Monday.
Tomorrow a specialist in palliative care will come by; Dr thinks he'll be there for another 2 to 3 days, then home. His gerontologist thinks the angiogram is now needless; it won't help anything, & is too intrusive to be justified. "Healing" is off the list of options - preventing pain is tops. 
.
He's awake now, chattering incoherently, & smiling. // His poor wife spent the nite in a chair in the waiting rm; the only available bed was in the ICU, altho that was more care than his case needed. She couldn't sleep in his IC room [bl**dy rules], so the nurses gave her a pillow & blanket, & she slept sitting up in a chair, fitfully.
[She's past 80, so this is no easier on her than on him.]
.
Hope she gets a good night's sleep, tonite - she'll go home when he falls asleep.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
sometimes, this is exactly how i feel.
.
.








.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
this, too, is way-too familiar to be funny - wincingly truthful, more like. :Meh
.
.








.
.
.


----------



## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

leashedForLife said:


> the POTUS is a man with zero political experience & worse, zero political acumen


Surely to Christ, you're missing a valid point here.

President Donald Trump is not only a lesson to be learned, but also a reminder to absolutely everyone on this planet, that you should simply apply for whatever job you want even if you don't have any experience of it at all.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
update:
client much improved - on Rx for heart insufficiency, fluid is reduced / edema in lungs is down. He passed swallowing test, can have pureed food / usual diet, & *does NOT need *Thick-it to swallow liquids, just a straw. 
He was irked when his wife answered my phone call, LOL, as he was eating dinner, & she was feeding him - priorities!  Meals are always more important than any phone call.  Shame on her! 
.
I'm to meet them & the palliative care staff tomorrow, to go over any new practices - he should be discharged in the PM. He tried to get out of the hospital bed several times last nite, so no change there.  Thankfully, they have a bed-alarm, so no exits / falls, & he didn't get chilled, either.
.
Last night, he had 6 guests in his hospital room, so good thing he'd moved from ICU, they'd have had a fit. // He enjoyed his visitors, & gabbled cheerfully, altho he rarely produces coherent sentences, now - just word-salad or gibberish, with a rare clear relevant word here or there.
I'll go to bed early so that i get a solid night's sleep - tomm nite is liable to be broken.
.
.
.


----------



## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

I am glad for his improvement, as it gives family [and yourself, cos youre not nearly as hard as you like to make out] more time to embrace the inevitable
however going inch by inch is never good, for anyone


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
had a *2-hour* meeting with the palliative care RN, she'll be liason for the family & the nursing team - she doesn't come to the house, she acts as Case-Mgr.
She was very helpful, supportive, & explained the ins & outs of the legal situation very well; he will be on pureed food & nectar-weight thickened liquids, we need to pick up Thick-It on the way 'home', as he'll be discharged tomm.
Palliative care offers a lot of support; an RN will come to the house after he gets home tomm, do an intake, check his heels [the small but dam*ed persistent pressure-sores above the small bony projection on the outside rear quadrant of each heel], check his skin all over, take vitals, make suggestions for transfers or other coping mechanisms, & she'll bring a rplcmt wheelchair - the current one has a damaged 'seats' for both screws under the left armrest, the screws won't go more than 1/3 into the threaded base, they simply jam.
.
There are meds he can take which will help with his increasingly-frequent & intense hallucinations; it turns out he has Lewy-Body Dementia, a Dx i'd never heard of, & i must read up on it; there's a highly informative website that has all sorts of info, i'm reading it at his bedside. 
.
When we arrived, he looked very poorly - cheeks collapsed, looking dehydrated, lips cracking, facial color quite gray. // After the meeting, i fed him pureed turkey breast, carrots, 2 cups of nectar-wt jc [OJ & Cran, separately], maybe 3-Tbsp of mashed pots, & a full 5-oz cup of chocolate pudding [dairy]. He enjoyed it, & looked much better after his meal - his flat wrinkled cheeks smoothed a bit, he's been on hefty diuretics to reduce the edema in his lungs.
.
He's not delusional at the mo', he's resting comfy, we have music on [classical strings], & there's a live-feed camera over the river on the TV as a view.
I'm going to study the new Dx, symps, prognosis / relative speed, etc.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
discharge was on Sat, rode in ambulance, & the crew carried him up the steps & in, then put him in his wheelchair. He was very dozey that day, up 2X that night, uncovered & cold when i got up, then slept when i re-covered him for another 90-mins.
Sunday the hospice RN came - i thot they'd decided on PALLIATIVE care, but when they learned hospice was revocable, they chose that. Surprise! - LOL
.
He hasn't had any terrifying night visions since that one awful night, but he doesn't sleep well nor long - & i'm getting worn down. 2 to 3-hrs chunks of sleep just don't cut it. 
Patriots' Day fouled up transport, 'Sunday schedule' on buses plus Uber wouldn't schedule the house - so client's wife drove me to the T-station, which is 20-mins one way when traffic is kind. // She went back to meet the medical director of hospice, the weekday RN who will be coming regularly, & the Dr on the team, at her home - with her DH & the other PC.
.
Had an ordinary week at clients #2, back to find new wheelchair - thank Heaven! - with footrests AND a head-rest, just a basic pleather sling but 12-inches above a higher back. Now when he falls deeply asleep in the chair, his apnea is not worsened by chin-on-chest posture cutting off his airway, & no neck soreness. 
.
Hydraulic lift also came, so far we have not needed that, but it never hurts - next time he's on the floor, we can safely lift him ourselves.
.
.
More later...
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
the State in its infinite wisdom has stopped reimbursing my Food Stamps - on top of paying for my health insurance monthly [*still* not restored!] & paying to house myself 4 nights of every 7, this may be the budget-breaker. 
One of the big benefits of Food Stamps is the farmers' markets - quite a few double the amount of Ur credit, U pay $10 & can buy $20 of fruit, veg, bread, etc. Local food season is coming soon, & i need that help very much. // I'll have to take my proof of income, etc, to the state office, wait to be seen, & appeal the shut-off.
.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
my elderly client was being fed about half his food 3-weeks ago; that became "all" for a few days, or for some meals, but he was still eating a normal diet. // Now he's on puree, i have to blenderize all his food, AND feed him, AND add nectar to every beverage, AND give him his drinks - no more than 3 swallows in succession, 3 bites food / 1 swallow of bev, 1 tsp at a time, wait for him to swallow [he *chews* everything, even yogurt], etc, etc.
The job is more physically demanding, & more caretaking is done every day - less & less free time, less time for me to get a meal, bathe, get out of PJs into clothes, take a deep breath & remind myself he's not being contrary by choice, he's no longer logical or reasonable...
.
He had a good weekend with visitors 3 days running - all faces he recalled, with some prompting, & was delighted to see them. He spoke intelligible words, smiled, asked about grown kids, & so on - recalled mutual memories, reminisced.
That said, his general trend is definitely downhill. // This morning i didn't like his breathing, & i wonder if his lungs have fluid again - he scootched his butt down in the bed & had his buttocks uphill from his waist, which i'm sure messed with his heart [cardiac insufficiency, left side] and his breathing.
.
The hospice nurse is not due till tomorrow, i told his wife & the other PCA to watch his breathing - he had 2 bouts of open-mouth breathing before i left at 1-pm.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
it's been a roller-coaster ride for a month-plus.
.
had another fall a month ago, no serious injury, but his rt knee is painful on EXTENSION - bending is OK, sitting is fine, but lift his foot to slide the pillow under his leg on the raised wheelchair legs, & he says, "Ooh!" & winces.
Since he can't describe symptoms or tell us where it hurts, HOW it feels [burn? Sharp pain? ache?...], everything's a guessing game.
.
Week B4 last on Thursday, the other PCA put him to bed On His Side to give his poor buttocks a break - unfortunately, he didn't put the foam-cushions beside the bed, & the ALARM MAT on top of them was not beside the bed -- nor was it turned on, plus only the head-rail was raised; the rail blocking the lower 2/3 of the bed on the side away from the wall, was FOLDED DOWN.
He got up solo, crashed to the hardwood floor, & broke his femur. 
.
.
.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

Oh dear god, that's terrible!


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Your poor client. That sounds terrible. I hope he recovers from the break quickly though having a broken leg will make everything so much harder for him, you and his family. I hope the other PCA is aware their actions caused this.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Sorry, interupted - i'm @ work now. // Anyway, he lay down in bed that evening & ate DINNER in bed - as long as he was lying on his side, he was sorta comfy & ate as tho nothing was wrong.
They debated going to E.R., but decided tomm was better. // Late-night visits to E.R. are only for crises, there'd be no radiologist on duty, etc.
Took him in at 11-am Fri, I met them there at noon, he was in surgery at 8-pm. // 45-mins in surgery, 2 small incisions - 1 to fix fracture in femur, 1 to re-attach the floating trochanter chunk [*intertrochanteric Hip fracture*]
*Dx, Tx options, anatomy -*
*http://tinyurl.com/yczxrh7e*

that was finished by 9-pm Fri nite; his wife went to Recovery, as he woke up raving & combative - she spent 90-mins soothing him, then we went upstairs with him, & finally left at 11-pm. // I was in bed at 12:30-am, his wife stayed up futzing, LOL.
I spent from noon Sat to 2-pm 'initializing' my new phone [sucks - no QWERTY board, horrible user navigation, I still can't find the phone-log for calls made out & in...],
back to hospital at 1-pm / home at 10-pm. // I fed him 2 meals, changed his bandages [heels & bum, *not* femur!], soothed him when he was disoriented, put moisturizer on his feet / legs / arms, & generally tried to keep him oriented, calm, & hydrated. He got 2 units of blood as his hematocrit was low, & 3 units of IV fluids.
.
Fathers' Day was Sunday - his wife & myself arr @ 2-pm & stayed till 9-pm, I gave him brekkie & some lunch, 5 (115-ml ) cups of nectar-thickness fluids [his urine was conc'd / dark, the IV fluids were discontinued on Sat afternoon, & no RNS / PAs / patient caregivers stood around to give him ORAL fluids], his dotter / SIL & G'son came at 6-pm, & he SLEPT from 5:45 to 9-pm.  Missed everyone but wife & me. 
We played Trivial pursuit from 7 to 9, the guys won by 2 cards [14 to 12]. // He never opened his eyes. Bummer.
.
Was spozed to be discharged on Monday, but when we got there, his catheter was out but he was not out of bed - & had yet to GET out of bed at all; no PT, no sitting, no transfer with a lift, nothing, nada... in bed from 11-am Fri to 2:30-pm Monday, when i left for job #2. // He also needed an X-ray for that Rt knee, which may well have sent him to the floor when he tried to exit the bed on Thurs aft. [the residual soreness from his fall 2 weeks ago.]
.
So he was going to stay overnite, & leave either Tues or Wed. // Was discharged Tues aft, went home via ambulance, on Heparin daily at noon for 18-days [to prevent clots].
.
Up 3 times Tues nite - at 3, 4, & 6-am. [Wife cut his Seroquel to 50-mg from the Dr's Rx of 75-mg At night B4 bed - she thot he didn't need it, after the anaesthesia... but that was Friday evening for only 45-mins, & was a spinal, not GA.]
Up again on Wed / Thurs AM 2X... slept the night thru, Th into Fri. // I arrived at noon & caught up - he did not use the Hoyer lift, but the male PCA has 5 inches in height & 40# on me, plus he's 25-yrs younger, LOL.
I did a non-wt-bearing pivot transfer to get him into bed for his 2-hr SIDE resting -- his butt is inflamed after all that lying around, even with the air mattress inflate / deflate they put under him on Sat evening [abt 9-pm]. // That was at 2:30-pm, & by 3:30, he was restless, disoriented, & trying to get out of bed, pull the head side-rail off, taking blanket off & balling it up, saying he had to "get up & go to work", hallucinating, etc.
For 20-mins, I literally held him on his rt side & talked to him nonstop from 3:30 to 3:50... then i checked him every 5-mins until 5-pm, when I checked his bum [from a 1.25-inch papercut, it's now a NICKEL sized 3-layers of skin deep hole, OW...], ointment, hydrocolloid bandage, up & in his chair.
.
.
he's talking nonstop but disoriented, thinks we are having a religious event?... [it's a 1939 Astaire movie], & doesn't want to keep his feet elevated. Oy...
.
.
.


----------



## Sophie17 (Feb 16, 2015)

Gosh! How terrible and sad. It must be very difficult for you and him.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
thank God, he stayed in bed 'last night' ... he was still asleep at 5:35-AM, which was a distinct relief, as he tends to wake As Soon As there's a discernible difference between the previous utter blackness & the 1st faint blue-black lightening of the sky, thru his clerestory windows.
 Since the odd-shaped windows running along the wall's top have no CURTAINS or blinds, at this time of year, he's often awake at 4:30 or even 4-am, & believe me, i am not ready to begin my day at 4! :Jawdrop He was sleeping so deeply, i managed to lower the head of the bed, slide him "up" the mattress, & tilt the bed-head up again, without waking him -- he slithers down the bed the same way he skooches down the wheelchair, caterpillaring his bum downward so he sprawls with his lower back unsupported & his head jacked-up vertically, vs anatomically apropos reclining with his butt lower than his waist.
Today he had his butt uphill, & his waist at the bend of the mattress - that looks incredibly uncomfortable, & limits his breathing, too. [Which is a scary thot, as he has apnea].
.
.
the house is quiet, it's predicted we'll have a high of 88'F & very muggy - I set the A.C. to 76'F overnite, as it will never get any lower than it does while we sleep. // Last night's low was 71'F at 6-am, tonight's will be 62' & i'll be able to leave my bedrm window open... altho i close it -before- the newspapernik delivers, around 6 / 6:30-am, as she drives a diesel-powered car, & i can't STAND the stink that wafts in, pee-yeeeww. :Wacky
The birds are still making their happy racket, tho it's not as mad a chorus as it was at 5-am [when i was blessedly unconscious]. // We had rain overnight, & the woods surrounding the house are vividly green & glossy, with luxuriant foliage everywhere & ferns that would come halfway up my thighs, if i ever got to walk among them.
[Everyone in this household but me & the other PCA have tested positive for Lyme disease, & both wife & dotter suffer the chronic fatigue of chronic Lyme - dotter is once again in Europe for cancer-treatment, i think she returns in ?July ?. I have yet to walk on grass anywhere in this neighborhood, ever - i walk on paving: stone paths, concrete, asphalt.
I'm dam*ed if i'll do tick-checks nightly with a flashlight & mirror, & i sure don't want to host those parasites in my bloodstream. 
Life is hard-enuf, I need my health to bear up under it! ]
.
I can hear the dim patter of raindrops scatting on the roof - it's quarter past 6, & i'm debating: get a cup of decaf while the house is wrapped in quiet, or go back to bed?
Both are tempting, i'll check for the newspaper... if it's here, i'll get coffee, if it's not, back to bed it is.
.
.
.


----------



## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)




----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
it's 8:30 & he's still asleep, bless him - he's been agitated / restless since his return from hospital on Tues afternoon, Thurs nite was his 1st unbroken sleep.
.
had a bit of worry last nite, when i was putting him to bed; I have to roll him side to side to get his pants down, & he had some bleeding from the lower incision - not a lot & not active bleeding, but neither was it pale pink or straw-colored serum, it was RED. // I asked his wife to phone the surgeon's #, & a Phys-Asst called back. She said just watch it today, if it persists, call again, but as there was no swelling / fever / redness, she wasn't too concerned.
I was suspicious b/c his surgery was a WEEk ago, & any drainage would generally have stopped w/i 3 to 4 days. // No leakage last night, his disposable bed-pad was dry & unspotted at 7:30, I peeked under the blankets w/o waking him, & the incision is just faintly pink along the line where the staples bend into the skin.
The upper incision, which is the one at the hip, is even less irritated - it's as pale, clean, & dry as if the staples were lined up on paper. Very nice job by the surgeon.
.
the bandages on both incisions came off after 4-days, so they were removed on Tues B4 he was discharged, & they've been bare to the world ever since.
.
Spoke too soon, LOL - at 9-am i checked, he was awake / calm, had taken his covers off in prep to get up, SOLO, altho he had not attempted it yet.
bathed / dressed - he has a rash in his groin, a 3-in x 5-in patch on the upper inside thigh, angry wet reddened area on Rt scrotum 2 x 2, smaller deep-pink dry area on L scrotum. // Washed v gently, applied water-repellent ointment - hopefully by tonite it will be calmer vs current angry state.
.
his thigh incision wept a little, it is now yawning slightly between staples [NEW] & has some reddening at the cut edges. I will phone to update the Dr's office, but at the mo', am not too fussed about it. // I put a plain dry island dressing on it, to help support the edges & lessen strain when he rolls / moves.
.
He ate brekkie enthusiastically & is calm, not especially oriented but relaxed / happy. // He enjoys small luxuries intensely, now - combing his hair made him groan with pleasure.  He was an intensely cerebral man all his life, loyal but not loving - now, he hugs his wife / accepts hugs readily, offers her a kiss when she bends to speak to him in the morning, & is far more affectionate / relaxed, less judgmental, less forbidding.
.
I think he slept much better & is getting back to his routines, tho his tummy is still upset - probly the diet change, home to Hosp food.
.
UPDATE: power failure abt 10:15-am. 
It's spozed to hit 88'F today / feel like 93', due to very high humidity. // Robocall guesstimated repair by 12:45-pm, hope they're right. // This house has neither heat nor cooling w/o electricity, one big downside of being urban-dependent. Our farm gave us food, water [2 streams, a spring, & we drilled a well], wood for burning, & we had coal for the furnace & stoves in late winter / early Spring, when it was bitter & wood can't keep up.
City homes are helpless without external inputs. // It'll be insufferable if they don't fix it B4 we reach 2-pm. All digits X'ed!
.
11:05-am: POWER! - Hurrah! 
.
I phoned the hospice office, they'll call the RN on duty re his draining incision, I put an island dressing on it to keep it from direct contact w/ his pants. // She just called back - no ointment, keep it dry & don't wash it unless it is soiled by urine / feces [i used a disposable washcloth this morning, just to wipe the area B4 the bandage].
She said watch it, if it YAWNS wider / swells / reddens further, holler. // I can do that. :--D
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
Bl**dy H***, it's 4-pm, & i JUST managed to finally get the 'Net up & running! - been down / couldn't load a page, send, nada since 1-pm. :Arghh
.
I had that post above in draft at 11:30, couldn't do a thing - weird thing was, Network Diagnostics said the 'net was working fine. // I had to shut off the power & let it reload, that was after turning off & restarting my laptop 4X, quitting my browser & closing / re-opening it, etc.
Tech is great - when it works. When it doesn't, it's a royal pain. 
.
.
.


----------



## applecrumlin (Mar 8, 2015)

I heard someone on the radio today talking about the importance of taking time out from striving - whether a long religious retreat or just a few minutes to take a breath and look at the sky. 
"Switching off and switching back on again solves a lot of tech problems" he said, "and it often works for us, too".

Your client sounds physically and emotionally draining to care for, it's very moving when you describe his pleasures, like bright stars in a dark sky. If I should ever be in his situation I do hope I will be treated with the same level of competence and compassion that you offer to him.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
I took a pajama day on Thursday - i was just literally so tired, that despite having umpteen things i needed to do, i just couldn't find the oomph to get out the door. 
I read a book, ate simple food, took a nap, tried to stay cool... I've had 6-day weeks since Sept-26th, with a few 5-day ones [maybe 3?...], & i'm just wearing down.
.
I need the money to make ends meet - i need some personal time to keep my sanity. 
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
OK - it's 8-pm, i've been up since 6:15-am, & i'm in a total-convert AirBnB.  . I hate these. NO * ONE * LIVES * HERE - it's depressing. // A former single-family home, with every room that isn't the kitchen or the bathroom made into a 'bedroom', no matter what function it once had.
I've got a window-AC unit, which i think will be valuable - i'm in the 'hood, it's bodegas & taquerias & a palm-reader on the main drag, the houses are 1950s-small & the lots are teeny - if my arms were 6-inches longer, i could rap on the neighbor's window from my room. // The white noise of the AC will help mask the noises indoors & out.
.
It's a full house, i got the last room, with a weird double-wide bunk bed of square 'tubular' powder-coated steel; i have a late-30s bedroom lamp with a French noblewoman in a gold sprigged cream gown, playing a violin. [She's porcelain, the base is painted plaster, the shade is hideous plastic.] I have a 3-drawer desk of oak with a gateleg half-top, when U fold it down the desk becomes 2 shallow drawers & a file-drawer in a slightly-odd nightstand.
.
I have a neat-looking Craftsman-era knockoff lamp as a bedside lamp, on another file-drawer nightstand [2 drawers, both file depth, & the stand is fiberboard with half-inch oak fronts on the drawers, & plastic sheeting with oak grain to cover top, back, & sides].
There's a mirror [1980s gilded plastic frame, fake-beveled glass] on the wall above the desk, & there are two big, old-fashioned, double-hung sash windows in the wall opposite the entry door. On the only wall not completely blocked by bunk-bed is a strange huge print of a photo - 3 polar bears, hangin' out on the ice.  Looks like mom & 2 large yearling kids - boy & girl. I'll snap a pic later.
.
there are some key things missing: a towel, washcloth, & trashcan. // I can hang a grocery-bag on the doorknob for trash. // The other Missing Item worries me more: NO LOCK on my door, not even a hook or slide to be used when i'm here.  That means i can't leave anything i value highly, or it may evaporate. What a PITA.
I never leave my laptop anywhere, it goes where i go, as does my phone & wallet - but God, all the gear in my rollaway. H***'s bells.
.
.
It's 9-pm, i've stripped & re-made my bed with my sheets & pillows, & i'm getting into it. // Tired. ( x.x ) I'll tell ya tomorrow about this morning's debacle. Oy, vey.
.
.
.


----------



## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Terri, do they not have something like the Lady Magazine in the US?
There are often adverts for live in positions as ladies companions or housekeepers/come carers etc
Was just thinking of you as I flicked through a copy in our dr surgery, as it might give you more security of somewhere to stay/job


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
that would be no, unfortunately, Mrs Phas. // I have a profile on Care.com that isn't even searchable [just found that out last year, they want U to BUY searchability by paying monthly for a premium membership]. I've had an account on Care.com since 2012, & i'm still listed as a 'newcomer' b/c i have a free account.
B*stards.
I also have a resume' on the state-run website for direct hire of PCAs, which was how i got job #2 - they needed a PCA, saw my profile, & e-mailed me to set up an interview.
.
I used to constantly renew & update my "Work Wanted" ads on CraigsList, but it's too tiring to keep that up AND work 6 days a week. Besides the constant weekly ad refresh, the folks who contacted me thru them were spammers, selling stuff or sending links for cheap Viagra or condos for sale.
.
.
I slept from 9-pm to 6-am, & feel much better. 
Yesterday had some major kinks, but it all worked out, eventually - the hospice RN was coming, & i was really hoping for suggestions to KEEP my client on his side, so we can get that blasted pressure-sore to shrink again. // She had a flat tire, & was late.  Disastrous - she was expected at 12:30, & didn't arrive till 2-pm. She did check his incisions, the longer thigh cut is now looking much better, No Drainage for the 1st time overnite Sun to Mon; only the last segment between the penultimate & final staples has a slight gap at the incision edges, the whole has closed nicely.  He shouldn't even have much of a scar, & the upper incision still looks too-perfect.
His heels are much the same, the left is simply ugly & very painful.
We drafted the trapezoidal cushion that normally serves as the backrest of the gutted sofa, in the den - the large 5-inch thick rectangles that make the seat & back support are already stacked on his bedroom floor, as a crashpad. So the former sofa is a walnut frame, & bare springs. // I think if we use the WIDER profile behind him as a body pillow, he'll find it harder to flip from side to back.
Great! - maybe we can get his bum-sore shrinking again. Rolling him onto his side every 5-minutes is hard on both of us - plus, that 2-hours when he's resting OFF his butt are supposed to be my daily break. // Not much of a break when i spend it wrestling, LOL.
.
The upshot of her very-late arrival was that she gave me a lift to the big T-station, saving me much time - didn't have to wait for the bus & meander thru Arlington, just go direct & hop the train. Yay!
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
forgot to add, i won't stay with this host again unless i have no other choices -
she moved me to a different address than the one i'd reserved, so all the details [photo of the room, amenities available, etc] didn't apply.
.
I'll also complain to AirBnB customer-service - the entire point of photos, details, etc, is so that guests know what sort of accommodations to expect. If the host lists multiple properties & just slots U in where they want to, that negates any choice, for the guests. It's just a random draw; no way to choose or predict what U get, or where U end up - & as i use public transit, WHERE for me is key.
.
These for-profit BnB operations are sucking up huge amounts of the Boston rental stock; this woman alone has some 20 listings, which means 20-plus bedrooms in 5 apartments are off the market, & she's making a killing. // Meanwhile, rents for a single-room studio with a bathroom average $1K / mo, so U need $3K to move in - plus a credit check, former addresses, former landlord refs, etc.
AirBnB claims that non-resident properties "are a small fraction" of their listings, under 10% -- but it's at least half in Boston metro area, from my personal experience. // The casual renter with a spare bedroom, now that the roommate graduated / the kids are grown / the housemate took a job-offer in L-A, are the scarce listings.
.
I don't want to pay $60 to sleep on someone's sofa in their living room - I like a door.  If i'm sleeping on the sofa, i'll pay no more than $35 a night.
But at the same time, when i'm staying in my host's home, i know who's gong to be there. // At this AirBnB, i have no idea who's here, nor where they're from, & most travelers stay just one night. There's a lot of churn. I don't want my gear to leave Boston for Ottumwa, Iowa, or Baton Rouge, or Seattle, or Bucyrus, Ohio - i want it to stay here.
.
"Sharing" my unlocked bedroom with multiple unknown strangers over 4-days' time is way too-much sharing, for me. There are 4 other bedrooms in this apt, & all but one vacated overnite - the one beside mine, which shares a wall, where a man with a deep voice has spent the morning on his cell-phone, doing business. [3-hrs on a cell-phone isn't how i'd want to start my day; he was already talking when i got up at 6, & at 9, he just went into the shower. He's been making calls all that time.]
Thankfully, this is an old house - probly late 1920s / early 30s, with thick plaster over lath walls - i can't hear a peep from him, unless i'm in the hall, bathroom, or kitchen, when the faint rumble of his voice comes thru the wooden door of his room as if the door was a woofer in an amp.
The rest of the apt is empty rooms, doors ajar, & mussed beds. Around 11 or noon, an unknown person will come by to change sheets. // New guests will trickle in, starting at 3-pm.
.
.
I have very little food with me; some sliced pepper-Jack cheese, 2 bottles of salad dressing, probiotic capsules that must stay chilled - no milk, bread, eggs, no salad.
My dry-goods bag has some herbs & spices, dried cranberries, instant coffee, prunes, & daily vitamins, plus handy tools - can opener, multi-outlet receptacle, extension cord.
I need milk, at a minimum - & a bagel i can toast for brekkie. // I'll buy Subway for lunch, i have a coupon - a tuna sub sounds good. And i'll shop properly tomorrow morning.
.
.
.


----------



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

.
.
Client #2 lost 1.25 hours of her weekly allotted care-hours, & that took effect in the middle of a pay-period - for me, it means 2.5 hours less pay per check, but for her, it means that she has less time to spread her needs over. // This was after an annual review, when a rep from MassHealth comes to her house & interviews her about what she can do solo, what she needs help with, & then looks up on a chart how much time that particular task requires.
.
Unless something happens to change the client's life significantly - deterioration in function, a flare-up of one's MS, a stroke, heart attack, etc - they don't ADD hours to one's caregiving allotment. // But they do seem to invest considerable time, trying to whittle the total smaller.
Bottom line, she _*had*_ 29 hours & 15-minutes per week, previously, in which to have help. Now, she has 28.
.
Among the things she needs help with:
- housecleaning of all sorts, from making the bed to sweeping the floor.
- cooking / baking
- picking up anything that falls or is dropped
- finding stuff, as CP affects vision badly; needed things are always being lost / mislaid
- laundry
- medical appts [going, transferring chairs, back to w-chair, return trip]
- shopping [carrying items]
- getting sox & shoes on
.
Luckily, she can shower, dress, etc, solo; her urgency issues mean there's a commode by the bed for nighttime use, & urgency / incontinence generates a lot of laundry. But she's far more independent than folks who need help bathing, dressing, or combing their hair, & other personal care.
.
Getting the bulk of the groceries delivered is a huge help - putting it away takes about 1.5-hours per delivery, but in comparison to all the go, find, choose, pay, haul it back, a vast time savings. // Of course, there are still items that need to be bought between deliveries, especially fresh fruit / veg, & bread - but grocery delivery is IMO a Godsend for disabled or elderly folks.
Even busy parents can take advantage of groceries on call - taking a child along really complicates a shopping trip.
.
.
.


----------

