Well, I am not actually new. I joined about 2 years ago but have not posted for a long time.
I have a severely disabled daughter who is a full time wheelchair user, a mild learning disability and she needs help with everything from feeding to toiletting.
She goes to activities 3 days a week and her carers are very good. They are kind and my daughter enjoys being with them but my frustrations come from the respite service.
It is just a little thing but to me speaks volumes about how the service is run and lack of courtesy from staff.
The door to the respite unit is heavy. When I take my daughter there I negotiate this heavy door, pushing the wheelchair in, wedging it against the door so that I can drag through her little suitcase and a portable stand for transfers. The staff seldom assist me and the same when I collect her. They see me struggle but just hold the door for me but not actually help by bringing the case or the stand.
In fact on the last occasion I collected they told me that it is hard work pushing her around so can she have a power pack on her chair or bring in her powered chair!
Yes it is hard work I know I do it all the time but they can walk out after 8 hours I can't.
Don't even get me started on the, not one, but two occasions when they sent her soiled pyjamas home in a bag with the offending solid still in there, they hadn't even flushed it down the loo!
I need this service so badly but is it really so hard to do the basic things? If you work as a carer surely pushing a wheelchair around is part of your job. Putting faecal matter down the loo and not sending it home in a plastic bag is what anyone would do. Do others have problems with their services? I find it hard to appear grateful for a service that could be so much better.
I have a severely disabled daughter who is a full time wheelchair user, a mild learning disability and she needs help with everything from feeding to toiletting.
She goes to activities 3 days a week and her carers are very good. They are kind and my daughter enjoys being with them but my frustrations come from the respite service.
It is just a little thing but to me speaks volumes about how the service is run and lack of courtesy from staff.
The door to the respite unit is heavy. When I take my daughter there I negotiate this heavy door, pushing the wheelchair in, wedging it against the door so that I can drag through her little suitcase and a portable stand for transfers. The staff seldom assist me and the same when I collect her. They see me struggle but just hold the door for me but not actually help by bringing the case or the stand.
In fact on the last occasion I collected they told me that it is hard work pushing her around so can she have a power pack on her chair or bring in her powered chair!
Yes it is hard work I know I do it all the time but they can walk out after 8 hours I can't.
Don't even get me started on the, not one, but two occasions when they sent her soiled pyjamas home in a bag with the offending solid still in there, they hadn't even flushed it down the loo!
I need this service so badly but is it really so hard to do the basic things? If you work as a carer surely pushing a wheelchair around is part of your job. Putting faecal matter down the loo and not sending it home in a plastic bag is what anyone would do. Do others have problems with their services? I find it hard to appear grateful for a service that could be so much better.