I am a paid caregiver, working for a home healthcare agency. Family is not showing up at the end of my shift to relieve me. Abandonment?

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DonnaF777 Asked October 2020

I am a paid caregiver, working for a home healthcare agency. Family is not showing up at the end of my shift to relieve me. Abandonment?

The daughter is the POA and is supposed to have help from brother but it has gotten to the point that he is not doing anything. Not even coming to see his dad. Actually, he got a second job. Dad is on hospice and is hardly eating or drinking. I keep thinking this poor man is going to die at any time. Yesterday, got a phone call from the POA stating that her brother is going to be there at 4:30 so then I can go. She has changed the schedule 4 times since I started over 4 months ago and I am supposed to be getting off now at 5:30 pm. He was not there at 4:30... and POA calls me at 5:30 to let me know that "He is on his way". He was still not there at 6:30. I called her at 6:40. She is very calm about that whole thing. "Well,,... he will be there in a few minutes. He is on his way"... not the least concerned about my schedule. He finally shows up at 6:50 and then after not seeing his dad for almost 3 weeks, wants me to stay and give him the lowdown about his dad. I had told the POA one time that I do not leave until someone shows up. I will not get up and just leave when no one is here so... they taking advantage of the situation, it appears.

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score 2 · Answer 1

That’s terrible Donna. Please talk to the management at your agency and let them help you figure this out and put a stop to it.
Most Hospices will inform families that someone needs to be with the person 24 hours & the families have to agree.
This family is taking advantage of your dedication.

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score 3 · Answer 2

You need to be paid for the extra time, at over-time rates of time-and-a-half or double-time. That compensates you for putting your own schedule out, and provides the reason they need to care quite a lot more about timing. At present they have no incentive to change. Talk to the agency about it.

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Good point. There should be an additional fee for the inconvenience.

(1)

score 1 · Answer 3

Please speak to your supervisor at your agency. The family should respect your schedule.

I can see if an emergency happened and they couldn’t help being late. This seems to be a pattern for them.

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score 1 · Answer 4

Hospice needs to be aware of this too. Someone needs to be with this man 24/7. You and your agency are being taken advantage of. Its your supervisors responsibility to call the POA and explain that her aides have lives too. Maybe have children that need to be picked up by Daycare by a certain time.

Not sure if this could be considered abandonment but sure is being inconsiderate. He probably feels your agency is being paid, no big deal.

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score 4 · Answer 5

This needs to be reported to your agency and THEY need to cover the time that the family is missing and inform the family they will be charged and THEY have to deal with the chaotic schedule, not you, especially since you've been warning them that you can't continue the way that it is. When you and your agency agree on a protocol for lateness, you can then tell the PoA they need to call the agency with any schedule change and the assumption is they will be charged accordingly. The agency needs to have your back on this, if they don't I'd consider another agency. There needs to be painful consequences to the PoA otherwise it will just continue with no end until your poor client passes.

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score 2 · Answer 6

You need to bring this up with your supervisor at the agency that you work for.
Hopefully you are getting paid for that extra time and hopefully they are charging the family for the extra time. (and I hope you are getting "overtime" pay!)
Tell the POA that any change to the schedule should also be relayed to the agency as this effects other work schedules and also to confirm that you are not just "adding hours" to get paid more.

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I am a paid caregiver, working for a home healthcare agency. Family is not showing up at the end of my shift to relieve me. Abandonment?

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