Stress and Aged Care

Zak,
I find you encouraging and good for my morale.
Do you have Facebook or an email

irenemci@gmail.com

:) IRENE

Thankyou, MM, for our contribution.

Once again I had a very stressful shift yesterday with today being a day off (yessssss). I 'inherit' the things other nurses are seeing too properly and that is a royal pain in the butt. You come back after days off to the same things you left for someone else to kindly finish.

But I will never take shorter breaks and I wouldn't often get away on time if I did. I figure, you gotta take the time if you can't make the time. Working between two different wings is now better though. However, the continuity of good nursing care is broken up as there isn't the same staff on shift day after day. There needs to be that continuity in order to see things through properly. If I have but one day somewhere I am in the mode of 'do the best job you can. Get in and get out'. That isn't the way I wish to feel but one person can only do so much.

Management see and hear what we go through but things never change. A lot of staff won't bother going to meetings as they state, 'Things will never change. What is the point'. That is sad really. You HAVE to use whatever forums are available to us to get that change and if necessary, be a cracked record if the issue is that burning a topic. Like I say, I can only do so much.
Meantime, I acknowledge and do my best for the residents I over see. They like me and I like them. I can say that with 100% certainty and at the end of the day, isn't that what is most important. KNowing you are appreciated and valued for who you are. Never giving up either.

Hi Cakers,
I too feel the strain of being a carer in aged care facility! It can be so very hard trying to get it all done as well as providing some connection with the residenrts we are taking care of afterall how can you take care of different people with different and varied likes/dislikes and medical condition the same way. I treat each resident with individuality, dignity and respect. I seem to get most of my work done and feel I could have spent more time with a resident talking. Sometimes I do whats a minute or two. We run as a 24 hour facilty they idea is what one shift cant do the next can. Not always possible though. We often have nurses taking annual leave on a regualr basis due to pressure and seeming increasingly lack of shift coverage. We just seem to have a shortage of willing aged care workers.
i love my job and always look for more effecient ways. I am mostly frustrated at the rate of pay we get compared to responsibility of the job we have Im very confused at the comparison to other job pay rates. I worked as a receptionist many years ago answered phones handed out pamplets and smilled thats it and I got payed more per hour than I currnetly do as a 2nd year AIN.
I still love my job despite the difficulties!
Nova

Hi Nova

I feel sad for you. I have worked in so many Nursing Homes and got treated like dirt by the nursing staff. One nursing home i worked in recently, the ring leader of the pack hogged the LIfting Machine for three hours and wouldnt let me use it. When I asked the RN if there is a chance I could get another Lifting Machine she said you can ask so and so over there. which was of no use cause she was the one keeping the Lifting Machine. Eventually when I got hold of the Machine it was almost 11.45 and I suffered. Her friend was extremely rude toward me also. They are were so uncaring and rude toward the residents also. Poor people paying alot of money to get help and they have to suffer. I think the government should send inspectors in to see the Nurse ratio. I had to shower and dress 8 people on one shift. Work safe isnt regarded and Nurse take short cuts because they can never finish on time. All the nursing homes with the exception of afew in Melbourne do not care for staff or what they are going through. Also the staff who work in this Nursing Homes are horrible unkind and extremely selfish. I would like to know if anyone knows of a good nursing facility I can work in. I want to give up agency cause I can't bare to be treatd in this manner anymore.

Sorry I forgot to add maybe you should look into community care. I do know of a lot of cares going down this road. Or going into the hospital system as a AIN.

I have been told that the time frame for getting a resident out of bed,on the toilet,showered and dressed is 15 minutes. That seems insane to me. Alot of residents will spend 5 min on the toilet and even getting some out of bed is time consuming.

Are other workers having to do it all in such a short time? Thank god i mostly do arvo shift now. Alot easier just to get a resident in their pyjamas than do all the morning ADL's.