August already

Well, an update........

I am now an employee of a community care organisation for the frail elderly in their own homes. I cook, clean, do laundry and sociolise for them and with them. It is a very rewarding but hard job.
On 12 weeks probation, lets see if I stay the course. For August I have a very full roster as I am covering for somebody on holiday, I nearly fainted when I saw how much I have to do, but I suppose it I can do all that then the future will be no problem. Theres a lot of tooing and froing up the mountain and I know my old bomb won't manage it so work is going to have the automatic vehicle transferred so I can drive it. Won't that be fun.
Most people say the job is just a glorified cleaning one, but it is soooo much more than that.
For most people we are their only outside contact with the world. We have to check they are taking their meds, take note of their health and check for any changes in their demeanor. We have to make sure they are getting the right nutrition, each person has a care plan and we have to make sure it is adhered to. A lot of the work is social, just chatting, maybe going to the library or taking them out for a drive, we act as advocates in some cases and we deal with doctors. So much to take in, the first week was okay as I had only one client, but then I was doing my orientation with someone else and we had 6 or 7 clients a day and each one was different. It was so hard to keep up with everything.
Time management is my big annoyance, its always something I have been hopeless at. But I suppose I can learn and each client likes things done their own way so its hard remembering which client likes what. I consider myself to be a good cook, never follow recipes and just go my own way. But I was so worried when I cooked my first meal for a client, stupid hey. But I managed to do a good job and it was edible.
Well, got things to do, I don't work till late this arvy, just two clients to see. Next week I do my first aid and cpr training, no rest for the wicked, I'm off to do my own cleaning - the bathrooms turn today, scrubbing the floor and the walls.

Janjan