A simple matter of mutual respect

Customers in all lines of business can be difficult. When A&E aired the reality television show Airline it largely consisted of irate passengers berating Southwest Employees. One can't turn on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares without seeing some unhappy restaurant patron bemoaning the quality of their food. And how upset would you be if you drove a new car off the lot only to have it break-down a week later, installed a new washing machine that leaked water or bought season tickets to the Detroit Lions only to watch them become the first team in NFL history to lose all 16 games they played.

Of course, it isn't the Southwest Airline employee who your screaming at who's responsible for the bad weather or the planes mechanical error. It isn't the waiter's fault that the food isn't edible, or the car salesman's fault that the factory sent them a lemon or even the ticket takers fault that the Lions hired the worst General Manager in the history of professional sports. But sadly, they're the underpaid person who has to take the abuse and try to satiate you in some way.

In homecare, however, the anxiety of family members searching for assistance for their mother or father, grandfather or grandmother, spouse or child, is far greater than that of someone eating out or watching a football game. And unlike the research one might do before planning a trip or buying a car, when it comes time for mom to get some extra help, there's usually been no research conducted, there's virtually no "common" knowledge of what to do, and usually the time to make a decision is immediate.

So we understand when family members might lose their temper or wear their stress on their sleeve. We realize that much of homecare is "private pay" and the shock that crosses a family members face when they realize how much Medicare DOESN'T pay for can be off-putting to say the least. And we certainly realize that family members want the best possible caregiver for their mom (and want to pay as little for it as possible).

However, the truth of the matter is that caregivers are people too. They can also have "bad" days, feel stressed out about personal issues, or just not feel comfortable (or properly compensated) working a particular case.

It's important to remember that at the end of the day, the primary goal of both family member and agency is to provide the best possible service of the person receiving in-home care. There are reasons an agency such as Right at Home charges a certain rate and believe it or not, it's not solely to "maximize" profit. There are costs associated with liability insurance, worker's compensation insurance, bonding in addition to paying the caregiver a decent wage so that they are more likely to stay and not run to the next job that offers them 25 cents more an hour. In addition, one of the reasons a family signs on with an agency is because there is back-up in case the regular caregiver gets sick or has a family issue of their own and can't come in one day.

If you as the client are honest and respectful towards us as the agency, then in return we can work through difficulties together and ultimately have a far more harmonious - and far less stressful - relationship. And the real beneficiary of that strong relationship will the person receiving the care.