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Hey Burnt,
Great vent! Accurate too.
Here's my two pennies in this. As an unpaid caregiver, it's almost as bad in this region. There is nothing much here for me as far as support goes. If just one more doctor tells me "Oh, you need respite care..." and doesn't offer any suggestions where to find it.....I ain't responsible for what I say and hope my bail money isn't too high when I go off on 'em. Area on Aging? Useless-sent me two links-one of which is to the Alzheimer's web site.
I was the primary caregiver to my mother in Philly, 1000% better there in comparison to here. I've done this before, did not have unreasonable expectations as far as support goes-how hard could it be to get some help here?
The social worker in my husband's neurology group is leaving-with no one to replace her. So, that life line will be gone in two weeks.
It is so discouraging here-we stay because my husband's doctors are here. I try to get through each day as best I can.
Thanks for letting me vent.
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“People have the power we give them. Words have the power we give them.” Whoopi Goldberg.

You may be giving people too much power.

https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/10-ways-you-might-be-giving-other-people-too-much-power-over-your-life-without-even-realizing-it.html

Maybe it is time to draw better boundaries, work on your self esteem, examine why you see yourself as a victim. It takes two to victimize someone - the bully and the victim.
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Venting, you are never going to get anyone that blames everyone else for their condition to acknowledge what you experienced.

You are dealing with one that does things that are reprehensible. Like tell a demented senior, up in their face to shut the ... up, nobody cares what you think. Or just ignore them and and never say a word until they behave in a way she thinks is appropriate.

Anyone that has repeatedly counseled others to verbally, emotionally and psychologically abuse vulnerable seniors because they don't behave a certain way is a waste of your breath and time.

Read other posts to verify this is her advice.

I am happy that you found other caregivers. Have you taken your evidence to the police? To late to protect your family but, you can help protect someone else from these pigs.
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Geaton: Yes, I know it is the same medication. As I said, already googled it myself when I was more lucid. Emergent cares/emergency rooms = are they so overtaxed that they can't even respond correctly EVEN when their patient gives THEM the correct answer? Goodness, thank God the medication didn't get into my lungs! I appreciate you as I do all of you here. Forgot to mention that along with the U.T.I. comes a migraine, which is pounding now.
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Big hugs to you llamalover!! it’s really hard. one must be careful, doctors make mistakes, and yet some mistakes are really outrageous, unacceptable, negligent. get well soon!!
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BOJ: Thank you. Forgot to mention that along with the U.T.I. comes a bad migraine, which is pounding now. Thank goodness that the Macrodantin didn't get into my lungs!!
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thank goodness for that. an outrageous mistake on their part. wishing you to completely recover very soon! :)
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BOJ: I know, right! Thank you.💕
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The macro part of the name isn't necessarily a dead give-away but this should have been:

"Macrodantin is also contraindicated in those patients with known hypersensitivity to nitrofurantoin."

It was a bit naughty of the pharmacist not to query the prescription, too. Your known allergies should be all over your notes.

Just glad you're on the road to recovery!
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Hang in there Llama! We're pulling for you.
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Countrymouse: As I used Patient First's in house pharmacy, which I always do in lieu of traveling WHILE ILL to one more place, it wasn't "caught." Thank you.
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Ali, PB and Gershun: Thank you!
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Glad: Congratulations to your daughter.
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golden: Prayers for your daughter's surgery.
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Thank you llama. I am glad you are recovering.
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Countrymouse, here in the US I'm not sure pharmacists are privy to a patient's allergy information/history...I've never got any sense that this is a thing but maybe others have and maybe it differs by state. In my healthcare network, at the check-in they verbally review your list of current medications and allergies. Then again immediately before the doctor comes into the room. Yet, at my mom's last appointment for a skin wound the LPN came back into the room with dressings and Bacitracyn, and not minutes prior she was verbally told by my Mom that she was allergic. I happened to see the packet with the name on it (and I slap my forehead in exasperation). What good is wasting everyone's time with "confirmation" if no one pays attention to it on the most basic level?
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Hey Venting,

I never assumed your caregivers were agency hired. I never assumed that they were not treated well by their employers (you). I never assumed that they were not paid well. I also did not assume that they were good people with a sound work ethic.
I know that caregiving is not the only line of work that does not pay well and where employees get screwed over royally. Many types of jobs don't pay well and many employees get treated badly. Sorry, but I thought this thread was about CAREGIVERS not every other kind of crappy, low-paying, grunt work.
I don't assume that everyone in the caregiving line of work is good people. As I plainly stated in my comment, I personally know caregivers that I would not leave someone I cared about with. There are scores of bad ones out there who will abuse clients and exploit them financially.
I've been an in-home caregiver for 25 years. Do you really think I don't know these things?

You misunderstood me.

I dont think all cities and towns are the same as you claim I do. People are though.
Agencies need to vet their help a lot better. They also need to be less greedy. A crappy, low-wage job with no benefits is not going to attract the right kind of people.
Over the years many people have complained to me about their caregivers and wanted me to work for them. Then all but faint when they hear what I charge and the others I sometimes work with do.
Don't expect a Rolls Royce when you're paying for a junk yard Dodge, my friend.
When I was agency help I worked for families who often reached into their own pockets and paid me on the side in addition to my agency wages. I always did more than the basic duties and went the extra mile for them. People do that as a sort of insurance that their caregivers will do extra right by their 'loved ones'.
Families hiring private help have to do their homework and investigate their potential hires. Know how to get a care worker who won't try to shake you down? You check their work references. Not letters. Not emails. Phone numbers. You call former families they've worked for and TALK.
Also, if an elderly person or some critically ill client who requires care every few hours is at risk of dying or suffering serious bodily harm because their caregiver doesn't show up or is late, that person should be placed in the appropriate care facility with a staff to care for them 24/7 for their needs. That level of dependence cannot be met by hourly homecare help alone. Nor should anyone expect it to be. Yet they do expect it and when the caregiver can't deliver they get very bent out of shape.
I had many clients over the years like this.
First I'd have a word with the family. If they did nothing or there wasn't family then a word with APS.
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golden: You're very welcome. Feeling a little better each day; thank you. My PCP, who is a physician's assistant isn't available until August for the f/u. Rather ridiculous as HER "assistant" left a message: "I understand that you were in the hospital." My response "Yes, I was in the ER at XXXX Hospital and not 'ADMITTED' (that is what she said!!) and need to schedule a f/u appointment with complete urinalysis." Bottom line - have to see a different PA since mine isn't available.
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I have an assignment due tomorrow: Creating a brochure representing my services/company as a new professional. That's not so bad in theory.

The provided template is absolutely unworkable. I decided that about 4 hours into trying and that was 2 days ago.

Stock templates in Word were mentioned by the instructor as an alternative, but they are also completely unworkable as well. I decided that with about 6-7 hours logged on this project and that was yesterday.

My emails to tech support and my instructor have slowly bounced and returned as undeliverable. This took several days to figure out that something is going on with my student email system.

I spent an hour today on the phone with the university tech support who had no clue what the email issue is. I can deal with it another day, it just adds to my annoyance with this asinine assignment.

I ended up using a blank Word file and inserting individual text boxes all over it to form the general design of the brochure. If I ever open my own behavioral services agency (which is the scenario for the assignment), I'm paying for graphic design and printing... not wasting my time trying to create my own brochure!

The information covered in this assignment is stuff I know inside out. I could have taken ten 50-question multiple-choice exams by now.

I sometimes think that education, like jobs, is an exercise in what you will endure and if you can figure out a way to still get things done. sigh

There were other irritations today like my 2-yo printer that constantly has issues. It printed half a page of my doc then froze and wouldn't reconnect. I've contacted Epson tech support numerous times for this. After holding for 30-40 minutes, then the techs take about the same time to walk me through resetting the IP... every single time. I think Epson wants me to buy a new printer but I'm dead set on costing them money through using tech support over and over. lol Home printers -- or any tech device that suddenly and mysteriously stops working correctly on a regular basis but isn't broken -- seem like such a scam to me.

I'm trying to keep it together here. I'm exasperated with all the nuttiness around this assignment and different tech issues. Just a vent here... just a pure vent, to scream into the void.

Llama, it's very good to read you're on the uptick. During caregiving, I could have (and once in a while I did) posted pages of vents about the lack of communication between medical pros, or their oversights. It's frustrating and needless. I'm glad you're recovering.
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(((((ali)))) Hope the assignment is well underway now. So sorry about the obstacles. Text boxes are good, I have found. Technology is great when it works, but...I have a semi useless printer too. It takes me 1 hour to print a page by the time I have checked everything, re started my machine several times, restarted the printer and so on, then 1 minute to fill out a form and another hour to scan it for emailing. Aaargh!!! I guess I need a new one. As the OS gets updated it leaves the printers behind I think.

llama hope you are improving steadily. Medical/drug errors are not rare I have found. You have to watch and advocate for yourself.

My whine is that it looks like condo flooring is likely to arrive tomorrow in drenching rains which won't be any fun for R nor any good for the flooring itself. I hope it is well packed and sealed.
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Ali: Thank you so much. Yes, frustrating it is. I very much appreciated your private message.
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golden: Thank you very much. Yes, one absolutely does have to advocate for themselves. I tried, but was unsuccessful, to obtain more of the antibiotic as I only have two days remaining and the f/u appointment isn't until July 11 so I'm hoping the cystitis with hematuria doesn't return.
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Golden, don't be In too much a hurry to.install that flooring. I have solid maple t&g floors. The manufacturers recommend to have the flooring in the home for 3-4 days to adjust to the microclimate of the area before installation to prevent cracks, warps and other things that can happen to hard wood floors.

Especially with rainy weather, natural wood flooring swells.
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Geaton: I wanted to thank you for doing the research on the Macrobid/Macrodantin. I may not have thanked you for doing the research before and I am sorry.
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Llama, hoping you are healing well. Ali, good luck with the assignment.

Getting over COVID. VERY, very tired. DH had cataract surgery Monday, just to add to the excitement.

Happy 4th!
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Barb, oy! Wishing you and hubs speedy and full recoveries! My best friend and her husband have been cloistering themselves since the onset of covid because her daughter had premie twins (26 weeks) and because they have under developed lungs and immunity issues, they (the grandparents) can't be with them or help babysit unless they've had 0 possible exposure to covid. Vaccincated multiple times; not going indoors with groups of people; all their meetings are on Zoom; masking all the time; constant hand-washing and sanitizing; never eating out, etc. Well, they both now have covid. I just don't know what to think or say if someone goes to such extremes to protect themselves yet still gets covid. It is the weirdest virus ever.
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Barb, again?I

Feel better soon!
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Barb and hub - get better soon.

Condo flooring arrived safely. . R said he will hire a guy he knows to help him remove and dispose of the old carpet. I am glad, At 71 he does very well but he needs more help than he did and I am glad he is adjusting to that. All part of aging gracefully.

geaton - that is weird.

glad -R has installed this stuff before. He knows what he s doing. Now me - I don't know but I am not doing it.
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Golden, glad the flooring project seems to be going okay.

Glad, I never had Covid before; amazingly DH did not get it. I isolated in my bedroom and he got to sleep on the couch, poor guy.
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Barb: Yes, thank you, I am recovering. Don't want to jinx myself, but it is the first day that I didn't wake up with the associated migraine.
Oh, my! I hope that you recover quickly from COVID. And to your DH - I wish him well to recover from cataract surgery.
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