An Ideological Difference

First thing this morning I was up and off to the farthest reaches of our District for a Palliative Client. This gentleman had been on my mind all weekend: I was hoping he was still alive as walking in on a recent death is a tough thing to start the day with.

Another Worker was there, a Community Health Worker. She had been there all night.
I came in and introduced myself to the wife and the gent in the bed and she was already talking. I ask the wife a question, she answered it. I asked the gentleman about his pain and she loudly said: "Oh he does not talk anymore."
--and so on

"There is not much to do, I already emptied his catheter."

I asked her if he had any sore spots to look out for.
She did not know. I asked her to help mee move the pad underneath him which had travelled up between his head and waist instead of his chest to knees.
"Oh do you think we should touch him? It might hurt him."

She said she had done his mouthcare but when I checked his mouth scales of thrush were falling into his tongue.
"Oh thats just skin."
"It's thrush." I said.
"Yes but the Nurses aren't treating it anymore."

She went on to tell me as I washed and creamed his feet that his feet were ticklish.


Everything involving Palliative Care seemed to be foreign to her.
Chatting to the family, or about the man in the bed was her strong suit.
That is real nice BUT that man is stillin THAT body. And THAT body must be sore.

She was dismissive of me and very substandard in her care and I hope I never work with her again. I also hope the Palliative Care Coordinator makes a point of ONLY sending TRAINED and SKILLED palliative care workers for such assignments.

Sure, she was great at sitting in a chair overnight, but she had not even done peri-care when she emptied his catheter.

Not that I am God's gift to palliative care but rather God has given me a gift FOR palliative care. When I am dying I dont want someone like her anywhere near me. In fact I don't wan someone like her anywhere near ANYONE who is dying. She has forgotten who the client is.
If she ever knew.

An expert on Palliative Care without compassion or common sense.
Days like today I wish I was the boss again.
I would send that young woman to a course on Compassionate Care for the Dying.


The very sad thing is that I am sure she thinks she did an awesome job.
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