Been told by owner of caregivers company that the family isn’t to ask caregivers questions about their loved one and caregivers aren’t to answer any questions from the family. Is this normal?
Absolutely not normal. I require my mom and aunt's caregivers to complete a daily chart and text to me. They may have questions and me as well. We have a lot of communication. How else will you know what is going on.
I created the charts and also ask them to sign at the end of their shifts.
It depends on what "family" If I hired a caregiver to help me with the care of my loved one and someone other than me asked the caregiver a question they can not answer the question or give any information. This is a violation of HIPAA regulations. The caregiver can tell ME what happened that day, what was eaten for lunch, the BM that my "Mr. C" had, any outbursts, how much he slept and any other information that is necessary. But this same information should not be given to anyone else. HOWEVER If I have given the agency permission to give information to my Daughter and Son then yes the information can be given and should be. But this information should not be shared with anyone that I have not designated.
I find this strange. My Dads CG had a binder from her company she was to fill out daily as to how the day went,, all the important stuff as it were. And any things we asked she answered. Seems sort of shady to me.
If the company does not have its client's permission to share information, the policy is correct. I don't know about normal, exactly, because most clients are happy to allow family members to be informed and involved; but the company is certainly correct not to make that assumption.
We don't have trouble with family so much - although there are points to be alert to, see below - as well-meaning neighbours who'll stop us and ask in the cheeriest tones how our client is getting on. Strictly speaking, we can't even admit we know who they're talking about, not even if they've just seen us emerge from the client's house, let alone update them on how the broken hip is mending. But when you try explaining confidentiality people do get very hurt and offended about it, so I've learned to say "can I let her know who was asking?" and that I'll pass on a message if I see her.
Right, then. Issues with communication and families, including but not limited to: #1 Too many cooks - undated messages from unidentified family members giving different, sometimes mutually exclusive, instructions. #2 Different interpretations - one family member thinks the nurse meant this, the other thinks the nurse meant that. We get caught in the middle. Not fair. #3 Insight/understanding of person you're talking to. Take for example the husband of a lady with terminal cancer, heavily involved in her day to day care and apparently in charge. In discussion with him and daughter (staying to help) I explained how we workers were taking extra-extra care with her skin because of the thinning and fragility commonly caused by steroids. Husband horrified: had no idea this could happen, wanted to stop steroids. Fortunately daughter headed him off and explained that the steroids were vital to keeping the tumour under control, I added that the risks and benefits would have been carefully weighed by the wife's oncology team. Then I kicked myself all the way home (twenty miles) for having been so dim as not to check what he understood first before I opened my big mouth.
So, guidelines:
If you have any questions about the company's service, call the company. If you have any questions about your loved one's condition, ask your loved one. If LO is in no state to answer, ask LO's permission to ask her medical, nursing, and care teams. If you have positive or negative feedback to pass on - comments, complaints, compliments, concerns - the caregivers should have a procedure for doing this - that is, they can take messages even if they can't answer your questions. But go easy on them. You are not their client.
NO! Caregivers should communicate with the family about the person they care for. My MIL's caregiver gives us and my BIL's family updates whenever we ask.
I would be more concerned about the "why" caregivers are not allowed to give updates to family members. If it is a matter of family members with disagreements, updates on health status will not generally not help or hinder the problem. Maybe the caregivers' agency requires a list of family members to prevent scams from happening.
Yes this is normal practice for homecare agencies, but absolutely ridiculous and I have never known an in-home caregiver (myself included) who has ever abided by such a nonsense rule. The caregiver is the person who is actually caring for and with your loved one. They are the people who can answer your questions because they are the ones who are there every day. Some a$$hole sitting behind a desk at an agency office who's never even met the client, or some nurse who pops in a couple times a week for ten minutes, don't know what's going on with your family member. They can't answer your questions because they aren't there. Your caregiver aides are with your family member day after day and usually for hours on end. Agency administration makes this rule because they want to make sure they're 'kept in the loop' to stay relevant in the care situation. All the agency is is a middle-man who takes a cut of the worker's pay to do absolutely nothing. Also, because they don't want a family with a good caregiver to cut them out and hire that caregiver privately. You want to know how your loved one is getting on, always ask their aides.
Thank you for such a well explained summary of the predatory problematic issue w cg agencies, hopefully some will reflect on this and choose to hire independent as the agencies set all kinds of nonsense policies that only serve their pocketbooks not the reality of day to day care by the person who spends time with them on a regular basis and is most familiar with their schedule, preferences needs and nuances of change in sleep appetite etc
That’s not the going standard with my agency. There’s an online log where me, my husband, and my SIL can look up the coming schedule, and the caregivers leave notes and a checklist of things that they did during their care time. There’s also a section where we can leave notes and chat with the caregiver.
Mind you, we are paying for the PSW, not my MIL. We do not have POA set up yet, but I don’t see what’s the big deal with you asking when was the last time they washed her sheets?
Personally, if you’re paying for it, you’re entitled to it. Otherwise, I’d go shopping for a new service agency.
With so many people, on this forum, involved in caregiving I am shocked at the lack of basic privacy knowledge. It is called HIPPA and is the guideline for protecting all of our healthcare information. No facility should ever release personal and private info to anyone who asks. Patient confidentiality is course 101. Each of us has the right to determine who has access to our very private and personal situation. There is a standard form, called Release of Information, that we can and should complete. It is not the responsibility of any doctor's office, hospital, facility or caregiver to determine, or get involved, in the complicated family dynamics that exist. As a former CNA and HHA I can assure you that getting into pissing contests with families was a very needless part of my job. It had nothing to do with the "agency", "agency power" or "agency money/profit". Illness and pending death are extremely difficult and heart wrenching situations. Unfortunately many familial control and power play scenarios rear their ugly heads. Then there is the age old game of telephone. Mom starts out with a simple rash and by the time it is passed on by Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice her leg is being amputated tomorrow! No way do I want to get into the middle of that. Tell Bob and let him discuss with the family. Summation=Complete a "Release of Information" form. It's for your protection. Stay safe and find peace.
This all depends. If the one being cared for is competent, then she can give family the information.
If the client has a dementia, then the POA that holds the Medical has a right to ask questions and be informed of any problems.
Also, if I was paying for the service then I have a right to ask questions and know of any problems.
But outside that care circle, no one should be asking questions of the aide.
Years ago my MIL went to visit a SIL in the hospital. She came back telling me things she asked and claims the Nurse answered. I told her I was surprised the Nurse answered her because of HIPPA laws. She said "I am her SIL" No matter unless ur listed on the HIPPA form as being allowed to receive info, the Nurse was wrong in telling her anything other than "She is resting comfortably".
I have a family member who claimed to have seen "false" documentation in her sister's nursing home chart. She wanted me to "look into this." First, I am not sure how or *if* she saw her sister's chart since there was no legal authority.
It's possible a computer screen was left up (or a paper chart was left open) and maybe she got a glance at her sister's chart... but what are the odds that the alleged false documentation would just happen to be on that page at that exact moment?
More likely, my family member had an agenda regarding her sister's care. Rather than being honest with me about that, she thought the false documentation allegation would motivate me to get done what she wanted done. Not caring that the staff involved would need to answer for something that probably didn't happen anyway.
I created the charts and also ask them to sign at the end of their shifts.
If I hired a caregiver to help me with the care of my loved one and someone other than me asked the caregiver a question they can not answer the question or give any information. This is a violation of HIPAA regulations.
The caregiver can tell ME what happened that day, what was eaten for lunch, the BM that my "Mr. C" had, any outbursts, how much he slept and any other information that is necessary. But this same information should not be given to anyone else.
HOWEVER If I have given the agency permission to give information to my Daughter and Son then yes the information can be given and should be. But this information should not be shared with anyone that I have not designated.
We don't have trouble with family so much - although there are points to be alert to, see below - as well-meaning neighbours who'll stop us and ask in the cheeriest tones how our client is getting on. Strictly speaking, we can't even admit we know who they're talking about, not even if they've just seen us emerge from the client's house, let alone update them on how the broken hip is mending. But when you try explaining confidentiality people do get very hurt and offended about it, so I've learned to say "can I let her know who was asking?" and that I'll pass on a message if I see her.
Right, then. Issues with communication and families, including but not limited to:
#1 Too many cooks - undated messages from unidentified family members giving different, sometimes mutually exclusive, instructions.
#2 Different interpretations - one family member thinks the nurse meant this, the other thinks the nurse meant that. We get caught in the middle. Not fair.
#3 Insight/understanding of person you're talking to. Take for example the husband of a lady with terminal cancer, heavily involved in her day to day care and apparently in charge. In discussion with him and daughter (staying to help) I explained how we workers were taking extra-extra care with her skin because of the thinning and fragility commonly caused by steroids. Husband horrified: had no idea this could happen, wanted to stop steroids. Fortunately daughter headed him off and explained that the steroids were vital to keeping the tumour under control, I added that the risks and benefits would have been carefully weighed by the wife's oncology team. Then I kicked myself all the way home (twenty miles) for having been so dim as not to check what he understood first before I opened my big mouth.
So, guidelines:
If you have any questions about the company's service, call the company.
If you have any questions about your loved one's condition, ask your loved one. If LO is in no state to answer, ask LO's permission to ask her medical, nursing, and care teams.
If you have positive or negative feedback to pass on - comments, complaints, compliments, concerns - the caregivers should have a procedure for doing this - that is, they can take messages even if they can't answer your questions. But go easy on them. You are not their client.
I would be more concerned about the "why" caregivers are not allowed to give updates to family members. If it is a matter of family members with disagreements, updates on health status will not generally not help or hinder the problem. Maybe the caregivers' agency requires a list of family members to prevent scams from happening.
The caregiver is the person who is actually caring for and with your loved one. They are the people who can answer your questions because they are the ones who are there every day. Some a$$hole sitting behind a desk at an agency office who's never even met the client, or some nurse who pops in a couple times a week for ten minutes, don't know what's going on with your family member. They can't answer your questions because they aren't there.
Your caregiver aides are with your family member day after day and usually for hours on end. Agency administration makes this rule because they want to make sure they're 'kept in the loop' to stay relevant in the care situation. All the agency is is a middle-man who takes a cut of the worker's pay to do absolutely nothing. Also, because they don't want a family with a good caregiver to cut them out and hire that caregiver privately. You want to know how your loved one is getting on, always ask their aides.
Mind you, we are paying for the PSW, not my MIL. We do not have POA set up yet, but I don’t see what’s the big deal with you asking when was the last time they washed her sheets?
Personally, if you’re paying for it, you’re entitled to it. Otherwise, I’d go shopping for a new service agency.
Summation=Complete a "Release of Information" form. It's for your protection. Stay safe and find peace.
If the one being cared for is competent, then she can give family the information.
If the client has a dementia, then the POA that holds the Medical has a right to ask questions and be informed of any problems.
Also, if I was paying for the service then I have a right to ask questions and know of any problems.
But outside that care circle, no one should be asking questions of the aide.
Years ago my MIL went to visit a SIL in the hospital. She came back telling me things she asked and claims the Nurse answered. I told her I was surprised the Nurse answered her because of HIPPA laws. She said "I am her SIL" No matter unless ur listed on the HIPPA form as being allowed to receive info, the Nurse was wrong in telling her anything other than "She is resting comfortably".
It's possible a computer screen was left up (or a paper chart was left open) and maybe she got a glance at her sister's chart... but what are the odds that the alleged false documentation would just happen to be on that page at that exact moment?
More likely, my family member had an agenda regarding her sister's care. Rather than being honest with me about that, she thought the false documentation allegation would motivate me to get done what she wanted done. Not caring that the staff involved would need to answer for something that probably didn't happen anyway.