My dad lives in his own home with 24/7 care. Dad and 2 of his 3 caregivers have been vaccinated, but one refuses. Should I push the issue? Am I putting anyone at risk?
Castone, yes it is important that the caregiver gets a covid-19 vaccine shot. If she is refusing, makes me wonder if the caregiver ever had her current flu shot.
Catone, YES you most certainly should push the issue. She needs to get vaccinated or she will be let go. No one took greater precautions than I did. I was in a mask, gloves, social distancing, and going nowhere without a spray bottle of alcohol in my hand. People gave me weird looks because no one else was doing any of the precautions at the time. I was fanatical about it and myself and family stayed safe and healthy for over a year. I never relaxed my safety protocols for one second.
Guess what? I got Covid back in January. Then my elderly parent got it, followed by my teenage son. We recovered and are all right, but when a person does get it no one can know how bad a case they'll have. Two of my friends (not elderly and in good overall health) died from it. Does your father's caregiver know that if she gets Covid herself it could go the same way for her? Or your father? Or her family? So bottom line, if one of your father's caregivers refuses then she is fired. No further discussion on it. Tell her either she gets it or finds another job.
You can not force anyone to get a vaccination. I would check out the labor laws before you fire her for refusing to get one. If she has any allergies that you are unaware of, it is dangerous for her to get this vaccine.
Oh, not even every doctor and nurse is accepting the vaccine.
If you feel that she should be vaccinated to continue to work for you, hold to your guns.
It's not just your mom she's putting at risk, it's every person she comes in contact with.
You don't need to fire her--just 'furlough her' until she either decides she'll have the vaccine or get a different job.
DO ASK if she is not vaccinating b/c of allergies, but since she hasn't offered that info of her own accord by now, my guess is that she simply doesn't 'believe' in vaccines.
This care giver doesn't understand the risk everyone under her care is being exposed to. He/she may be asymptomatic and already have the virus.
Are these agency caregivers? The agency should require vaccines as a condition of employment because of the business they're in. Vaccines as a condition of employment have been supported by the EEOC as not being discriminatory. I would ask the agency to replace this caregiver.
If he/she is an independent caregiver, you can make that a condition of employment or find a replacement.
Dad ;has the vaccine; that is his best protection against a whole world in which likely 40% of people will not become vaccinated. We should all get the vaccine. If we are then infected by those who have not we may become somewhat ill, like regular flu, but our likelihood of serious illness, hospitalization and death is much less likely. Dad can wear a vaccine when this caregiver is in the house if that makes him more comfortable. I would.
For the time being you have no recourse here. Federal law prohibits employers from requiring their employees to get vaccinated. Once the vaccine is FDA approved (right now it’s approved for emergency use which is WHY the law prohibits it from being required. You can’t require vaccines that are under EUA) that will probably change though.
This is not true! The EEOC HAS supported, as a condition of employment, that an employee must receive the vaccine even under the emergency approval. All the employer has to do is prove the risk in not getting the vaccine. As a caregiver to someone with any illness this wouldn't be difficult to do under the current pandemic.
In addition, it has ruled that requiring the vaccine does not violate the ADA as long as only the vaccine is required and not any medical history or examinations.
My husband's caregiver has not gotten the Covid 19 vaccine. Neither have my husband nor I. It is her decision, as it is mine. She has turned down all other assignments, since COVID 19 became a problem, causing a financial hardship for herself. We don't go out in public without masks. My husband rarely leaves the house so he is relatively safe.
You can try to talk her into it, but even nursing homes and hospitals aren't forcing employees to take the vaccine. It's also not required of nursing home residents.
Unfortunately there’s always a risk. Not to scare you, but a friend of our family just had her father pass away. His caregiver gave him Covid. But what do you do when you need outside help? 🤷🏻♀️. My father is refusing caregiving for this reason. I just hope he doesn’t have another fall and then will not have a choice
flu shot as well.
No one took greater precautions than I did. I was in a mask, gloves, social distancing, and going nowhere without a spray bottle of alcohol in my hand. People gave me weird looks because no one else was doing any of the precautions at the time. I was fanatical about it and myself and family stayed safe and healthy for over a year. I never relaxed my safety protocols for one second.
Guess what? I got Covid back in January. Then my elderly parent got it, followed by my teenage son. We recovered and are all right, but when a person does get it no one can know how bad a case they'll have. Two of my friends (not elderly and in good overall health) died from it. Does your father's caregiver know that if she gets Covid herself it could go the same way for her? Or your father? Or her family?
So bottom line, if one of your father's caregivers refuses then she is fired. No further discussion on it. Tell her either she gets it or finds another job.
Oh, not even every doctor and nurse is accepting the vaccine.
I would tread knowledgeably on this one.
OP can most certainly require it as a condition of employment.
It's not just your mom she's putting at risk, it's every person she comes in contact with.
You don't need to fire her--just 'furlough her' until she either decides she'll have the vaccine or get a different job.
DO ASK if she is not vaccinating b/c of allergies, but since she hasn't offered that info of her own accord by now, my guess is that she simply doesn't 'believe' in vaccines.
This vaccine is not mandated. There is no guarentee it will be effective. Its all comes down to how our individual bodies respond to it.
Are these agency caregivers? The agency should require vaccines as a condition of employment because of the business they're in. Vaccines as a condition of employment have been supported by the EEOC as not being discriminatory. I would ask the agency to replace this caregiver.
If he/she is an independent caregiver, you can make that a condition of employment or find a replacement.
In addition, it has ruled that requiring the vaccine does not violate the ADA as long as only the vaccine is required and not any medical history or examinations.
She has turned down all other assignments, since COVID 19 became a problem, causing a financial hardship for herself. We don't go out in public without masks. My husband rarely leaves the house so he is relatively safe.