StarOcean said:
leedlelee said:
I realize this might be a bit off topic, but may I ask what kind of special needs care you provide???
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Well my current client is high functioning, so for him I only drive him places and help with decision making. Previous clients I worked with needed much more care. With them I would bathe, dress, prep breakfast/lunch/dinner, give medication, take to see family, take to doctors appointments, fun places like the zoo or museum, take them grocery shopping, help wipe them or help them use the bathroom, clean the house, do the laundry, feed them, etc. That whole list of duties is not full but is a small glimpse of what I do. It's not an easy job, but is rewarding. Of course, when needed I also help teach and educate special needs people. Or just treat them like everyone else. My current client, for example, wanted me full time so he got his mom to contact me (he's in his mid-30's). She told me that I was his favorite caregiver ever for the simple fact I treated him like a person and not a paycheck and that they want me working for him more. It was flattering, but unfortunately I am only allowed to work 40hrs a week so I had to decline. Sorry about this long explantion XD
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I used to work in a residence for young men who were higher functioning but had serious behavioral issues...
Whipe it certainly wasn't as intensive a level of care as you have provided, it definitely came with its own challenges...
And while none of my guys died, I had coworkers who lost clients to everything from medication errors to choking, to accidents, to AIDS complications, to violence...
Now I work with adults with disabilities who have joined the workforce, making sure they are able to do their jobs, but also to stand up for them and make sure their employers don't take advantage of them, and while it might not be as intense as basic care, it does get intense...
I had an employer tell me that a young woman with Down's Syndrome would not have been molested while at work if she had not been so eager to talk to the opposite sex; she worked at a coat check counter, where it was expected that she would interact with customers...
To be on topic, I suppose it's hard not to think about mortality when you see how something like employment can have such an incredibly positive impact on the life of a person that has been excluded from society...
