Danielle's Journey To Life

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Danielle

Danielle's Journey To Life

Post by Danielle »

DAY 1: Double-Check EVERYTHING...!


Part of a Support Worker's job is to do the documentation. The documentation helps to manage the client's needs. It helps to record the medication, amount of medication given, personal spending money, grocery money, keep tabs on the health of the client, to help staff keep in contact with one another by writing case notes and to show proof in case of any legal matters.

One part of the Support Worker's job is to do a handover with the next worker that is coming on shift. Depending on the company, the worker coming onto the shift has to double check everything to make sure all the information written down by the last staff member was is correct. The double checking helps to make sure that the last worker has done the documentation correctly and to correct any mistakes so that they're not held responsible for them.

One thing that I have been doing as a three-week-old Support Worker is not double checking more thoroughly. I've been told several times to check for mistakes from other workers, count the money and that is even if you think the other support workers are trustworthy. On handover, it is very important to document and double check regardless of how trustworthy or good you think the other worker is. It is a best for all approach to make sure that double checking of documentation is being done by all support workers on handover.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed look at paperwork to be a boring job

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not see/realise/understand that it is important to double check the notes, medication, information on the client and the money at handover to make sure no one has made mistakes that I could be responsible for if I do not double check.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that documentation is unnecessary

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand the importance of double check when a new staff member is coming on or off shift.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not see/realise/understand that it is beneficial for the company, staff and the client to double check that there has been no mistakes made my other staff.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that being a support worker isn't all about having fun

I forgive myself that i haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that handover, double-checking and ensuring that there is no mistakes made is all part of being an effective support worker.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that documentation is just as important as entertaining myself and the client.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that no matter how much I trust the other support workers, it is important to double check for any mistakes at handover and during my own documentation.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that documentation is a part of the process

I forgive myself that i haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that it is important for the client's health, staff and to avoid legal matters, that all mistakes be double check and corrected if needed on the job.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to want/desire to rush double-checking the documentation so that I do not keep the other staff waiting

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to say to the other staff that ''I trust you'' and not double check their work to see if there are any mistakes made.

When and as I see myself not wanting to double-check more thoroughly - I stop and I breathe - I realise that it is beneficial for the company, staff and the client if I check the documentation at handover more thoroughly incase of mistakes that, if not corrected, I could be responsible for.

I commit myself to double-check more thoroughly when I am doing handover

I commit myself to take my time when I am doing handover

I commit myself to arrive a little earlier so that I can take my time to double-check more thoroughly at handover.

http://supportworkerjtl.blogspot.com.au/
Danielle

Re: Danielle's Journey To Life

Post by Danielle »

Thanks Kristina. :)
Danielle

Re: Danielle's Journey To Life

Post by Danielle »

DAY 3: Correcting Parts of Ourselves = Fewer Mistakes.

"Be humble when you see your mistakes, be courageous enough to admit them and wise enough to correct them." Amine Ayed.

I woke for my morning shift at 6. The shift I woke up for was the 8 a.m. usual shift. I prepared for the day and walked out the door for a walk in the park before the shift. I turn up at my client's house and he was surprised to see me. We spoke for a bit. I then find out that it is Wednesday and not Thursday. It completely slipped my mind. Where I was suppose to be today was my usual 24 hour shift which is a 7 am to 7 am. I called my colleague to let her know the situation and admitted my mistake. Thankfully, the other support worker was very patient and understanding. I quickly confirmed payment for an Uber.

In the Uber, I had all sorts of worries and fears coming up. I normally talk to the drivers. We have long conversations about life. This time I was sitting/experiencing some worries and fears. I couldn't relax as I felt the need to be reassured that my colleagues were not mad at me.

Arriving I saw the support worker sitting there patiently and we spoke for about 12 minutes about the death of her daughter. Which was very interesting to listen to.

I've made a few mistakes in the one month as a support worker. I've constantly feared losing my job after making a few of them. What I am grateful for is a cool coordinator that is showing an understanding and the patience of the other support workers. People haven't been harsh on me for my mistakes. I've been harsh on myself for making mistakes. Personally, I don't like making mistakes. I don't want to make mistakes, Lol. But you cannot live life without making a mistake here and there. It is impossible. Particularly if you're new and are learning the ropes. Mistakes are going to be made. What we can do is learn from the mistakes. If we've made a mistake, people have told us the way to do it and we haven't corrected ourselves, then that's were it becomes a serious problem.

I realise the only way is to self-correcting these parts of myself so that mistakes do not become patterns.

I realise that mistakes help us to see what needs to be corrected about ourselves.

I realise that in order to have fewer mistakes in my job, I will have to correct parts of myself.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear losing my job for making a new mistake

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear staff talking about me behind my back for mistakes I've made and coming to a decision to fire me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to worry and fear losing my job because I mixed up the shifts that I was suppose to have today.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to want/desire to be reassured by colleagues that they're not angry at me and are understanding before I calm myself down/breathe.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to not see/realise/understand that correcting our mistakes and learning from then is a must in the community care industry and other parts of one's life.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to be slack and not double check my Roster and the date and times.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to depend completely on my mind to remind me of the date, my shifts and the time when I have tools at my disposal that can help me clarify what day it, what the date is, the time and my shifts for the week.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to panic about mixed bag up the shifts

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to panic about making mistakes in my work.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to be so preoccupied on social media, sharing and sharing my so much instead of effectively planning my day and keeping tabs.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to overindulge in social media now that I've got a new phone.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that setting a certain amount of hours for me to use social media would be best because that way priorities are taken care of first.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to doubt my own reassurance and common-sense around making mistakes.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to feel angry about mixing up the shifts.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allows myself to see/realise/understand that it has happened to other people, I am not the first person to have done it and I won't be the last.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allows myself to see/realiee/understand that I can use practical solutions to this mistake by making sure that I am upholding and living out my new scripts that focus in priorities, slowing down, and effective planning.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear my coordinator being angry at me for mixing up the shifts.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that I owe my coordinator anything for being understanding.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to stress out about my colleague having to work another 1 hour.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to assume that people are all mean and will hate me because I have mixed up the shifts

I forgive myself to assume that people at the office will all spread hatred, gossip and think that I am bad for mixing up the shifts.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to worry so much about making mistakes

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allows myself to see/realise/understand that once something is done, such as a mixing up shifts and time has gone by, there is nothing anyone can do but to calm down, understand that it happens, and make sure that I correct myself so that it doesn't turn into a pattern.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to sit in the experience of worry and fear instead of letting it go and accepting that it has happened and I need to correct me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to see as the end of the world that I have mixed up shifts.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to bully myself about going through a walk in the park this morning instead of checking my Roster, the date and time.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allows myself to limit myself from being very effective at my job with minimal mistakes by/through not setting goals for the day, checking roster and the times as well as dates.

When and as I see myself waiting to be reassured by colleagues before I calm myself/breathe the 4 counts and relax - I Stop and I breathe - I realise that putting myself at ease comes first in this situation so I am stable enough to deal with it in a manner that is best for all = no reactions.

When and as I see myself spending too much time on social media to a point where I am not focusing on priorities - I stop and I breathe - I disengage from Facebook or other social networks and I write down or look at predone plans to see what requires to be done for me to be an effective human being.

When and as I see myself panicking about mistakes made at work - I stop and I breathe - I realise that mistakes do happen, I am probably not the first person to have done it, I may not be the last and I can learn from the mistake and correct myself.

When and as I see myself fearing my colleagues being angry with me for making mistakes - I stop and I breathe - I realise that the best way to handle a mistake is to assist/support the person to know that it happens and if this is not done, to simply let the person feel their emotions and/or express them. But not take it personally. Breathe through it and wait to it blows away where a solution can be brought forward or a direction.

I commit myself to limit my social media time

I commit myself to be more goal focused when working.

I commit myself to correct that which is not beneficial for me working as a support worker.
Danielle

Re: Danielle's Journey To Life

Post by Danielle »

DAY 4: Why Do I Have To Clean

One of the jobs as a support worker is to help clean the client's home. The amount of cleaning we do depends on the clients capabilities. If they're unable to move themselves like able-bodied people are, then the support worker does all the cleaning for the client. What had come up within me yesterday to cleaning someone's house was the want to not have to clean. It came up as back chat in the process of sweeping kitchen floors of a house that seemed to have been neglected for awhile.

The back chat more specifically was "why do I have to do this" and "it's just going to be a mess again" along with a want, a pull to go interact with my client and sit down. Support workers have a set amount of hours in the client's homes. In that time we are required to use some of those hours to clean.

I did question "if we do not clean then who will?" and it does assist/support the client when they live in a neat &a tidy clean home. It helps everyone to be organised and less cluttered. Things are in their rightful places, everyone is on board with where everything is and the client is less reactive when the mess is out of the way. It helps a great deal. We all like a clean home and to look at it this way, most of my clients didn't ask to be the way they are. If the high needs clients had a choice, I'm sure they would want to clean for themselves. But because of their condition, they cannot.

So I realise that being a support work is about doing the best we can to help improve our clients wellbeing and help those who cannot help themselves as much as they'd like too.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to backchat about having to clean a house the had mould, vomit, and other bodily fluids.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to backchat about cleaning cigarette ash

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to be frustrated with other support staff for not doing a good clean job on their shift and then want to leave the state of the house the way it

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to want/desire to neglect my client because other support staff may have done so by not cleaning the mould, floors, and other rooms of the house

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel annoyed about having to clean a house that is likely to be messy again the next time I am there

I forgive myself that i have accepted and allowed myself to be annoyed about not having my own cleaning tools that I can bring to my clients homes when they're lacking tools

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel embarrassed about cleaning up vomit and other stuff that people don't want see or have a heavy reaction to/towards

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel pissed off about individuals who do not have the capabilities to look after themselves being cheated by composers and this system at large.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel pissed off about unhealthy products being sold in our system and it being consumed by clients whom I have to clean up and look after.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel hopeless as a support worker to assist/support my clients to live healthier and fulfilling lives in a system that is taking advantage of vulnerable individuals

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel hopeless in a system that doesn't really give a damn about our most vulnerable but would simply prefer to keep them at bay

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel pissed off about the most vulnerable individuals being taking advantage of by the medical fields and pharmaceutical companies.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that Australia's systems truly care for our most vulnerable.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel annoyed and crappy about having to take care of people who are the most vulnerable in a system that seems impossible to change.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that it is possible to change this world where all individuals lead fulfilling lives.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that I can assist/support my clients to lead fulfilling lives by planning out the days that they will enjoy after all the work is done in the house

When and as I see myself not wanting to clean and composing about cleaning for higher needs clients - I stop and I breathe - I realise that my client cannot clean for themselves because of their condition and I as an able-bodied person can make a difference in this persons life by making sure that household cleaning is done.

When and as I see myself feeling hopeless to assist/support my clients to live fulfilling lives in the current world system - I stop and I breathe - I realise that it is possible to make changes even on the minute levels in my life and the lives of my clients.
Danielle

Re: Danielle's Journey To Life

Post by Danielle »

DAY 5: Guilty Joy Ride

I don't have a car or a license to use for transport. I use Ubers to move from one place to the other. It is the same for when I am working with a client and I am required to take them places. I use Ubers. My work does not pay for the Ubers, I have to pay with my own money. In this line of work I can understand why they make it a job requirement for people to have their license and a car. Public transport is to expensive and time consuming. It is not good for the client because if they have a mental illness for example they can become very easily reactive to things taking too long and having to wait or public transport taking half of their personal spending money. Even know it states in the agreement that people are required to take people in public transportation, it is just easier to have ones own car as well licence. Sometimes I'll be short of money and won't be able to take the client for a drive. In these situations I feel very guilty.

Feeling guilty about it doesn't make the situation any better. I'll place emphasis on the point of not having car. React to it, and then make myself feel small or less competent in my job. For someone who doesn't have a car and has done twice as much work then other support worker's, I'm doing very well. I've come into the job and thrown into the deep end and in this type of work, you either sink or swim. Lol. I have enjoyed the Uber rides. The long talk with individuals and the laughs I've had. Getting into their fancy leased or owned cars, hearing the individuals I work with experience themselves in flashy cars, hearing them talk to the Uber drivers, and I've enjoyed the generosity of other staff members. Not having a car or license at the moment and making do with public transport has taught me a lot about people. I won't always be driving in fancy cars and money to move from house to house. It's too long till I have enough for license and car.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel incompetent without my license and a car of my own.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel guilty about not having my own car to drive my clients around

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel annoyed about not having a car to put all the tools I want to use for work in.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel inferior and less than in comparison to the rest of the support workers who do have cars

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel guilty for not having the money to Uber my clients around at times.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel guilty about having to use public transport to assist/support my clients around the community

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel frustrated and annoyed about the money that I use to get to my client house

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not see/realise/understand that I won't have to use money for public transport for too long.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that it hasn't been that bad catching Ubers as I make it out to be.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel annoyed about the money I have to spend to do my work when I want to making money and not having to spend too much.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not see/realise/understand that I've been doing good despite not having a car or licence.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to complain about having to catch Ubers for work

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear my clients getting impatient with public transportation and Ubers to the point where they want to lash out verbally or physically.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear what could possibly come out of my clients when they're in a reactive or emotional state

When and as I see myself complaining about making use of public transport and Ubers - I stop and I breathe - I realise that working this way won't be forever, it is only temporary as I am saving for a car.

When and as I see myself feeling guilty for not having car to take clients places - I stop and I breathe - I realise that I can catch public transport and Ubers to assist/support my clients and/or ask another support worker to transport us.
Danielle

Re: Danielle's Journey To Life

Post by Danielle »

DAY 6: Your Safety, Health and Well-being Matters

In the community care industry support workers may experience hard to work with clients. A hard-to-work with client may be one that can become violent or abusive. They might bite, scratch, verbally abuse, hit, push, punch and/or kick support staff. In these cases, it's best to know your own limits. If it is repeated behaviour and it's not changing then know that it's ok to let go of the client if it is impacting on your well being and safety. A support worker doesn't have to put up with verbal or physical abuse. This is something that I am learning from my own experiences.

So far in my original as a support worker I've had some pretty hectic events/situations occur. These situations were different, but we're all challenging to say the least. I've been verbally abused, hit in the neck, had a client dig their nails into my arm, scratched, pulled to the floor and bit (luckily they didn't have teeth). All of which can be quite a draining process for all involved. So, in any case.. I realise if abusive Behaviours continue and the individual does not change then it is best to let go of that person as it could be damaging to ones own well being, health and safety.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel like I have to stay with abusive clients

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that if a client's behaviour is continuously destructive then I have a right to take actions to prevent my well being, health and safety from being harmed by the client.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel like a failure in my job if I let go of clients who don't seem to be improving or changing their behaviour

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that I am a failure if I give up on certain clients who show a continuous pattern of being violent

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not see/realise/understand that I have to make sure that my health, safety and well-being is ok when I work with clients

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear what my colleagues will say about me if I were to let go of specific clients who are aggressive, verbally abusive and violent.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not see/realise/understand that if I do not ensure that my well being, safety and health is ok when working with a client then I'd be putting myself in dangerous situation.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear losing my job if I turn down clients that have patterns of violence towards me.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear losing a bit of my income for turning down clients who are violent.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to believe that I just have to such it up and hope for the best when working with client who have a pattern of violence and emotional outbursts.

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear people saying that I cannot handle it and thinking that I am not cut out for this industry.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that choosing to not work with someone who has a pattern of violence towards me is a choice that takes consideration of my health, well being and safety.

I forgive myself that I haven't accepted and allowed myself to see/realise/understand that if violent behaviours do not stop, change or brought to a solution then it is best to let go of the client.

I commit myself to turn down/let go of clients if they have a continuous violent pattern of behaviour
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