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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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I know the camera is for the lady I care for, but it throws me off. I'm a seasoned private caregiver and it makes me not want to talk or be myself. Thanks.
So you don't mind cameras at the bank, at the grocery store, at the mall, recording you sitting in your car to post something on facebook, at the... Cameras are every where and many places you wouldn't realize.
The cameras in a client's home are there for several reasons...they want to know what's going on with their loved one, with you there or not. When my mom fell in the bathroom and broke her hip, I was able to see the paramedics and judge when she left so I could meet her at the hospital since I lived half an hour away.
Or they do want to check on caregivers. We hired one for my Aunt who I thought was good, but my aunt started to act weird. We found out via the camera she was abusing my aunt. I flew thousands of miles to fire the witch. And had the proof to show her and her agency and potentially the police.
Or they want to ensure things are being done when a loved one can't remember things like medications, etc. . Or they just want to see how happy / sad the relative is. Or that the chores they contracted the care giver to do are getting done.
Also for insurance purposes. Having a video of an accident if a caregiver slips and falls is a reason that would protect a caregiver.
That a caregiver would not feel comfortable and think they somehow 'dictate' whether a camera is used or not tells me a lot about a caregiver. It tells me they aren't one I would have in my relative's home. You don't turn it off or tell me when to turn it off. It isn't your home or your relative. I don't care how long you've worked there. Things change.
It tells me they don't realize it's also to protect them from being accused of things from someone who has dementia. It tells me if they are uncomfortable just doing their job in front of a camera, what is it that they are uncertain about in their abilities they don't want the family to see?
Cameras are EVERYWHERE. If you don't want to work in front of them, you aren't the caregiver for our family. It shows a lack of understanding of the value for both sides, and a certain level of immaturity if you ask me. Most people who work in office buildings these days are on camera the entire time. It's no different and half the time it isn't about you anyway.
Cameras may be everywhere, but they are not on you for hours and hours at a time like they are for many caregivers. If you have a "loved one" that has lost independence to the point where they have to be on camera 24-hours a day so you can monitor their every move, then they should not be living alone anymore. Let me tell you something about caregivers seeming uncomfortable to you doing their job on camera. They're not hiding any inabilities. No one is ever really "comfortable" with some aspects of the job. Like wiping a client's a$$, changing their diaper, or peeling off clothes that have been peed and crapped through. I did for 25 years and it always makes you sick. When a caregiver is on Candid Camera they may be afraid if (God forbid) they gag by accident. Or cough. Or have the slightest facial expression of disgust which could mean they lose their job. Caregivers are human beings too, you know. Cameras are fine until trust has been established between a family and a caregiver. You know what works as good as cameras to ensure quality care from a caregiver and isn't intrusive? References. Yes. Doing just a little bit of research on who's coming into your "loved one's" home. I've known homecare workers who were on camera all day long who robbed their dementia clients blind. Mostly jewelry and banking/credit card information. The family didn't think they had to put anything away because there were cameras watching. People are cleverer than cameras when they want to be. Cameras do not make a caregiver trustworthy or guarantee quality client care. Having some respect for the people you're willing to leave your elderly with and seeing that they're paid decently is what will give you better odds on getting a quality caregiver in the home.
I'm going to suggest that you acknowledge the elephant in the room rather than ignore it. It may help you personally. When you arrive and greet your client, greet the family member via the camera. Wish them a good day or other such small talk. If you have any particular plans for the day, include them in the conversation with your client. Then visualize them leaving the house. It's an internal mind game, similar to one you may have used in other situations you found stressful. You can do this. Your writing to the group tells me that you want to make it work. Go have an awesome day.
Poshee, I remember back when my boss installed cameras at his home to watch his wife [who had Alzheimer's]. His wife's long time caregiver felt so uncomfortable knowing the cameras were there that eventually she gave notice to leaving the job. Couldn't blame her, I would be uncomfortable, too.
My boss wished he had never installed those cameras as he could not find a new caregiver that his wife would accept. The previous caregiver and his wife had such a great bond, it was like losing a close trusted friend. For months, his wife kept calling out for her former caregiver, and refused to cooperate with anyone new.
Really? What about "being yourself" seems to you so odious that you would not want it filmed. You are correct that the camera is about the elder you are caring for, not you. If you have a particular phobia about being filmed I would tell your agency that you don't wish to work for this client as you don't wish to be on film. If you are self hired give notice and to be frank I would not give them a "reason".
Why should she leave and not give a reason? Wouldn't it help the family to know the camera is making her uncomfortable? There may be a compromise. Otherwise, they may lose future quality caregivers.
You said you are a seasoned caregiver. I’m sure you know what you are doing. Try to pretend the cameras aren’t there. The family probably feels some guilt because they aren’t the one taking care of her and just want to verify that she’s getting the help she needs. It’s for your protection as much as her. Some patients make up terrible lies about how they’re being treated. Some have dementia and really believe it, and some are just whining. Often patients claim they’re being stolen from. This will protect you. Try to think of it that way. God bless. You have a hard job to do!
We had cameras set up in my Mom's home and they were invaluable - both in overseeing her while she was alone and trying out new caregivers. The cameras were in plain view, none were hidden - they were cameras that basically just allowed us to view in real time - we didn't have "record" services. My mother's beloved & longest caretaker never minded at all - and I can assure you that as you build a relationship with your patient, you won't mind either. When my mother was with her, we happily didn't monitor the cameras! However, when there was a need for additional help, those cameras were everything. I saw aides that hardly talked to my Mom, aides that spent most of the time on a couch and on the phone, aides that did the absolute minimum for my mother, aides that didn't follow the simplest of instructions. My advice is to let yourself shine by being the great caretaker you are! The more you let go - the more you won't care anymore. You will have a closer and more rewarding relationship with your patient, and her family (who probably is rarely on the cameras due to their own busy lives) will truly value you.
You should talk to my co-workers, because some of them feel the same and are very vocal about it during handovers. I personally don't see the problem, but then I've spent idle moments contemplating the possibility of our wearing bodycams and how they could be made audio-only for personal care or other moments when our clients require privacy...
The way I see it, we are accountable for our actions during every moment on clients' premises, and surveillance provides an objective account with no trouble on our part. In what way is that not helpful?
As I said, this is not the view taken by my co-workers, who bandy about terms such as "breach of trust" and "invasion of privacy." They, however, are nothing like as contrary as certain agency staff described to me by the client's daughter, who told me that she'd made a formal complaint to the agency (a private sector agency, not our service) on two occasions. On the first, a worker had covered the camera with some PPE; on the second, a departing worker made a rude gesture to camera. Was she right to complain, the daughter asked me. Right to complain? I wanted to know what the agency's response was, because I thought the workers concerned were being absolute a-holes, but she didn't seem to have had a satisfactory answer.
The cameras are there because the client's family needs reassurance. They are anxious about their loved one. [They may also be anxious about getting value for money from the agency they're paying - not quite so noble, perhaps, but are they in the wrong?] Why would anyone think it unreasonable to assist their confidence? What are we doing or saying that we mind being observed doing or saying?
I regret that some families' bad experiences have led them to find the cameras necessary, because I'd rather they hadn't had the bad experiences. And I can't bring myself to like the sort of people who are timing arrivals and departures to the minute, or complaining about time spent on the phone (in our case, we'll be logging in, logging out, checking support plans, calling district nurses, referring concerns, requesting authorizations, etc. etc. etc., but how are they to know we're not playing Angry Birds?).
But if there is really anything about being yourself (at work, that is) that would come across that badly on camera, wouldn't you perhaps want to correct it?
You know as well as me that the family who wants value for their money hires private-pay caregivers. The agency makes very good money off of their caregivers, but the caregiver usually gets minimum wage or a few cents above. Care agencies couldn't care less whether or not a caregiver is providing quality care. They just replace them. If quality caregiving was a concern of these places they would share some of the big money they rake in for their CNA and homemaker/companion help. They would give these workers a reason to be loyal to their company and clients. Like decent wages, medical insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacation hours. They would give the caregivers already employed by them full-time hours instead of constantly hiring more staff so they don't ever have to. This would certainly revolutionize in-home caregiving.
I too am a seasoned private caregiver who's did homecare for almost 25 years. I agree with you about the cameras. They can be unnerving. Of course I understand why people have them. I do think that after a caregiver has been on the job for a while and have established themselves as trustworthy and professional, the cameras should be turned off during their working hours. This has always been my policy with families. I make it known early on that I will only tolerate starring in the 'Real Caregivers of America' for a limited amount of time. Then it's either the family finds me acceptable and I stay, or they don't and I go. I'm always honest with families early on. I tell them not to expect me to talk to their "loved one" continually. I'm not going to be juggling flaming batons or putting on a magic show to entertain the client. Sometimes the client is going to be bored. Sometimes there is also going to be periods of silence. I never took live-in work. I had one live-in position and ended up leaving. I couldn't stand it. God bless anyone who will be a live-in caregiver. It is not for me. I'm of the opinion that if a person has to have cameras on them 24-hours a day to monitor their doings at home, they are no longer independent and should not be living alone. Give your employer a time frame of how long you're willing to put up with the cameras.
I understand your view on this and think it’s is a very sensible approach. I can’t find it now but there was another person who commented that cameras don’t ensure trustworthiness I wish I could find that post but it made a lot of sense, treating the caregiver well and having open communication and clear expectations does more than a camera
I think one thing that is not being addressed, when you have cameras in your home or office, you are not sitting some place watching the footage. It is solely used to check in on situations.
I had them in my office for security and only once did I go back and review footage. I was trying to reach my office for 30 minutes and nobody was answering. Yeah, she was on her cell phone ignoring the business phone ringing, even though that was her job. But, I wasn't watching anything and it is the same with my home. Only when there is a reason do we ever review footage.
Don't be paranoid about a camera. If they are continually watching, it will come out and you can decide at that time to go or stay. But, I would bet that they aren't watching you.
Yes, watching someone else in real-time footage is incredibly time consuming and stops you living your own life. We had security cameras on the farm, motion sensor activated (by the wind, sheep etc unfortunately), and stopped bothering to monitor it.
Unfortunately there are many caregivers who sleep, take off masks in covid times, are not appropriate in many ways , etc I’m going to be very direct here . When your parent is vulnerable it’s an added price of mind. I certainly was not focused on what the caregiver was doing unless there was a problem . We also worked with an agency and constantly had new caregivers rotating through. I fired one who literally changed into pajamas , put on a night cap and went to sleep every night !!! If you have nothing to hide and there are not cameras in the bathroom what is so personal that you would care ?
Were you honest and up front with the caregiver about exactly what you expected from them? If you were expecting them to be a security guard and stay up all night walking around checking the home and the client, then you should say so. That caregiver who went to sleep was very likely employed as a 'Sleep Duty' aide. This means they check on the client and maybe toilet them or change a diaper a couple of times during the shift, and they go to sleep. Depending on the state a 'Sleep Duty' caregiver doesn't even have to be paid minimum wage by the agency that employs them. They are like hairdressers and restaurant wait staff. Only no tips. Always be honest with caregivers about exactly what you want and expect.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Cameras are every where and many places you wouldn't realize.
The cameras in a client's home are there for several reasons...they want to know what's going on with their loved one, with you there or not. When my mom fell in the bathroom and broke her hip, I was able to see the paramedics and judge when she left so I could meet her at the hospital since I lived half an hour away.
Or they do want to check on caregivers. We hired one for my Aunt who I thought was good, but my aunt started to act weird. We found out via the camera she was abusing my aunt. I flew thousands of miles to fire the witch. And had the proof to show her and her agency and potentially the police.
Or they want to ensure things are being done when a loved one can't remember things like medications, etc. . Or they just want to see how happy / sad the relative is. Or that the chores they contracted the care giver to do are getting done.
Also for insurance purposes. Having a video of an accident if a caregiver slips and falls is a reason that would protect a caregiver.
That a caregiver would not feel comfortable and think they somehow 'dictate' whether a camera is used or not tells me a lot about a caregiver. It tells me they aren't one I would have in my relative's home. You don't turn it off or tell me when to turn it off. It isn't your home or your relative. I don't care how long you've worked there. Things change.
It tells me they don't realize it's also to protect them from being accused of things from someone who has dementia. It tells me if they are uncomfortable just doing their job in front of a camera, what is it that they are uncertain about in their abilities they don't want the family to see?
Cameras are EVERYWHERE. If you don't want to work in front of them, you aren't the caregiver for our family. It shows a lack of understanding of the value for both sides, and a certain level of immaturity if you ask me. Most people who work in office buildings these days are on camera the entire time. It's no different and half the time it isn't about you anyway.
If you have a "loved one" that has lost independence to the point where they have to be on camera 24-hours a day so you can monitor their every move, then they should not be living alone anymore.
Let me tell you something about caregivers seeming uncomfortable to you doing their job on camera. They're not hiding any inabilities. No one is ever really "comfortable" with some aspects of the job. Like wiping a client's a$$, changing their diaper, or peeling off clothes that have been peed and crapped through. I did for 25 years and it always makes you sick. When a caregiver is on Candid Camera they may be afraid if (God forbid) they gag by accident. Or cough. Or have the slightest facial expression of disgust which could mean they lose their job.
Caregivers are human beings too, you know.
Cameras are fine until trust has been established between a family and a caregiver. You know what works as good as cameras to ensure quality care from a caregiver and isn't intrusive?
References. Yes. Doing just a little bit of research on who's coming into your "loved one's" home.
I've known homecare workers who were on camera all day long who robbed their dementia clients blind. Mostly jewelry and banking/credit card information. The family didn't think they had to put anything away because there were cameras watching. People are cleverer than cameras when they want to be. Cameras do not make a caregiver trustworthy or guarantee quality client care. Having some respect for the people you're willing to leave your elderly with and seeing that they're paid decently is what will give you better odds on getting a quality caregiver in the home.
My boss wished he had never installed those cameras as he could not find a new caregiver that his wife would accept. The previous caregiver and his wife had such a great bond, it was like losing a close trusted friend. For months, his wife kept calling out for her former caregiver, and refused to cooperate with anyone new.
If you have a particular phobia about being filmed I would tell your agency that you don't wish to work for this client as you don't wish to be on film. If you are self hired give notice and to be frank I would not give them a "reason".
My advice is to let yourself shine by being the great caretaker you are! The more you let go - the more you won't care anymore. You will have a closer and more rewarding relationship with your patient, and her family (who probably is rarely on the cameras due to their own busy lives) will truly value you.
The way I see it, we are accountable for our actions during every moment on clients' premises, and surveillance provides an objective account with no trouble on our part. In what way is that not helpful?
As I said, this is not the view taken by my co-workers, who bandy about terms such as "breach of trust" and "invasion of privacy." They, however, are nothing like as contrary as certain agency staff described to me by the client's daughter, who told me that she'd made a formal complaint to the agency (a private sector agency, not our service) on two occasions. On the first, a worker had covered the camera with some PPE; on the second, a departing worker made a rude gesture to camera. Was she right to complain, the daughter asked me. Right to complain? I wanted to know what the agency's response was, because I thought the workers concerned were being absolute a-holes, but she didn't seem to have had a satisfactory answer.
The cameras are there because the client's family needs reassurance. They are anxious about their loved one. [They may also be anxious about getting value for money from the agency they're paying - not quite so noble, perhaps, but are they in the wrong?] Why would anyone think it unreasonable to assist their confidence? What are we doing or saying that we mind being observed doing or saying?
I regret that some families' bad experiences have led them to find the cameras necessary, because I'd rather they hadn't had the bad experiences. And I can't bring myself to like the sort of people who are timing arrivals and departures to the minute, or complaining about time spent on the phone (in our case, we'll be logging in, logging out, checking support plans, calling district nurses, referring concerns, requesting authorizations, etc. etc. etc., but how are they to know we're not playing Angry Birds?).
But if there is really anything about being yourself (at work, that is) that would come across that badly on camera, wouldn't you perhaps want to correct it?
You know as well as me that the family who wants value for their money hires private-pay caregivers.
The agency makes very good money off of their caregivers, but the caregiver usually gets minimum wage or a few cents above.
Care agencies couldn't care less whether or not a caregiver is providing quality care. They just replace them.
If quality caregiving was a concern of these places they would share some of the big money they rake in for their CNA and homemaker/companion help. They would give these workers a reason to be loyal to their company and clients. Like decent wages, medical insurance, paid sick leave, paid vacation hours. They would give the caregivers already employed by them full-time hours instead of constantly hiring more staff so they don't ever have to. This would certainly revolutionize in-home caregiving.
Of course I understand why people have them. I do think that after a caregiver has been on the job for a while and have established themselves as trustworthy and professional, the cameras should be turned off during their working hours. This has always been my policy with families. I make it known early on that I will only tolerate starring in the 'Real Caregivers of America' for a limited amount of time. Then it's either the family finds me acceptable and I stay, or they don't and I go. I'm always honest with families early on. I tell them not to expect me to talk to their "loved one" continually. I'm not going to be juggling flaming batons or putting on a magic show to entertain the client. Sometimes the client is going to be bored. Sometimes there is also going to be periods of silence.
I never took live-in work. I had one live-in position and ended up leaving. I couldn't stand it. God bless anyone who will be a live-in caregiver. It is not for me.
I'm of the opinion that if a person has to have cameras on them 24-hours a day to monitor their doings at home, they are no longer independent and should not be living alone.
Give your employer a time frame of how long you're willing to put up with the cameras.
I had them in my office for security and only once did I go back and review footage. I was trying to reach my office for 30 minutes and nobody was answering. Yeah, she was on her cell phone ignoring the business phone ringing, even though that was her job. But, I wasn't watching anything and it is the same with my home. Only when there is a reason do we ever review footage.
Don't be paranoid about a camera. If they are continually watching, it will come out and you can decide at that time to go or stay. But, I would bet that they aren't watching you.
Were you honest and up front with the caregiver about exactly what you expected from them?
If you were expecting them to be a security guard and stay up all night walking around checking the home and the client, then you should say so. That caregiver who went to sleep was very likely employed as a 'Sleep Duty' aide. This means they check on the client and maybe toilet them or change a diaper a couple of times during the shift, and they go to sleep. Depending on the state a 'Sleep Duty' caregiver doesn't even have to be paid minimum wage by the agency that employs them. They are like hairdressers and restaurant wait staff. Only no tips. Always be honest with caregivers about exactly what you want and expect.