Just another Working Girl
Good morning. This is me. Pshwoo it was a tough morning. I was up about an hour and a half about. It is now 5:45 am. I was working on my bills and Thom’s.Fortunately, he only had a few – but the phone bill was a doozy. I had agreed to pay $100, but his phone bill was $150. I didn’t expect that one. Theoretically, I should be able to cover even that because I’m not paying more for medicine, but there were other expenses this month too that had to be accounted for. I paid everything, but the Kohl bill – I couldn’t find that one. But, the rent and car got paid short. I had to do that because Sprint – MY phone bill had an overdue amount on it. Yeeks. It was terrible! I’ll have to send in the extra $400 I’m short this month after the 15th. Not too long from now. Just I’ve never shortened the rent payment. I don’t know if the landlord will call or wait for the next payment we’ll have to see. Let’s hope for the best.
This is me with my brave smile. AHA – then too, we should be expecting pretty soon the money for the government. Maybe Rich will let me keep it to get a handle back on bills. Reminds me. I still haven’t unpacked the suitcases in the middle of Rich’s floor. Someone might want to do that tomorrow, HMM?? Oh and empty the dishwasher too please? That’s a good girl!
We already took our shower so we have about an hour now. Maybe some more coffee and some water? Ahh came back with grapefruit instead. Umm, the food didn’t go well this morning. First I found the protein bars that Rich had gotten and I’d forgotten about, then I opened the freezer on a fluke and discovered we had cookie dough ice cream! It was just a single serving … Rich knows me well. But, nonetheless … it’s gone now. :)
Pswhoo. Have to get through my mind that it is ok we’re short on money. Probably wasn’t a good idea to get the books when we did, but that just means we have to think more clearly next time. We got through all that mail up on our file, so that was ok. We still have to go to the city for or vehicle sticker. I don’t think they’ll be open tomorrow on the 4th, but maybe on Saturday – Rich and us can go over – he’ll need a sticker too. I’ve got to figure out my one doctor bill. They are saying I owe $44,000. I surely don’t want that to be right. They say the insurance part was only like $2,500. Umm, zeros in the wrong place! And, I have to talk to Thom about getting a copy of his military orders for a deferment on his school loans. Otherwise I’m pretty good – but, don’t forget that Kohl’s bill! We need to pay off the suitcases.
Ok, ok … running from that subject – oh can we say ONE more thing? Our zoo memberships came in – Rich’s and ours. So that’s all good were official in good standing and all. Nice to see! Yo you buffaloes! We’re a comin ta’see you!
Ahh … we just paused to do some fourth of July mailing. Never a wrong thought to do that! In addition, we’re offering to make sparklies with our Sweetie! Hope he’ll take us up … though we talked to him last night and he said he’ll probably be home closer to midnight. He did say we can look for fireworks on Saturday. But, I may want to be snugglin with him.
I wanted to say specially hi Vickie … I hear straight from the innocent that she may be reading every morning. WooHOO!! V … you got a co-reader! Shoot, I hope that doesn’t mean I have to change and right real important things. It’s enough to say … we paid the bills, etc. right?
We’re being teased by Vickie now … she says that it only takes a HALF day to read the blog. I was figuring she’d wasted her whole day, but she says she’s a speed reader! Go VICKIE!
Ok, what shall we write next. Most likely catch-up at work. I don’t think there is much towards big news there. We had another staffing and that one went pretty good. There was the staff from our center, CSO the State representative, the QMRP from his house and the house manager, plus the client and his family. That’s a couple more people than is normal. They all had good things to say and it was light. I didn’t like that the DSP read my notes (I’d typed from her comments), but I hadn’t expected her to read them verbatim. I’m glad Sister wasn’t there to see that. I commented to the staff on it later. I broke it up during the meeting by asking her questions that she had to look up for. She said she hadn’t done one for a while, so was nervous.
Then I did the normal things such as watching the two groups in the morning, watch the doors, do some goals in the afternoon with the new staff and help her get done with the chronological reports at the end of the day. After that we sent letters out to 16 of our parents asking for some form of this and that. I left that stack on Sr’s desk last night for approval, but I know this morning she’s going to ask again for the annual report. I have a staffing Monday afternoon, and I have Friday off, so I’m going to need doing something with that today AND get the report finalized. Really no excuse for it to be done so late – although I’m doing a lot of group and other co-workers work – so there are obvious reasons. Yesterday, I helped the new staff plan for her next day, so that was good news. But, then we had to slide it under the wire, because sister wants the report done first. Just setting up a plan is soooo much easier. And, it’s fun to keep the Sister company … She’s a good sort and naturally a pretty happy person.
Sr. is funny to watch … she is very expressive around the clients, or at least due to the clients. Yesterday she forecast what one of them would do next … and sure enough he did it. I think she’s got a real good sense of them. He had wiped the board clean and written the date after his peer had left. So, we teased that we were going to wait until he left and then WE would erase the board and right in a new date! His peers thought that was pretty funny. I’ll have to decide whether now I do it or not. He wouldn’t know because he won’t come back until Monday. Sr.’s got a lot of patience too, but she knows what’s right. It’s pretty hard to be persuasive with some of them, but she does a good job with it. But, to watch her facial expressions just makes me want to chuckle and chuckle. She says, “I told him ….” Or, “I told her …” It’s always a match of the minds to see who’s thinking takes priority between staff and clients. But, I have to say “Go Sister!” For trying to make a good difference! Me … I just like playing the devil’s advocate.
Don’t think too much else happened. I came home about 5:30 pm and ate, then I read some of the postings at MP.com, but I didn’t have enough energy to write back.
Instead I got out one of the books I’ve been reading and promptly fell asleep about 7-8 pages in. I must have gotten up about 10 pm to go to bed officially, and I’d only laid down for about 3 minutes before Rich had called. He sounded like he was in a good mood even though he didn’t catch many fish yesterday. They were trying only for the big ones. So had hooks and rigging set for that. I’m not sure what his strategy will be today. Just know that he’s tired and sore and looking forward to the backrubs. God bless’m!
I haven’t gotten too much spare conversation. It seems like everyone is getting along. The calls are only 5-6 minutes, because if he’s fed and off the boat – means he wants to go to sleep soon! We didn’t have much to tell him yesterday – though we did remind him we’ve been taking out the garbage and doing the dishes. That’s always iffy – because he does that stuff normally. But, we’re being fairly diligent! Even cleaned up the car yesterday. Ok, Maybe there were only scraps and four water bottles, but it counts! I did have to walk to the garbage!
I’m doing a lot of walking at work. Often my legs are sore, but I think it’s something that I have to go through as if we were in training. Thom and the Marines say something like pain is something leaving the body. I don’t remember what now – but, its something like pain is complaints leaving the body. That’s not it quite, but something. I’m thinking here what doesn’t kill you helps you.
It sure does help that today is the last day before a nice 3 day weekend. I don’t have any special plans. I was with Joe last week and owe Maury, but he had said a week ago he’s tied up for a while. I don’t have any money to take them out … *sigh* but, my bills are paid, right? We talked and I got a couple hugs last week when he dropped Thom’s mail of on the way to work. That was sweet!
Today, I’m going to have to get my thinking parts out soon. I’ll still have the group from 7:45-8:45, then I’ll have some time to work 9-11:45, but then group goals 12-1, and staff training from 1-2, then hopefully work with a DSP for Mondays staffing 2-2:30 pm, and then continue or finish the Annual report, before seeing Dr. Marvin – or leaving for there at 3:45 pm. I know I have to plan for the staff training meeting, and that’s going to take up time from doing the annual report.
Maybe if I could think through what I’m doing now it will be less time consuming.
Basically, I want a little time to go over policy and procedures, but maybe I can do that in 15 minutes. I have to be starting a whole new thread that is going to be more practical and keep them interested. It will matter today the differences in staff composure. I’ll probably have both Sr.’s, Imelda, Margarita, Kathy, Stephanie, Maria and Theresa. So eight people and me. Sheese what should I be doing. The state likes you to be doing from their book, but that’s been done so many times before. Basically, they like to see you doing safety, communication, client files, and such. Maybe I will have to start at the beginning of the other requirements. They list stuff that has to get done. Hmm, maybe I could find it now.
Aha! Only took a few moments to find the 119. Regs.
Staff and volunteer training
1) Training in principles and practices in the following areas shall be provided to direct service and professional staff:
A) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Heimlich maneuver and first aid;
B) Behavior management;
C) Normalization;
D) Age and cultural appropriateness;
E) Safety, fire, and disaster procedures including:
i) Use of fire-fighting equipment; and
ii) Familiarity with the disaster preparedness plan.
F) Prevention, handling, and reporting of abuse, neglect, exploitation, unusual incidents (see subsection (h) of this Section):
G) Individual rights in accordance with Chapter 2 of the Code and maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the Act;
H) Team planning;
I) Infection control and sanitation; and
J) Food preparation and handling for staff who prepare and serve food to individuals.
Quality assurance
1) There shall be a written quality assurance plan and ongoing activities designed to review and evaluate services to individuals, operation of programs and to resolve identified problems.
2) The scope of quality assurance shall include reviewing semi-annually, or more frequently if problems are identified, at least the following:
A) Service planning;
B) The use of special training procedures including behavior management procedures;
C) Unusual incidents relative to services to individuals;
D) Service utilization;
E) Individuals' records ensuring that they meet the requirements of this Part;
F) Subcontracted services to ensure that the needs of individuals are being met; and
G) The status of individuals receiving service.
3) Records of quality assurance reviews and activities shall be filed separately from the records of individuals.
Unusual incidents
1) The provider shall have written policies and procedures for handling, investigating, reporting, tracking and analyzing unusual incidents through the provider's management structure, up to and including the authorized agency representative. The provider shall ensure that staff demonstrate their knowledge of, and follow such policies and procedures that shall include but are not limited to:
A) Rape or sexual assault;
B) Abuse or neglect;
C) Death;
D) Physical injury;
E) Assault;
F) Missing individuals;
G) Theft; and
H) Criminal conduct.
2) Within 24 hours after becoming aware of an incident, the provider shall report to the appropriate law enforcement agencies any incident which is subject to the Criminal Code of 1961 [720 ILCS 5].
3) The provider shall ensure that suspected instances of abuse or neglect against individuals in programs that are certified by the Department are reported to the Office of Inspector General (Section 6.2 of the Abused and Neglected Long Term Care Facility Residents Reporting Act [210 ILCS 30/6.2]).
Ok, that being said … We might want to work on the top of the list down. We’ve already got first aid and CPR down for first of November … That puts us today at behavior. We’ll have to think through if we have any particular outline to base this – as a 10 minute presentation, maybe the behavioral policy – though that’s restrictive. Otherwise, most of the meeting will be spent on discussing problem behaviors. That’s probably a good idea. We can look for the antecedent, the behavior, and the result – forgot the formal word though … something that starts with a “C”. Oh well, and that’s why they pay me the big bucks … silly Ann. It will be a good group and if I can figure out how to do something hands-on they will appreciate it that much more. Have to think through that, but now … it’s time to be “getting to work” See you soon.
AHH ... and don't forget Dr. Marvin at 4:30 pm!!!
posted by Ann Marie @ 7/03/2008 07:00:00 AM
Comments: 1
