Re: High Cost of Care Homes
Originally Posted by
Azure
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A career as a Carer in Switzerland is a sort after, well paid respected position.
Carers are licensed and registered by the Cantons [Local Municipal areas.]
They would not dream of employing any foreigner who could not speak or write Swiss or Swiss German as all the training is written or verbal
Fees for Care Homes are met by Cantons and insurance
My Daughter living in Switzerland with husband and children is a registered Carer.
She is fluent in Swiss German and of course English and has Dual Nationality as well
She trained in a Care Home but chose to do Home visits. She now travelled up high Mountains to see her patients
None of the patients in the Care Homes had to sell their homes to meet the cost as the Swiss are heavily insured
She can stay two hours or more if necessary to each person
She does the following as well as an indebt report, daily to her superior of all her visits
Give medication and call the Doctor if any problems arise
Bathe, Wash Hair. Cut toe and fingernails.
Cook a light meal, Wash dishes, Hoover r, Iron clothes. Make and change beds.
Take patients for a walk do their shopping. Have a chat with them and cheer them up if they are feeling down.
Anything that is required. If a patient is very heavy and bedridden help is available for lifting
The training is ongoing an the last one was all about medication for the elderly and the contents of the medication. written and verbal
In contrast UK some Carers are so overworked they can only spare 15 minutes for each patient
This is disgraceful.
Home Nurses do a lot more.
Britain needs to take a leaf out of the Swiss book, this sounds fabulous and just how it should be.
I actually left the care home I worked in as a carer because the residents were getting neglected due to always being short staffed and we weren't allowed to spend the time with the residents that they needed.
I brought the subject up many times in meetings but my voice always fell on deaf ears.
The carers were doing far too many domestic duties which had they employed domestics to do that job it would have freed up much more time so the carers could do what they signed up to do, actually 'care' for the residents! It used to really upset me. I stuck it out two years but I couldn't stay any longer, instead I chose to go self employed and I ended up taking care of a lady with dementia in her own home, that way, I could give her lots of care AND the attention she deserved.
Many, not all, care homes have greedy owners only interested in the money they make. The one I worked in was one of them. Had they employed enough staff and allowed us to spend quality time with the residents I would never have left, I loved my job, but I couldn't continue working there knowing the neglect that was going on.
While I was very sad to leave I did end up very happy caring for my lady, we had such fun together.
Elderly people need time and patience and should NEVER be rushed but in many care homes and homecare the carers just are not allowed the time.
It's very sad and very wrong.
By the way, I did write a very long letter outlining my grievances and my reasons for leaving and they didn't like it one bit. I can only hope they took some notice and made things better after I left, somehow, I doubt it.