We have a few people that live in a home up the street. These people have various illnesses and there are people in this home with them that are paid to take care of them.
These workers do not do their jobs correctly.
Charlie and Joy are two of the mentally disabled people that live in the home. Many times these two are walking around the city by themselves. They cross streets in the middle of the road...never near a crosswalk; they stand outside and beg people for money and they break and spill things when in any of the stores (not on purpose, of course).
Which makes me wonder, where the hell are the people that are supposed to be watching them?
One time a woman came in with Joy. Joy must have gotten her monthly check from the state because she had an envelope full of cash. Joy started to tell me she wanted a pack of cigarettes. The lady with Joy interrupted her to tell her WHICH kind of cigarettes Joy was supposed to buy.
Joy doesn't care what she smokes; she usually smokes the butts off the ground if she can find them. So this woman telling Joy to buy a premium brand of cigarette made me wonder what the hell this woman was doing.
So I asked this woman who she was, and she told me she was Joy's caretaker. I told her that Joy doesn't smoke these kinds of cigarettes and asked her who they were really going to. She got nasty with me and told me to mind my own business.
I ended up telling her I wasn't going to sell them to her and they left.
I've been at this store for over 15 years and this home has been around just as long. I've seen these 'caretakers' take advantage of these people and it pisses me off. How would they like it if someone took their monthly check or stole from one of their relatives?
I wish the state would do something about this...people have called before about it, but nothing has ever been done. Some of these workers need to go to jail.
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We have several "First Step" program homes in our area. And unfortunately, it's the users and abusers that end up working there. Stealing money and medication from the people who just flat don't know any better.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad situation. You really do make a difference in YOUR community though. I guarantee if any of us walked into YOUR store we could pick you out of the emplpoyees because you would be the one who was doing their job right and who cared about the ones who aren't so easy to care for.
:-)
I would have called the cops. Caretakers who take advantage of their charges can be arrested for abuse. Even as small as getting the victim like Joy to buy cigarettes for them. If we don't do something when we see the abuse it keeps happening. Sorry, I got on a rant. ;)
ReplyDeleteTaking advantage of people who have no way to defend themselves is the lowest thing I can think of. There should be a special place in hell for them.
ReplyDeleteThat is so sad that people can do that. We have a lot of elderly people in our town and there was an older man who had a younger girl taking care of him. He was suddenly buying all kinds of things that he didn't need and never bought before. We knew she was behind it.
ReplyDeleteYou asked for a review, and boy did you get one.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely call and report the place that's supposed to be taking care of them - most states have anonymous lines you can call about places, or if you're feeling bold, you could just go to the local police. Even if they just get a slap on the wrist for the first time, it at least gets that place into the system.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful. All of the stories I've heard about caretakers have been bad ones. Seems like they'll hire anyone who's willing.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems is that there isn't enough money to hire decent people for these jobs... or else there aren't enough decent people to make hiring them cheap.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, the fault isn't only that of the workers. We all share in some of the blame.
Yeah when my Dad was in a nursing home I would see folks come in at the beginning of the month to get their loved ones $40 and spend it on themselves. That would be the only time they would come in.
ReplyDeletePeace, Love and Chocolate
Tiffany