So before I get to the comedy of klutzy caregivers it's important to let people know the importance of a consumer directed,publicly funded caregiver system. In a nutshell, there are many states that have programs that allow people with disabilities to hire caregivers(pca) of their own choice with state, federal, and local governments providing the funding. It's called consumer directed when the recipient sets the schedule and tasks instead of an agency. I prefer consumer directed because I can go places and do things without asking permission the way I want to.
Here in California it's called IHSS, or In Home Support Services. Some politicians have been convinced that the system is full of fraud and wasteful spending, but in reality fraud levels are extremely low and is far cheaper than nursing homes. Also, because my caregivers are my employees who follow my training, I‘m respected and not abused.I always have the option to immediately fire for abusive, poor quality care.
The best part about having caregivers in my home everyday is the interesting diverse range of people I get to know. For the most part It's positive and I deeply appreciate their hard work and dedication. My favorite are the accidental slapstick comedians. Also known as klutzy for the uninformed. Some people are extraordinarily gifted in that department. Early last January a caregiver walked right into my closed bedroom door like a rhino colliding into a safari jeep. At first I thought someone was trying to break down the door. She looked like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer for a few days.My first thought was “oh my God, this is going to be a long week” and “did I hire the wrong person”. Luckily everything turned out pretty good
But wait, there’s more! A few weeks ago I was going backwards down the ramp in my kitchen, the incline is too steep to go forward, unbeknownst to me my caregiver was quietly walking behind me to get some water. Through sheer bad luck and timing my elbow caught some booty leading to a domino effect of my hand getting caught on my controller, and because my controls are reversed, it made me reverse full-speed pinning my Caregiver against the counter and my chair. Imagine my chair squishing somebody’s ass between a counter with no means of escape. Shockingly my uninjured caregiver essentially had to twerk to get unstuck while simultaneously laughing hysterically. Disaster averted.
Little things like this make life more interesting. It’s always nice to have people invested in my care, whether it’s family or not. My mom has taught me that sometimes it’s okay to laugh the little things. Some days I might laugh a little too hard but maybe there’s no such thing.
Thank you for reading another one from my writing’s. I decided that my mission is to use my blog and voice to make people laugh while also educating on things that are truely important to people like me. If you like to support my blog or just enjoy reading my stories please feel free to share or you can donate by clicking the donate button to the right.
