It is every live-in carer’s nightmare for their client to end up in hospital, whatever the reason. No one likes to see them admitted to a strange place where you may not be able to take care of them.
Unfortunately, going to hospital does happen with clients, and it always leaves the question of what happens to the carer.
So, what happens next?
This largely depends on the reason your client goes into hospital. For short term stays, the family will more than likely keep you on. This is because they may be too far away to travel there daily and visit their relative. They will also want an update from you on the progress and expected date of discharge.
To keep you ‘on the books’ in a short stay situation is very common. You will be staying in the house, keeping an eye on things there and visiting the hospital when you can.
In this instance you will also be paid for your time. Whether you receive extra pay depends on the family. Often, they will not pay extra because in their minds you are working less (even though this may not be correct). Occasionally you will receive extra pay for travelling to and from the hospital, particularly if there is no car and you need to catch a bus. In this instance they may leave you enough money to cover the travel costs.
What about long-term stays?
You will normally find that after a week or two in hospital, the family (or whoever pays you) will start to make noises about when your client is going to be discharged.
If the person paying you cannot see ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ and a discharge date, they may suggest terminating your contract so that they do not have to keep paying you.
Unfortunately, some hospitals will not let your client return home until certain things are in place such as hoists and stair lifts. As you will find out, this can take time to arrange and can be a slow process. This often leaves family frustrated and reluctant to pay you for not doing a lot.
You may find that your agency pulls you out of that booking, places you elsewhere (hopefully) and sends you back once your client has gone home.
Unfortunately, at short notice your agency may not have another booking to send you to, in which case you will need to stay somewhere until you either return to your client or have another placement. It makes sense then to have some money set aside for the proverbial ‘rainy day.’
To sum up
Having a client admitted to hospital can be a very stressful time for them. Certainly, it is going to be stressful for you until you know what is happening, how long they are expected to stay and when (or if) they return to their home.
Being open and honest with the family will go a long way to keep the peace and perhaps you could negotiate a deal for staying in the house until you find another placement at a smaller rate than a hotel would cost. Often staying on agency premises is the same if not more than a local b&b in the town. Indeed, rooms on Air B&B will work out at half the price, if you need to move out.
The bottom line is that if your client is not at home, family are reluctant to pay you. Unfortunately, this is the case most of the time, so be prepared to make other arrangements about accommodation.
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