Scheduling & Openings
First things first…
First of all, THANK YOU for being part of the Agape Home Care team! These last three years of COVID have been challenging on every level, personally and professionally. For those who’ve served our clients faithfully, sacrificially, with excellence, compassion and professionalism through this season… THANK YOU! That kind of work ethic will serve you well in life and will bless others along the way!
How things go…
One constant in this field is CHANGE, which often comes with little or no advanced notice. From seniors requiring immediate care due to unexpected illness or hospital discharge… to clients who no longer need care due to death, hospitalization or long-term placement in a facility or who recover back to health and independence. Then there is the constant of staff availability changing, scheduled time off notifications and DAILY unexpected call-offs on short notice for whatever reasons. These are all factors that are happening behind the scenes and why scheduling is so challenging… trying to put a puzzle together where the pieces are always changing beyond my control.
where things stand…
Just last weekend and early this week, we have had multiple clients pass away unexpectedly and/or get placed in care facilities and/or graduate to increased independence. This has resulted in an unexpected low census of clients, especially the longer daytime and overnight schedules, putting multiple staff out of work. Our priority in placing staff is as follows: 1) client needs and preferences (skills and physical abilities needed, preferred caregiver profile and continuity of staffing); 2) staff reliability and quality of work (staff who are consistently reliable and who’s work is consistently done with excellence, compassion & professionalism will always be preferred); 3) experience and skill-set (staff greater caregiving experience and skills will have increased opportunity for placement); 4) seniority (all things considered equal, staff with greater seniority will be preferred over recent hires); 5) availability (being available and flexible will increase opportunities for immediate work, especially when transitioning between regular assignments, as we work toward an ideal, long-term placement). When scheduling, especially with short-shifts and specific days, I try to arrange schedules that are most likely to be covered by consistent staff as long-term assignments. This is why I will reserve assigning staff to partial schedules, as doing so will make scheduling more difficult overall.
We currently have immediate assignments that would include weekends (days and/or overnights) and some short-shift, weekday assignments during the daytime and/or evenings in various geographical locations. We currently have have new clients who are signing up for care, and I am trying to get their needs dialed in, so I can start placing staff with them. And there are always immediate needs that come up unexpectedly, and when that happens, I will be desperately reaching out to available staff following the priority guidelines described above.
Immidiate openings…
McKinleyville
Male Patient - 16 hours weekly, somewhat flexible schedule, moderate care needs
Male Patient - 16 hours weekly, late afternoons/early evenings, somewhat flexible schedule, challenging personality, includes personal care
Male Patient - Mon & Tues 8A-4P (could be 9A-5P)
Arcata
Female Patient - Sat & Sun 830A-430P, dementia & full care
Female Patient - Sat & Sun, late morning, afternoon & Evening, short shift, basic care
Male Patient - Sat & Sun, morning and evening, basic care
Female Patient - Friday evenings, basic care
Couple Patient(s) - Mon & Fri, afternoons, basic care
Male Patient - 16 hours weekly, weekday mornings, basic care
Male Patient - 16 hours weekly, weekday mornings, basic care
Female Patient - Friday & Sunday 6P-9A, moderate care
Eureka
Couple Patient(s)- Sat & Sun, moderate care needs
Male Patient - full time weekdays, split shift, moderate care
Male Patient - weekdays 10A-6P, Hospice, full care
Male Patient - Tues, Thurs, Sat, morning short shift, moderate care
Male Patient - Tues, Thurs, Sat, flexible, short shift, moderate care
Female Patient - Sat & Sun, morning, afternoon & evening, high care
Female Patient - Sat & Sun, morning & afternoon, high care
Female Patient - Sat & Sun 8A-4P, dementia, moderate care
Female Patient - Sat & Sun 8A-4P, basic care
Male Patient - Sat & Sunday 4 hours in afternoon, basic care
Female Patient - Sat & Sun morning and evening, short shift, basic care
Fortuna (Sothern Humboldt)
A FEW PENDING CLIENTS… NOTHING IMMEDIATE