Yanno
I'm usually pretty laid back but right now I'm about to just explode. Yes it is late and I'm tired, in more ways than one however the situation with my Mum's personal care assistant (PCA) who I will call J for the sake of being polite, has reached critical mass. Unfortunately I'll have to wait until next Wednesday to express my ire in person so a rant here will hopefully let me decompress enough to at least get some fucking sleep.
Let me start off by saying that I have tried to respect J as a fellow human being. She of course makes that hard; I mean the woman is thick, slow-witted, openly racist and really started off with me on the wrong foot*. It is not as if I viewed her as a weekly menial and I have never, ever treated her in such a fashion. I have always made perfectly clear that I DO appreciate the help that she has provided because keeping up with Mum is just as complicated as an eight hour a day job. It sucks energy faster than an iphone so getting a hand with the sweeping, mopping and the laundry is pretty cool.
What I don't appreciate is her Co-dependency on Mum, her constant need for approval and taking advantage of Mum's natural reluctance to be sociable. J called Tuesday night to beg off her appointment this week, which was scheduled for Wednesday evening. Mum just blithely accepted this without asking why. I on the other hand knew exactly what was up as I had discussed with J the previous week that I would need help because we were due for a HASCA inspection and wanted the flat extra tidy for the inspector.
To make matters even better, J did another end run around me tonight. She called while I was having tea at my Dad's to ask if she could show up later this coming Wednesday and also on Thursday morning to make up any short fall. Okay so she gets an A for effort until we factor in neither Mum nor I are morning people, we have actually had her in on a Thursday morning before and it was a disaster. We have bent over backwards to be accommodating to J because we do need her services but there has to be a limit.
* To illustrate the level of this woman's thickness: J actually had the gall to be in attendance the night I arrived at Mum's. Needless to say it made our reunion strained and awkward as we are both intensely private people especially where emotional displays are concerned. It would have been nice to have hugs, tears, joy and sorrow shared without some stranger hovering around and then trying to ingratiate herself to me, like a kicked puppy, out of fear for her job.
Let me start off by saying that I have tried to respect J as a fellow human being. She of course makes that hard; I mean the woman is thick, slow-witted, openly racist and really started off with me on the wrong foot*. It is not as if I viewed her as a weekly menial and I have never, ever treated her in such a fashion. I have always made perfectly clear that I DO appreciate the help that she has provided because keeping up with Mum is just as complicated as an eight hour a day job. It sucks energy faster than an iphone so getting a hand with the sweeping, mopping and the laundry is pretty cool.
What I don't appreciate is her Co-dependency on Mum, her constant need for approval and taking advantage of Mum's natural reluctance to be sociable. J called Tuesday night to beg off her appointment this week, which was scheduled for Wednesday evening. Mum just blithely accepted this without asking why. I on the other hand knew exactly what was up as I had discussed with J the previous week that I would need help because we were due for a HASCA inspection and wanted the flat extra tidy for the inspector.
To make matters even better, J did another end run around me tonight. She called while I was having tea at my Dad's to ask if she could show up later this coming Wednesday and also on Thursday morning to make up any short fall. Okay so she gets an A for effort until we factor in neither Mum nor I are morning people, we have actually had her in on a Thursday morning before and it was a disaster. We have bent over backwards to be accommodating to J because we do need her services but there has to be a limit.
* To illustrate the level of this woman's thickness: J actually had the gall to be in attendance the night I arrived at Mum's. Needless to say it made our reunion strained and awkward as we are both intensely private people especially where emotional displays are concerned. It would have been nice to have hugs, tears, joy and sorrow shared without some stranger hovering around and then trying to ingratiate herself to me, like a kicked puppy, out of fear for her job.