Rewards

Published March 19, 2018 by helentastic67

Rewards

I think I have worked my way around having carers in my home very well. Here’s an example; I have a rewards system, they can gain points or lose points and they have no idea how to do either.

Carers in the home

I’ve been getting new carers recently to utilise my NDIS funding and I’ve had maybe four different providers in eight years because I’ve moved three times and under HACC they keep you in-house until they work out what your needs etc are, then they outsource you to an agency, if they can’t cover your hours or service requirements. So I’m getting kind of OK (good) at it.

Booking carers

If I get a call from the office to tell me a carer is at my front door and they didn’t ring the doorbell. You lose a point.
If you lie to me, if you continue to lie to me. You lose a point.
You treat me like I have an intellectual disability (ID). Yes, you lose a point.
You treat anyone without respect or humanity. Lose a point and my respect.
You do your job. You get a point.
You do your job well. You get a point.
You do a shitty job well, with a smile on your face. You get a point.
After an acceptable ‘cooling off period’ (undetermined) you can do what’s required without me asking you. Yes, you get a point.
You have spare time and find something that you think requires attention and you just do it. You get a point.

Now, you have the basics let me give you an example.

Apart from the first one because that’s obvious. A new carer arrived and she had her earbuds (headphones) in her ear. She took one out and slipped her phone in her bag. I politely greeted her and she responded to me. I politely stated three different ways (can’t remember now exactly what I said, but it was a challenge) without outright calling her a liar.

Carer with earbuds

She kept insisting it was not on ever, after she first told me she could hear me. I still thought it rather rude, so I just politely told her I could still hear the music. She took her phone out, turned it off. For real this time and took out the earbud.

Liar liar

There is no specific score one gets or loses before I deem it relevant to contact the office and add them to a list call the ‘Blocked’ list.

Blocked

I have a very active ‘Blocked’ list of girls I won’t have back to the point, if I speak to the right person they know my standards and my reasons and I am not required to explain myself.

blocked 1

Today’s Lunch – 14th February 2018

Published February 14, 2018 by helentastic67

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Today’s Lunch

Good Mental Health Day

Having to fight a migraine since Monday when I had a call from my mum while in the taxi. (Yes, I love her but we do not communicate well at times) and prompting Young John to ask why I let her speak to me so?

Cranky mum

Have had a final push with all things NDIS and it needs to be said, because on the upside and because my mum has likely now spoken to every single person at the NDIA, she squashed someone’s incompetence and stopped me potentially being blacklisted by the NDIA!

NDIS

Any wonder I have a migraine! So really intend to enjoy lunch today!

Today’s offering (forget the name!) is marinated Mediterranean vegetables with a side salad
and my medicine!

Lunch Medicine

And if no-one has said it today? Happy fucking Valentines!

Valentines

Cheers,
H

P.S. here’s a yummy frozen yoghurt thing I had last Friday!
I’m converted!

Frozen Yoghurt

Cheers,
H

Human Resources

Published February 9, 2018 by helentastic67

Human Resources

I’ve been putting off a major decision lately because it means I’m about to lose all my friends. I guess it’s not so much a decision, but more about timing.

Major decisions

Because I now have the NDIS funding, I have been allocated hours for more Carers, many more hours. But I can’t use more hours with my current Carer Provider. I need to start using an actual Agency.

My Carers over the years have been supplied through my Council, who only want to provide me with five hours a fortnight. Seriously!

What are you supposed to do with five hours a week, let alone over two weeks! Not much.

Because I’ve held off telling my grumpy Council I’ve been approved for the NDIS (because they would drop me like a hot potato).

Hot Potato 1

I will lose my mind, training a bunch of new Carers, to be able to cope with me and have them, I’ve started filling in the gaps that my Council didn’t provide.

That means Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday, Sundays. The last three weeks I’ve had a shower each day on the weekends.

It’s a MIRACLE.

Miracle

I can shower myself. I can even dry and dress myself. But it’s exhausting and if I needs to wear a bra, I can get it on, but it’s never comfortable.

So far, I’ve had three new Carers, it seems there’s not many in my area and they are generally not prepared to travel for a shift shorter than an hour and a half.

I am much better at the whole HR-thing these days. (Human Resources) I’ve been getting Carers for about six to seven years now. My mum was very ‘keen to train’ my Carers, thinking it would be maybe, five Carers in a room and well, I don’t know what she was thinking.

I would love my current Carers (friends) to do a handover, but in reality, I get a new Carer, one at a time and induction begins the second they arrive.

Training

I’m friendly and inviting and while I show them around I show them the list of ‘chores’ I would like them to be able to get through while they are there.

Dishes get done, Kitty litter changed, rubbish and recycling get taken out all while I’m in the shower. Nothing too challenging.

Kitty litter

But the personality match is always just as hard as finding someone who knows how to wash dishes. (Seriously, stay tuned for my training guide on how to correctly wash dishes.)

Washing dishes

Hot off the Press – 1st January 2018

Published January 1, 2018 by helentastic67

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Hot off the Press

Happy New Year everyone!

Because, despite all the posts and such of well wishes for the New Year for about the last week, causing me to think the last day of 2017 was Saturday night! It wasn’t, it was last night, Sunday night and it made no difference to me whatsoever I still failed to make it to midnight without a kip!

So, that leads me to my plans for Hot off the Press in 2018! A few of you comment that my life is busy and because I write a few lines of those posts every night, it does seem that way, so to explain. Each week is all about appointments that keep me independent, healthy, physically, mentally and reasonably well adjusted. That said, the year flies by when you see the chiropractor every week. Sometimes twice, hence the well-adjusted comment. I see my acupuncturist every week also. I could do Osteo and Milo/remedial every week, if I can get it. My GP, I see monthly, and he and I share case-managing of all my medical care. Then, enter my shrink (yes, yes, psychologist!) once a month. And then there are the 1-3 weekly appointments to do my nails. My fingernails I could get done weekly, my toenails every three weeks and because the public local community health is so painful and inefficient and inadequate I think I’ll be paying my beautician rather than deal with the public system any longer. It might be a worthy expense if it saves my mental health in any way. My beautician is close to my other services and has agreed to do what I need for a reduced fee. I might even pay for an occasional pedicure.

Appointments

While this sounds like very first world problems, my only exercise is walking and no one is looking after my feet except me. Wearing only one pair of shoes that lasted four years, every day has failed to help either. I still need a second pair and The NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) who manage the Scheme, have yet to press the button to allow me to use my funding. Who knew a government such as ours in Australia would score points and pat themselves on the head for helping (sorry, claiming to help) people with disabilities, yet they make it impossible to access the funding that is supposed to be there for me to better my situation. Again, hating feeling like a commodity.

Shoes

So, going forward, I’m wanting to free up time in my life so it’s not so stuck in survival mode and perhaps step back from the fighting to survive and attempt to have more good things? Even if I park myself in another cafe closer to home, write posts or read comics and this will get me out in the community and not so secluded at home. I will try to do this another day other than Wednesday, however while I won’t post on it that day, I might add those pictures to my standard Wednesday post. I will continue to comment, reply to comments, follow and offer any positive support I can to other bloggers who might be struggling more than I am. It’s how I can reach out and touch people in this community I have come to love being part of. You can always feel free to email me at hfantastique@gmail.com.au

Lunch

Also, moving forward I’m going to have Monday’s, Hot off the Press posts are going to be suspended and bring you some of my older articles that have been waiting to be posted, these normally only go live on a Friday. Those are my well, thought out posts on anything and everything. I might even get around to writing the post that explains the whole reason why I blog. I might even rush it and jump the queue.

New direction

Lately I haven’t been terribly inspired to write these posts as I’ve been busy with the day to day and not inspired to write when there is already a huge backlog of those carefully written posts. I often sit and smash out four or more posts at once when I’m in the mood and that leads me to get to the other things I keep putting off writing about. So, here’s hoping you have stuck with me through this post and feel free to hit the Like button and comment. I do like to know how people came to misunderstand my appreciation of the Like button. I might need to adjust my description in my About page? I definitely need the validation just like everybody else.
Cheers,
H

Inspiration

Fair

Published December 29, 2017 by helentastic67

Fair

I guess ‘Fair’ is something impressed upon us as children. I’m of a generation where I have an older sister by a few years and had cousins around my age. We all grew up spending time playing together, so the concept of what is ‘fair was instilled in us.

Be fair! Share your toys! Don’t hit your sister! (sorry, got carried away)

But let’s face it, when you’re all grown up, let’s hope the ‘ethics’ that were instilled in us at a young age stayed with us, because that concept of ‘Fair!’ takes on a mute-point because, let’s face it.

LIFE WASN’T MEANT TO BE CHEESY! (Easy)

Life isnt easy

As an adult, you learn that shit things follow more shit things. There is no one to blame for the bad-stuff.

Bad things happen

I have a belief in Karma and some other ‘things’ and I often question if I was an Outright Cow in a previous life, but that can’t be right, I’m rarely a cow in this life, I think perhaps in this life just got

THE SHAFT!

Karma

Now let’s talk about the concept of ‘fair’ in the world of funding…. Yeah! Like it’s even a thing?

I’ve heard of stories of people having a house worth $500,000 and other parents of kids with funding making sure their child (now an adult) has a brand new 3-bedroom apartment in some beachside suburb of Melbourne, bought for them.

Parents

Now, said ‘child’ will never be able to earn the kind of money required to own such a property, however said ‘child’ has also never lived out of home. Where’s my Goddamn property?

I understand no funding in the world will buy me the great Australian Dream, but still!

Things my NDIS won’t cover and why…..

My monthly appointment to my shrink (OK, Psychologist, but semantics)

I’ve been seeing my chiropractors weekly, weekly, sometimes twice weekly for ten years. Never going to be fixed and because I self-fund, because I had no choice.

So, ergo they consider they don’t need to fund these things.

I didn’t have a need for these things before my diagnosis or my disability and these two things alone, if I hadn’t prioritised to pay for them both, I WOULD NOT BE HERE!

There are many other things I needed the NDIA to fund, but my review is in three months so, I guess that shall have to wait.

NDIS review

Hot off the Press – 4th December 2017

Published December 4, 2017 by helentastic67

Hot off the Press 0412

Hot off the Press

Putting out to the Universe to give me a calmer week! Moving and having a cold can really take it out of me when half of my body is not on-board with the other half.

Monday, had a nice day at home with my Friday carer. Got to put more stuff where it belongs and need extra hands. Introduced her to vacuum seal bags! I always sell them with “You will love it!” And then they do. I have clothes I want to sell and winter things I want to store over summer and I need the space more than ever.

Monday

Tuesday, start with a much-deserved massage with the lovely Caroline. She was very impressed by how my new home me has evolved. She was here Day 1, when she, Mum and I bought all my prints, and my clothes on hangers. So, she really was impressed. She set up her massage table in my study. Have I mentioned my bedroom is so small and my bed so big, I can’t close my bedroom door! Apartment living! Winning!

Massage

Anyway, where was I? Got to have lunch with Caroline today. Here is what I had, Quiche with Mediterranean, with a side-salad and medicine. Then off to see my GP. Like to imagine you saw my Wednesday Good mental health foodie post? Standard Punchy/stubby day………..still hot. Otherwise, a long day.

Quiche

Latte

Learn late my Thursday/Friday carer was sick. Couldn’t help myself as I replied with a “FARK!” At least they replaced her and even though my case manager didn’t turn up to help get things moving with my new NDIS funding. Starting to seriously need shoes and I’ve been wearing the ones I have every day for 4 years? That’s not right, is it? (It’s not like I can just get them in any shop anymore…..)

Shoes

Friday, now I should prime this by saying. Melbourne is known for 4 seasons in one day. Weather-wise. Summer had come early after a cold but rather dry winter and we have been warned we are about to have 4 wet days, that will cause flash-flooding. In fact, all the rain due in summer will be coming in the next 4 days. So, kinda happy I live in an apartment on the 2nd floor. Right?
Wrong!

This is the drain on my balcony……remember I’m on the second floor?
No, I’m not sinking, but I prompted my property manager that the Body Corp may have neglected something. Perhaps the storm-drains? Meanwhile, a water feature on my balcony!
I’ve never lived in something so new, (under 5 years old) as an adult at least. I normally prefer an old terrace house or such, but here we are.

Cooler and wetter on the off-grid weekend. Serious catch-up on TV, have neglected my comics lately but have been busy, thanks for nobody mentioning it!

Sunday ends with me exclaiming “I’m unpacking the last box,”
Leaving you with pictures of the study. Including my collection of the heavy Vogue Living. 25+ years ………..

Bookcase 1

Bookcase 2

And these are my Christmas Lillie’s which are to come out at Christmas! So, I guess Christmas came early?

Lillies

To another crazy week to come!
Cheers,
H

Have a good week

Good News/Bad News

Published December 1, 2017 by helentastic67

Good news Bad news

Good News/Bad News

Last week (early October 2016) I received some good news. I made the decision not to splash it all over Social Media, thinking it would be poor-form.

I told only those I see in person and my Carers. I delivered the news by saying;

“I’ve got some good news and some bad news!”

Approved

Of course, everyone wanted to know what the bad news is.

A week ago, I didn’t know what the bad news was, I explained I didn’t know yet!

But, wait! Impatient!

The good news is that I got approved for the NDIS. Yeah! Balloons! Celebrations. A Carer and a shower every day of the week and even on weekends.

Celebration

And they will be paid for.

That alone, I could be $60 better off every month. Then I started thinking about all the other things I would no longer have to pay and that I could see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Savings

I didn’t dare calculate how quickly I could pay off my Visa. But roughly, I thought I would not need to keep paying my shrink (officially a Psychologist) or my chiropractor, who I could now actually pay then what they are worth, not what I’ve only been able to afford to pay.

I also wanted to have it cover my beautician costs. God knows, due to steroids for brain swelling, I’ve paid $6,000 for electrolysis to my face. It’s about time someone else paid for it.

I mean, I can’t be a single straight barren celibate spinster with a beard.

Bearded Lady

I do like to imagine I might still meet the man of my dreams one day. It’s OK if he has facial hair.

I don’t need it…

Friday

Hot off the Press – 27th November 2017

Published November 27, 2017 by helentastic67

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Hot off the Press

Allow me to predict the week in advance?

Watered some plants, unpacked some more boxes exclaims of “I unpacked a box!” And summer has started early and I’m not thrilled about it! No appointments Monday so kept unpacking and sorting things at home.

Unpacking boxes

Tuesday, really not ready to do Full-Adult (bra, shoes and leave the house, you know) and I had a message from my GP that he was sick……Yes! (No! That came out wrong) another day at home. More boxes………..Managed to make it to the letterbox, met the previous tenant outside to give her some mail, I was prepared to forward. Hot! So hot!

Full Adult

Wednesday, someone needs to get into the kitchen, because they left the oven on! Thankfully, a week ago today it was a bit warm but it was moving day. The next few days it rained. Not quite side-ways kinda rain but decent Melbourne spring rain. Now, I’m thinking summer came early and it’s way too soon. I did a lot of walking today despite the heat. Scooter yet has power, met Young John, he thinks I don’t mention him, he cheers me so. Hope you read my Wednesday post? Handed back the last of the keys for 1/111 and my bond claim form. Visited the post office, dropped my NDIS plan into my acupuncturist, the lovely Angela is going to study it for interest sake, to get an understanding of how much they need to simplify and use simple English! NDIA hear me! Use simple English so I know what I can have!

Wednesday

FYI: My new NDIS plan was approved! I found out last week amongst the chaos! I believe my shoes are funded, but there is red tape. Isn’t there always?

Red Tape

Then standard Punchy/stubby day! No sign of Bella! Damn cat was easier to find in winter even though she was sleeping tucked in between pet mats. At least then I could get a tickle in before she bit my inquisitive hand.

Bella

Thursday, the unpacking has reached a standstill. My study, has an island of boxes in the centre, I can’t unpack until I get all the other Vogue Livings unpacked and sorted.

Vogue collection

Friday, ah. Blessed Friday! Had a carer just before midday, kinda standard! My next carer, recently returned from a holiday to New Zealand and she arrived at 2pm. Did some shopping, scored some summer shorts, long pants to get taken up, and a pair of 3/4 length pants for only $30. Hey, big spender. Not setting any fashion standards these days. By late afternoon, headed west for a friend’s exhibition opening night Extravaganza! Had my cold coffee and custard scroll on the drive over (lunch today!) Hung out for a few hours colouring in and doing some paste-ups! Paste-ups! Fancy term for slapping homemade glue on a brick surface to get a paper poster or such to stick for some time. I got to colour in my About page from Hellonwheels (really must update it! )

Paste up Paste up 1

Arrived home in time for the rain by 8.30pm and my carer departed. Bed around 2am.

Dark skies

Saturday, not completely off-grid, got my 25+ years of Vogue Livings packed away in my study. Hoping I didn’t put any ribs out this time. (It’s usually the upper right ones on my back)
Learning about Apartment Living! I live on a busy corner and there is a tram stop at my doorstep. (ok, my apartment complex doorstep) and a pub across the street and even more apartments. It’s hot in Melbourne but we had a cooler night so I left my balcony door open. Barely got to sleep and it got noisy at 4am! WTF? Slept the afternoon away and got stuck back into my study when most people are having dinner. Still settling in and still coughing a little wheezy cough.
Next!

Week ahead 1

Inclusion

Published November 24, 2017 by helentastic67

Inclusion

A few months ago, mum and I went for a drive to visit my sister and do lunch. My sister in recent years has started being a Carer in her part of Victoria. It’s a completely different clientele in her area. I imagine she was led to believe she would have plenty of work under the NDIS.

The NDIS is for under 65-year-old age bracket.

Her clients are largely over that age bracket and self-funded retirees.

Anyway, in an effort to ask her about her new job and bond, mum asked her about any interesting stories.

Her story goes like this;

She received a call to see if she would take an elderly man grocery shopping. She wasn’t prepared to take him out in her own car as the previous time he had continence issues and the work vehicle. She asked if he still had this issue.

Incontinence

She didn’t hear back about this shift for the client. I can’t imagine it would have been easy to problem solve this issue. To broach the subject with the client or their family member in a way that returned to the gentleman a level of comfort and dignity for better health.

Dignity

I think, I embellish to make her story more interesting.

Now mum has never asked me for interesting stories, but I volunteered one all the same.

One of my Carers arrived one day and I think it’s rather telling of my rapport with my Carers that she announced her arrival with a question.

“Do I smell like……?”

Do I smell like

Clearly the word that is missing is the punchline to this story, so you will have to keep reading….

This Carer went to an elderly lady with some dementia, she works with many clients with dementia and she is very loving and caring and respectful in the way she does her work.

While with this particular lady she went about cleaning around her while she did the woman’s personal care (or her shower).

She noticed a small mat on the floor in front of her armchair, that she sits in. It was covered in crumbs, so she picked it up and took it outside to give it a shake.

It was one of those mats with a rubber backing. As she shook it, a wave of urine came back up at her and splashed all over her.

Smells like pee

We guessed the word there?

Do I smell like urine?

That’s correct.

The moral of the story is; A good carer will always carry a change of clothes in their car and no, she didn’t smell of pee…

Friday look

Today’s Lunch – 8th November 2017

Published November 8, 2017 by helentastic67

Funny-Lunch

Today’s Lunch

I confess to say food doesn’t motivate me today. But, you know its fuel for the body and all that.

I’ve got a crappy cold! (Again!) this one is likely stress-related. As I’m moving house next Tuesday……. Today’s offering is a mushroom and sundried tomato Arancini with a side salad and medicine.

Mushroom Arincini Latte

Crappy cold

Apart from my cold, I have the added bonus of a rib out. That’s going to-be fun when my chiro puts that back in and sore tummy muscles. (Side-note: there is no muscle memory in that region!) and an added disability today…….this is a great way for able-bodied people to feel an instant deficit if you are game?

I’m a big texter and I’m a thumb-texter. Today, I’ve a Band-Aid on my thumb! It’s a new form of torture………

Texting