It seems like vacuuming of her room is a rare event and the toilet is frequently dirty. There are spots on the wall where she obviously spilled something and it splashed.
I have been there when the "housekeeper" is working and I must say I saw her take 2 outside cigarette breaks inside of the hour and 10 minutes I was there.
I frequently reorganize her closet and dresser although she may be the one who is jumbling those up.
Should I say something or just bring in supplies and do it myself?
Thank you for your thoughts any and everyone.
My mom trashes her closet and dresser. She has pulled knobs off of the dresser and pulled the drawers out completely. She has taken the center of the toilet paper dispenser and hidden it so there is nothing to put the roll on.
Prior to covid I would dust and straighten her room up every time I went in to "hunt" for her dirty laundry. She rehangs dirty clothes or hides the dirty clothes. So I would spend a half hour pulling the laundry together to take home and wash.
You might want to clarify what the facility is responsible for. If they list some of the areas you feel are getting neglected, then you could ask that things get done.
You should not have to go in there and do the cleaning yourself when they pay cleaning staff to do it. If you want to do it, then tell the facility to knock something off the bill every month if their housekeeping service isn't going in there. Trust me they won't, So you have to insist that the place be clean and cared for.
Now, there will be times when spot cleaning needs to happen. Like after an elder has a blowout & neglects to mention it to the staff. But, when the CG comes in to help her get ready for bed, a check should be made of the room conditions, a note made, and housekeeping sent in.
I always ALWAYS ask for things to be attended to when I am able to physically visit my mother in her MC. If the laundry bag is getting full, I ask for it to be laundered. If the toilet is dirty, I ask for it to be cleaned. Politely, of course, because there is never a reason to be rude or abrupt.
Make your wishes known and your expectations as well. We are paying A LOT OF MONEY for certain conditions to be met in AL. Make sure they are.
I let it go b/c mother has asked me to never 'touch her things' again (it's called CLEANING, mom!) so I do not go into her apartment ever. But if the door is opened and I see inside--it's getting worse and worse. Were I paying for this haphazard cleaning I'd be on her like a rat on a donut. You do the JOB for which you are paid!
When I quit cleaning for mom I did make a short list of the things I was doing for her and gave it to the nieces. It was about half of what I'd do, but they must have ignored it.
You are likely paying quite a bit for this service. And yes, two smoke breaks in an hour? Are you kidding me? I worked elder care and it was 6 hours ON MY FEET with zero breaks.
Why would you pay someone to do these things and do them yourself when they don't get done. You have a talk about it and terminate the employee if it does not get done. A bad employee has been created - it needs to be resolved.
Maybr she is paid to just tidy up?
Maybe no one had told her what to do.
Check first to find out what her chores are suppose to be.
Make a List of things that need to be done.
Dont worry about her cigarette breaks as long as she gets done what's on the To Do List.
I would say something. You can be assertive without being aggressive.
For my bro, he hated the housekeepers visits. He didn't want them in there and he didn't want them dusting his beautiful last collections, the remainders of his pottery collections and etc. He would kind of chase them out if I can put it so bluntly. If you find the over all areas of the facility wanting I would report these findings to administration, with photos if you are able. And I would ask for followup. And I would look into other facilities if they are in the area.
I found the place my brother was in so meticulous about cleanliness. I was absolutely amazed at their housekeeping, their grounds. It CAN be done, but it requires a good management, and the hiring of enough employees. I am assuming that the place you are now judging is not dealing with Covid-19 and the extra hours consumed by same.
Wishing you good luck.
I may even mention the numerous smoke breaks. They seem to be interfering with her work. The HM is allowed in an 8 hr period two breaks and a lunch break. She can smoke then. I am big on your there for 8 hours, you work 8 hours. Thats what ur paid for. Any less, and you are stealing.
You are paying for a facility to provide a Clean and safe environment. It sounds like neither is happening.