Yes, her agency knows. Her social worker knows. Last time I complained to the agency (after installing one camera to get proof), this caregiver stopped for a while for fear of being fired.
Well now she's outsmarting the camera and my mom has been drunk many times since. Just purchased two more cameras to cover the rest of the apartment so she can't pour alcohol out of my sight. I need additional proof to get her removed from my mom's care or fired.
I'm just at a loss for words. This caregiver really likes my mom, and my mom likes her, but this enabling behavior needs to stop. Alcohol reacts her meds and causes severe hypotension. It's not being drunk that necessarily the problem. This caregiver needs to understand it's quite literally killing her. And she's not even pouring her a reasonable amount. She's pouring A LOT. Keep in mind my mom only has one working arm and is completely bed bound. I've reviewed days and days of camera footage and no one else visits her but home health.
Once I get proof that she's still doing it, I'm going to show the agency. Hopefully just the presence of the cameras will be enough for her to quit.
I wish enablers realize how horrible of people they actually are.
I had a client who could not have sugar and she craved it to the point we had to hide the sugar--but she would eat it by the spoonful. It reacted very badly with one of her Parkinson's meds. It wasn't killing her, just made her 'stiffen up' for a couple of hours and then nothing could be done until it ran through her system.
She was totally aware she shouldn't eat sugar. So a big part of my job was making sure she took her meds on time and didn't eat things that messed with the efficacy of her meds.
I KNOW that my agency would have fired me in a heartbeat had I been supplying alcohol. MOST drugs do not mix well with it. This is a scenario that will not end well.
I am about to request this caregiver not be on my mom's case and potentially try to get her fired. If she's enabling my mom, what is doing to other patients?
I bet Mom is slipping the aide money to get her booze. Maybe time to place Mom in a NH.