To start, I have given a bag FULL of individually-wrapped twin packs of walkers shortbread to every shift, with a card that calls out each staff member by name.
But in addition to that...there are 3 aides at my mom's nursing home who treated her well, and helped her in a tangible way. What are your thoughts on giving them $25 each in a Christmas card with an handwritten thank you for what I appreciated that they did? I'm struggling with this because $25 seems like very little money for what they have done, and I don't want them thinking that's all I think their hard work was worth. On the other hand $50 would look like I'm trying to buy them, or make them feel beholden to me. I don't want anyone feeling uncomfortable. They know I have a private aide who comes 9 hours a week, so they probably assume I "have money."
I'm there enough to know who's doing what so I don't think there's any danger of skipping anyone, and all 3 of these women will continue to be my mother's regular caregivers, while on other shifts, they rotate.
I want to acknowledge them, but I don't want them telling their co-workers because I don't want someone else, who may have charge of my mom in the future, feeling slighted and adjusting the care of my mother accordingly. Am I being silly?
I feel silly because I recently, very definitively answered a similar question on someone else's post. Their situation was different, though, because they were talking in-home care. "Watch your back" nursing homes always add an extra dimension of complication. Thanks in advance.
That said, I wouldn't put money in a card - just slip them a $20 and send a card to the head of nursing letting her know what a good job these three are doing - does the nursing home have an employee of the month or some other acknowledgment ?