>>> Part 2 of 2...   
      
   few days, with a temp of 103F and an extremely sore throat!).  Now that   
   I'm on antibiotics and it's responding, I did stop by briefly this   
   afternoon after we did the grocery shopping for her as usual.   
      
   In the meantime, we have been working to change to a self-directed aide   
   system, for which we would get support and "Employer of Record" from a   
   local Center for Disability Rights.  My good aides from the beginning   
   suggested it, and said they'd come with us, so she won't lose aides   
   she's gotten to know and have affection for and attachment to.  What's   
   more, the one has been with her for over 12 years, and has been in the   
   business for well over 30 years, and has plenty of contacts with other   
   good aides, and she will work with me to find other good aides to add to   
   our staff.  I had briefly considered this option a year or two ago and   
   rejected it, because at that time, it wasn't necessary, I hadn't a clue   
   where/how to find good aides, and it seemed a lot more effort than I had   
   the energy for.  Given the situation now, though, if I'm going to have   
   to be responsible for scheduling (or being there) 24/7, I might as well   
   be scheduling aides, and have more of a say as to what can and can't be   
   done.  (There have also been a number of edicts over the last few years   
   that increasingly lay a burden on me to do what the aides in reality   
   could safely be doing, but which the agency decided they didn't want   
   aides to be doing any more.)  So, we are in the process.  We've been   
   accepted into the program, but now we have to wait until a DSS nurse   
   (county health/social services) can come out to assess the situation and   
   certify us for how many hours a week we can staff for.  It shouldn't be   
   any problem at all convincing her that we should keep the 24/7 that   
   we've had, so it is basically a formality, but without that, we can't   
   actually start hiring or scheduling aides.  Just this week I finally got   
   a call from the DSS scheduler...  but the earliest date she could give   
   me is in January.  So, unless things change between now and then, I've   
   still got a ways to go with still dealing with the old agency.   
      
   At least things have relaxed some in the enforcement of and the working   
   out of the contract.  The one aide that I had to be there for any of her   
   shifts since she'd not have covered for me and she somewhat needed some   
   supervision, ended up being moved to another case, in part because she   
   was (literally) sleeping on the job, particularly on her overnights when   
   she needed to be alert in case she was needed.  So I was left with 3   
   aides that all were doing their work well, and could and would cover for   
   me if asked (which as it turns out, no one has ever really followed up   
   on).  One of those (the overnight aide I helped train) needed to take a   
   break for family reasons though, so, now that I'm better, this week I'll   
   be training/checking out a new overnight aide.  That was supposed to   
   have started last week, but I got sick.   
      
   And of course, other parts of life didn't really conveniently stay on   
   hold just because I couldn't put full attention to them.  So that part   
   of life also contributes to the craziness, even when it gives me a   
   change from the "prison".  ;)   
      
   See....  I told you it was a long story!      
      
   I'll answer the real message in another one...  ;)   
      
   ttyl        neb   
      
   ... But why spend $2000.00 just to run Windows?   
      
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