I'm going to retire at the end of February at the ripe not so old age of 65 and a half. I was going to wait until full retirement age but discovered I'll only get $41 more than I will if I retire now. The problems I'm having with my soon to be ex-employers make me yearn for this month to pass as quickly as it can.
We've lost 19 employees in the past 7 months. Another agency went out of business and the owner offered her cases and the aides that wanted to go with them to the agency I work for. They were quite happy to be employed even if they did have to take a cut in pay to do so. Then they found out they would also lose their health insurance because our agency decided to limit the hours we work so they don't have to provide insurance.
I wonder how the idiot in the front office decided that 19 people given less money, fewer hours and no health insurance was going to be loyal? They gave me back my $10 per hour. However, instead of the 28 to 30 hours I used to work, I am only being given 18. According to my Social Security Estimate, I can make more money staying home.
My doctor says my job is too physically stressful for the condition of my joints. I'm suffering from frequent repetitive motion injuries because of the difficulty. I actually sprained my wrist just turning a door knob and we will not talk about my aching back.
With all the joint deterioration I'm experiencing, I may not be able to hang onto a client should they slip in the tub or some other place. I can't do transfers without hurting myself. It's time to face the music and do the things I am capable of doing and quit doing too much.
It's like she said, clean my own house, take a walk, maybe join the Y and go swimming or take the pool exercise program. Do Tai Chi at the senior center, maybe some gardening weather permitting. It's not that I can't do anything I want to do, it's that I can't keep doing the heavier things more than once a day. My joints require that I learn to pace myself to minimize the stress and there just isn't any way to do that and work the job I do unless I just don't do the job I'm paid to do. My clients would complain if I tried to do that. No sense of humor there at all.
I hope the next few weeks go by quickly so you can finally get out of that mess before you end up hurting yourself more than you have already. I don't know why some of these employers treat people so badly anymore. I guess it is about the almighty dollar for most of them. Hope your back is feeling better this morning.
ReplyDeleteIt actually is feeling better plus the storm kept me home so that will help too.
DeleteSherry, Once you retire I hope you will use the blog more often to keep the rest of us on track. We drift a bit without your directions.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are doing fine on your own. I can't see any drift except maybe with Sarge. lol
DeleteSherry,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting away while the getting's good. Unfortunately your employer is more the rule than the exception anymore.
You know what Steve? The more I see of people, the better I really do like animals. In the company I've worked for these last 16 years, the treatment of their employees is appalling to me. Wonder how the business will make money when no one is there to do the clients? I don't think they've figured out they aren't the people who generate the income.
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