Shelby Quit

Shelby quit. Actually she's already left, headed back to PEI. It's a shame really; she was very good at her role as an HCA. Unfortunately she started to express some serious homesickness about a week after she was here, then spent that week struggling with the decision to stay here or to go home. By the end of the week, she had decided. She wanted to go, as soon as she could. Ulitmately she left before completing her two weeks notice period, she was so anxious to get back to PEI.

When she told me she wanted to leave, I said I wouldn't say anything publicly about her decision until after we came back from our visit to Vancouver. I also said I would not put anything in my blog until after she left. Hence what may seem a surprise to others is no real surprise to me. To her credit, while she was here she continued to do an excellent job of caring for me.

I feel like I have been left in the lurch. All of this has left me both emotionally and physically exhausted. The work in finding a live-in caregiver is extensive. David is once again taking the lead in all of this yet I still carry my own portion of interviews, decision making, online postings and such. Even the process of switching back to CBI and regular home care can be tiring. I was reminded at 9:00 AM this morning that they have their schedule; it will not bend to mine.

On the positive side, David and I have learned a great deal about this process, about the kind of person we are looking for. We have learned what we need to emphasize in the interview process, important questions we need to ask, information we need to provide before taking on a new caregiver. I am hopeful this interval will be short while at the same time one of the things I have learned most of all is to not rush things, to give everyone a chance to sleep on it.