Bad start for my week.

Today has ended terribly and it is partly my fault. I have been taking care of Skylar, my nephew who is paralyzed from the shoulders down, through the week since he came from the hospital in Atlanta almost 2 years ago. Last November, our local health care agency was finally able to get me some help 3 days a week after us waiting almost a year. Skylar was eligible to receive more time but they didn't have anyone available to help with his type of disability. About 6 months ago, they finally worked it out where Cindy, the lady helping me could come 4 days a week which I was very appreciative of. Then in May I had surgery and she had to start coming 5 days a week. At the end of my six weeks I returned and she went back to 4 days a week. After asking for a month if she could continue to come 5 days a week, they finally allowed her to in August. That is when the problem started. First, she was complaining constantly about not liking her supervisor and telling us how stressful the job is, I fully understand that it is not easy going into homes, many of them unfit, according to her, and helping care for people with a range of disabilities. To help her have time to relax when she was with Skylar, I did all of his care except for feeding him lunch sometimes and washing his hair occasionally. She has been with us almost 11 months and Skylar has gotten comfortable with her so I usually leave when she gets there at 11:30 but most of the time I have his lunch ready. All she has to do is feed him, sit with him and watch a movie or just keep him company for 3 hours. Back to August, she took 3 days vacation before school started, I fully understood. Then a week later we were told that she would be taking a week off. Then she was off 2 days for Labor Day. I hoped she was ready to come back to work and told her that I had been having some complications from my surgery and was putting off seeing my doctor until after my son's wedding in case I needed an additional surgery to correct my problem. She said no problem, she'd be available. Then she was off a few days because her daughter who is in high school was sick. The next week she was out all week because she was sick. Finally she came back and I thought everything was fine until this morning when she said she was only going to be working part time from now on. While I was upset, I calmly told her that we might be needing to check with another agency because I needed someone I could count on to help. To keep from saying anything else I told her and Skylar bye and said I'd see them in the morning. Shortly after arriving home, she called and asked if I was upset with her and I was honest and said yes. I told her that I had hoped that since she had used all of her vacation and sick time that she would be here more and I said that we needed someone we could depend on. She knows that Skylar is not comfortable with being left alone with strangers and she also knows it takes a while to train someone to know how to care for him should he need help. She said she was going to be working part time because her mom is sick and may be dying. I understand and feel terrible for what she is going through with her mom but we still need help with Skylar. She said if I called her boss and asked for someone else who could be here everyday that she was going to go ahead and quit because that would make her look bad. I told her I was sorry she felt that way and that I hoped her mom was better soon. Later, after thinking about it, I called Skylar and told him to tell Cindy that I was not calling her supervisor and she could work when she could. At 3:30 this afternoon, Cindy called me and said they had put her mom in the hospital and she had went ahead and quit anyway. We talked and she admitted that she had been wanting to quit for a while but she hated leaving Skylar because she had grown fond of him. Now Skylar thinks that because I hurt her feelings that I am partly responsible for her quitting and I feel terrible. Cindy said I had nothing to do with her decision, she said that her supervisor had continued to send her to a house that was unfit and Friday she had to pick fleas out of her hair. That and her mother's sickness were her reasons for quitting. I am sure I made her feel bad and I hate it. I hope Skylar is able to understand and forgive me. He knows he can count on me to be there for him. Please remember us in your prayers. Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week has a better start than mine.