Appropriate Response
A participant asks, "What happened to Sally? I haven't seen her at the center for the last 2 weeks."
"I'm not able to answer your question related to privacy."
A participant asks you if you'd be willing to provide "deep cleanings" at her house every month off the books and reports she will pay you $150 per month. Do you agree to doing this or not?
NO- you are not allowed to do this
Is it okay to ask a participant to drive you home from a PACE event?
No
You are providing care to a participant when she asks you for your phone number and address so she can come play with your dog. Is this acceptable?
No- that is overstepping and not acceptable.
What should you do if a co-worker continues to email you provocative emails after you have asked her to stop.
Go to your supervisor.
You make a home visit to complete a specific task. While there the participant begins to make small talk and states that she'd like for you to sit and visit and have coffee with her for the next hour. She often attempts to manipulate staff time. How do you respond?
"It is important that I follow my schedule and complete the tasks I am assigned to so that I can make it to my next participant appointment on time."
You forgot to bring your lunch to work today and your hungry. You go to a participants home to clean his house. He isn't home but you know that he has a personal stash of pistachios. You take a handful-no one will notice.
No- you are not allowed to take or use a participants belongings.
Your participant's daughter gives you a large basket filled with cookies and treats to share with the PACE staff.
Yes- Thank the participant and take the basket back to the center for staff to share.
Your mother calls you and states that she knows her best friends mom receives PACE services and asks why she was recently hospitalized. Can you provide your mother details?
No- All PACE staff signed confidentiality agreements upon hire. PACE staff are NOT allowed to share participant health/medical information with unauthorized individuals.
A participant asks if he can have another participant's phone number as he'd like to ask him where he got his coat.
I'm not allowed to provide that information; however, you can ask him next time you see him at the center.
You have caller ID and see that a difficult participant is calling the office and you don't feel like talking to the participant. You decide to just ignore the phone call. Is this ok?
No-the participant has the right to call and speak with appropriate staff and have his/her questions answered.
You should give your phone number to your participants you care for so that they can contact you when you are not on shift.
NO- your personal time is for you and your family
Your participant is graduating college and asks you to come to the ceremony. As a PACE employee you are not obligated to go however you would like to show him support. Do you go even though it is beyond your job?
if you want to go and do not mind doing so off the clock there is no problem with going
You become aware that a fellow PACE staff member invites a homeless participant back to his/her home to stay. a) Take no action and welcome their caring approach to the participant. b) Immediately report them to their manager as having breached professional boundaries.
b) Immediately report them to their manager as having breached professional boundaries.
You are providing care to a participant and he begins to make flirtatious comments and asks for you to come near him so that he can give you a kiss.
I am here to provide care to you and your comments are inappropriate.
It's the weekend and you need to do some errands around town but you are running low on gas. You decide to walk to the PACE center and use the company vehicle.
No- this is not allowed
A co-worker constantly asks you to do his work even though it makes you miss your deadlines and you end up taking work home to do. Is it okay to explain to him that you have your own work to do and you cannot take on his work too.
Yes, it is a proper boundary to assert yourself and stick to your tasks and not allow another co-worker to take advantage of you.
You see on Facebook that you have a friend request from a participant. Can you accept the request? why or why not
NO professional boundaries are to be friendly but not friends.
You become aware that a co-worker has borrowed money from a participant so that the co-worker could pay her rent. What should you do?
Raise the issue with the staff member's manager immediately.
You are in the day center when you overhear a staff member crying and talking to a participant about her recent divorce and how the divorce has caused her to miss several days of work. The staff member finishes her conversation. What is your appropriate response?
If you feel comfortable doing so, speak privately with your co-worker regarding participant/staff boundaries. If you feel uncomfortable, speak with the staff member's supervisor regarding what you witnessed.
Your participant smokes and is out of cigarettes and is out of spending money. He has been asking you to lend "just one" and promises this is the last one he will borrow.
I am not allowed to give you my personal items and must maintain my professional boundary with you.
You are scheduled to pick up the participant and take her to an appointment at Sanford clinic. You take her in a PACE van.
Yes- this is an appropriate task
What should you do if you run into a participant outside of work and he/ she starts talking about how he/she is not doing well and just took a bunch of pills and is having suicidal thoughts and just called 911. It is your day off what should you do?
Stay with them until the police comes.
What should you do if you feel discriminated against or bullied at the workplace? You feel like you are being treated differently or disrespected.
Approach the people who you feel are disrespecting you and try to resolve the issue and clear the air. If that doesn't work, discuss with your supervisor.