If you receive services in your home, do you offer food/drinks??? - Page 2

[kathteach]

I live in California.  My son's child development therapist told me that her agency prohibits her from eating/drinking anything offered.  Agency workers were also not allowed to use the restroom in the home.  I think it's sad, too, but I understand the logic behind it I guess.

[BetsyNY]

We had services in our home for three years, and never offered anyone anything. I feel like a jerk now.  I did clean the bathroom tho. 

Having said that, I did occasionally pick up this or that from yard sales or the like if I knew our OT was looking for something, and I did send our PT flowers because we were so grateful for what she did for our son. 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Originally Posted by BetsyNY 

We had services in our home for three years, and never offered anyone anything. I feel like a jerk now.  I did clean the bathroom tho. 

Having said that, I did occasionally pick up this or that from yard sales or the like if I knew our OT was looking for something, and I did send our PT flowers because we were so grateful for what she did for our son. 

That cracked me up! (the cleaning the bathroom that is!) And honestly, I'm sure whoever was your service provider did appreciate it. Not everyone cleans their bathroom! I've been told over and over again by people who do OT and such, that just knowing they are appreciated is huge! I think the things you did were incredibly thoughtful! Son't beat yourself up!

[IncompetentHousewife]

I've also found they politely decline each time, so I've stopped offering. I think some have been trained to decline and, honestly, one worker said she is accustomed to visiting extremely low-income and unkempt homes where she wouldn't want to even use the bathroom (this was a foster worker who visits homes before a child is removed for neglect, so it's a different story). One worker would say yes if my daughters offered a cookie they had helped make because she seemed to know it made them feel good. She always said she would eat it in the car on her way home.

[APToddlerMama]

I've worked in EI and had them in my house with my son.  When I worked there, I was rarely offered anything with the exception of some of my families who for cultural reasons were really insistent on feeding me.  We were always told by our agency that it was a strict no-no.  It actually made me uncomfortable in some situations to have to say no.  Now that I have them at my house, I never offer.  I assume they're given similar "rules" by their agencies and don't expect it.  I didn't clean my bathroom either ;).  We were also told not to use client's bathrooms so I never did.  I would have felt weird about that anyhow for the most part.