What do I do?

For some years now I have had daily visits from support workers. They stay for an hour in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening and their role it to make sure I am ok in terms of my mental health and just generally providing “support where needed”. The primary way this support is provided it plain and simple chatting about all sorts of things which helps by stopping me sinking into my own nightmares. So I think it’s fair to say that speaking English and having to ability to hold a conversation is a MAJOR part of the skill set needed to support me.

Today I’ve received a visit from a new support worker who, let’s put this very plain and simply. She does not speak a word of English. She might think she does, and I’m sure she is making every effort to speak English but her African accent to so overpowering and strong that what coms out is nothing!

On top of that for most of the visit she just sat there looking at me in silence!

This is nothing to do with her race or ethnic origins, for Christ's sake 3 other support workers are from Africa and while their accents make is a little difficult to understand some things they say, we get on perfectly well and I hope they always feel welcome in my home.

I have to ask the question though, someone at the company who provides my support must have interviewed this lady and during that interview some alarm bell or thought process must have kicked in that said “this lady can not communicate with out clients”. Therefore she is not suitable for the task she is applying for or at best, she is not suitable for being sent to me to cover my support needs.

Put it another way, it’s like somebody apply for a job as a taxi driver and during the interview they get asked “do you have a driving licence” and they reply “no” Do they get the job as a taxi driver? Common sense says no!

Now, tomorrow I’m going to have to approach my support provider and point out the problem and ask that they don’t send this lady to me again and that will come across as me being “racist” and then I will be written up in some official notes somewhere as the cause of the problem when I’m not. And that REALLY bothers me.