I never figured this aide out

Tia has worked as an aide here since the summer of 2014. But I have to admit I don't know her very well.

When she first started she was pretty quiet. Tia's a pretty girl and had the right presence and seemed to have good manners, at least in the beginning.

She dutifully took care of me on afternoon shift. Sometimes I was sure she didn't like doing it. The look on her face at times was more telling then what she said. The fact that she didn't hardly talk was a bit unsettling. I don't know that we ever talked about anything substantial.

I suppose I told her about my life. I never thought she thought I was special or wanted to spend extra time with me. I thought that was strange because many younger aides have enjoyed being around me. Then I thought to myself Tia is young, and different, and I'm probably not her cup of tea.

When she first started she wanted to do the care on the front hall here which, at that time, all the other aides complained about. I thought maybe she was was trying to impress her coworkers that she could put up with the aggravation from the the residents there.

But, it was not long after that that I started noticing some negative things. We have one paranoid double amputee resident on the front. Three days a week he got a shower on second shift. The aide who previously cared for him, and whom he depended on, left in early 2014. But that aide always did his shower at 3 PM on the dot. She usually worked 12 hour shifts and she accommodated him if she possibly could. Perhaps, she did not feel he was as awful as some of the aides do.

When Tia came to second shift, things changed. The paranoid double amputee frequently yelled because Tia was not ready to shower him at 3 PM, as he liked. I realized maybe she did not like caring for him. I think instead of complaining, she was a quiet dissenter. She made him wait which upset him. Then maybe, she would no longer have to do his shower. There are aides who do that occasionally.

After I saw that behavior out of her, I became more cautious. I was afraid that she would say things, or try to stir up trouble with me and then report it to the nurses or nurse manager. So I tried to be nice and get along.

I watched as Tia began to go to the nurse manager and tell on other aides. I even heard she was instrumental in getting one fired.

Tia moved to activities in the fall of 2015. She told me she has a bowel problem and working as an aide made it worse. I thought maybe the lifting or the stress had gotten to her. She felt activities would be better.

I'm sure at first she liked it. She worked with the activity director. Then the activity director picked up another job here and was not as readily available.

A second activity aide was hired in the fall of 2016. I thought maybe things would be easier for Tia and that she might be happier. But I did not really see that. Plus, I saw her work slacking. When I asked for "one-on-one" activity time with her, it was scheduled and then Tia did not show up. That meant I had to complain usually by email to the nurse manager.

I was always told it would be better. Gradually the new activity aide started doing more for me like shopping and sometimes "one-on-one" activities.

A couple of weeks ago Tia told me her bowel problem worsened and that she was in the hospital and off work for seven days. Then, she called off at the last minute on last Friday's company picnic. Since then, I have not seen her.

Although no one is really talking about it. Tia is no longer here. I always think it's sad when someone works at a place for three years and just vanishes never it is seen again.