Mom on Medicaid now. Spent all her own money to pay for caregivers to come into the home and help me out. Now this new agency gives me a difficult time when I want my extra time off. I'm allowed 4 extra hours per week and they aren't always on the same day or night and that seems to cause a problem for them. I don't know what else to do. I'm at my wits end. any suggestions?
You would face the same thing if you did your own hiring. Unless you could find someone who only wanted to work four hours a week and didn't care when they were, you'd ask your helper, "Can you come next Monday evening?" and she'd say "No, all my evenings are for my own family. I have three kids and they are always doing something." And the next week you'd ask "Can you come the same time next week but on Thursday instead?" and she'd say, "I'm sorry but I work for the Johnson's every Thursday and Friday." In other words, few people have totally open schedules so that they can rearrange your care slot week-by-week.
I think that you might have to take your four hours on a regular schedule. Sorry.
Otherwise, unless this is a job, school or medical flexibility need and a leisure need for time off, can you adjust your schedule or explain to whoever you are joining that you need advance notice to try to set things up so you can attend/join?