Group Home Diary 🏠 Who Decides the Limits of Caregiving? The Choice Not to Decide Is What Causes the Most Suffering

In the field of caregiving,
these words are sometimes used.

“We have reached the limit of our caregiving capacity.”

However,
who,
when,
and where is that “limit” actually decided?

⸻

■ The limit of caregiving capacity
　does not arrive naturally

The limit of caregiving capacity
・is not something that arrives suddenly,
・nor is it determined solely by
　the condition of the user.

In many cases,

　without anyone deciding,
　as a result of procrastination,
　one day it becomes a “limit.”

⸻

■ A workplace where those who should decide
　are not deciding

Originally, to judge the limit of caregiving capacity, one must synthesize:
・observations in the field,
・the staff's capabilities,
・coordination with medical care,
・and the family's understanding,

to clarify,

　“Can we handle this condition
　with this current system?”

But in reality,

・not telling the family,
・not showing the staff,
・having the doctor adjust it with medication,
in this way,



　the judgment itself is avoided.⸻

■

What happens when　no judgment is made
When the limit of caregiving capacity is not clarified,

・suppressing with medication,
・considering behavioral restrictions,
・dismissing it as “unavoidable”
these responses increase.

This is not because there is a lack of caregiving capacity,


　but a state where the “scope of acceptance”

　of caregiving capacity is not defined.
⸻■



Who is the one

　most pushed around?When the judgment remains in limbo,
・staff are forced into unstable responses,・families are left to rely on us without explanation,

・and medical care repeats adjustments.
And,

　only the user themselves



　continues to have their condition shaken.
⸻■

A “limit” is something decided

　in order to protectThe limit of caregiving capacity is not:
・running away,・abandonment,

・or avoiding responsibility.
Originally, it is

　a line drawn to protect people.



・We will accept up to this point.

・From here on, we will change the system.・To do that, we will talk to the family.Because that line exists,

care becomes stable.
⸻
■


What a leader who doesn't decide
　creates



In a workplace where the leader does not decide the limits,・judgment is dumped onto the front lines,・the front lines are exhausted,
・and in the end, they become a “problematic user.”But,

the problem is not the user.

　It is the absence of decision-making.

That is all.

⸻
■

In conclusion

The limit of caregiving capacity does not appear naturally.



　Someone must,　with the resolve to take responsibility,




　put it into words.As long as that is not done,
the workplace will continue to be unstable.I want to be in a workplace where the word “limit”is used not to discard people,
but to protect them.