any nurses, aides, or nursing home workers? i need to get this off my chest.
i work as an aide. i love my residents and would never do anything to intentionally put them in danger.
last night i put R on the toilet. she is in her 90's. i had to get her a new brief so i explained to her to sit and not get up, i would be right back. she has a chair alarm so technically i was not supposed to leave her...but i had to get a brief. when i left i saw a call light on in the next room. i walked in to assess their situation when i heard "CRASH!!!", followed by screaming and moaning. shit. i ran to the sound and saw my R laying on the floor 8 feet from the toilet. i was in shock. i immediately had to admit fault when the nursing staff and even quality assurance asked what happened. i helped hoyer her ontp the bed and left the room. there was nothing i was needed for, especially with all eyes on me in scorn. thankfully R was not hurt. but it definitely ruined my day. i apologised to my R and she lovingly told me that it was no ones fault..its just that she has always had an independant spirit. (an independant spirit that sometimes forgets that she cant walk!).
so, all i can see and hear in my head is my R on the floor. i feel so terrible.
has anything like this ever happened to you? if so, what? and how was it handled?
*remember never to use R actual name
I'm a nurse, and It happens, and it takes a few days to get over. I had a pt after surgery on his food while using his walker to get into the bathroom, he lost his balance and couldn't grab to handrail and landed in the tub knocking his head on the far wall of it. Nothing but a bump, but I felt like utter crap for the next few days, he kept apologizing to me as well....
Just remind yourself that everything turned out fine, and count it as lesson learned. I'm glad your resident was ok and she sounds very sweet. :-)
I'm sorry that happened to you, but no I can not say anything like that has happened to me. I worked as an aide in a hospital and briefly in a nursing home, and then some through home health and I never left a patient unattended in a circumstance like that. *Especially* not one that has an "independant spirit*!
I am a home health aide.
I know you feel bad, but since you were NOT supposed to leave her at all, they can get you for neglect or abuse if they so choose to. At the very least, you will probably be written up.
Again, I know you feel bad and I'm not trying to bash you or make you feel bad about the situation. But, this could have turned out so much worse, she may have been seriously injured.
Good Luck honey.
Right now I work on an Alzheimer's Unit. Our residents get up and walk on their own all the time. Even when they aren't supposed to. I have one resident who "helps" me pass meds (we'll call her A). She won't leave my side, so I just walk her around with me while I pass meds. I gait belt her, & let her carry the water cup, tissues, BP cuff, or whatever else I need (other than the meds). One day I walked into another woman's room and she told me she had to use the restroom. There was no way I could get her to the bathroom with A following me and all my aides were very busy, so I sat A down in a recliner and took the other resident to the bathroom. I was just pulling up the woman's pants when I heard something breaking. A had broken a window and was trying to get out!! Luckily, she only had minor scrapes. But it was so scary! But that's also part of life in an Alzheimer's Unit......
Quoting Plus-size-mommy:
I am a home health aide.
I know you feel bad, but since you were NOT supposed to leave her at all, they can get you for neglect or abuse if they so choose to. At the very least, you will probably be written up.
Again, I know you feel bad and I'm not trying to bash you or make you feel bad about the situation. But, this could have turned out so much worse, she may have been seriously injured.
Good Luck honey.
i did get written up after a huge blowout between my nurse and quality assurance. my nurse refused to write me up. she was crying. she felt that if i was to get written up, then everyone should get written up because we just dont have enought staff to sit with all the residents that dayturn refuses to potty. it takes some R 45 minutes on the toilet..to stay with all of them would put the others in danger, ya know? we cant hide out in the bathrooms all day. well at the end of my shift i told my nurse just to write me up, just get it over with. i was at fault. her and the superviser sat me down, stressed that i was a great aide and theyve never had problems with me but for the sake of the paperwork and since everyone got so involved they had to do it. im sure i will have a meeting tomorrow when i return with the big shots.
Good Luck at the meeting, that is really sad that you guys don't have enough staff. If someone has an order not to be left unattended but someone else needs you, what the heck are you supposed to do? I'm sorry this happened, hopefully this will make them realize that they need more staffing or hire someone lower that doesn't have to be trained in all areas just to sit with the toileters!
Quoting emilsmama:
i did get written up after a huge blowout between my nurse and quality assurance. my nurse refused to write me up. she was crying. she felt that if i was to get written up, then everyone should get written up because we just dont have enought staff to sit with all the residents that dayturn refuses to potty. it takes some R 45 minutes on the toilet..to stay with all of them would put the others in danger, ya know? we cant hide out in the bathrooms all day. well at the end of my shift i told my nurse just to write me up, just get it over with. i was at fault. her and the superviser sat me down, stressed that i was a great aide and theyve never had problems with me but for the sake of the paperwork and since everyone got so involved they had to do it. im sure i will have a meeting tomorrow when i return with the big shots.
Not personally, as my job doesn't entail the same sort of things. I have found patients on the floor, and I will stay with them, turn on the call light, and wait for somebody to come. I know the RN's are responsible when something happens, and an incident report has to be written. Those patients have been assessed, and should either be restrained, or have bed alarms...and when something happens, it's b/c either the alarm was ignored, or the restraints undone, or something. Many, many times I have been in the halls, doing my rounds, and hear a bed alarm...and hear it...and hear it, and nobody is coming...so, I respond. Again, not in my job description...but patients safety is really everybody's job. I always feel like writing somebody up, when they take that long to respond...but, I haven't so far, b/c nothing really bad has happened...but I would.
eta...most of the time, it's a staffing issue...but still...those alarms should be responded to, stat.
Quoting mommyof3in05:
When you have resients that are a do not leave alone you do not leave alone! I know its hard so very very hard but they are fall risks. More then likly they will suspend you for this and give you a write up.
i think at this point a suspension would be a relaxing vacation for me.
Quoting mommyof3in05:
When you have resients that are a do not leave alone you do not leave alone! I know its hard so very very hard but they are fall risks. More then likly they will suspend you for this and give you a write up.
its hard because there isnt enought help. and god forbid i ask for help from certain ones. we have some lazy aides.
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- emilsmama
on Mar. 23, 2010 at 9:49 AM