Dumb things that annoy you.

[leapfreak]

my step father got VRSA before he died, after spending more than six months in the hospital. one of the best hospitals in the country, so i don't believe you're protected even in a very clean, safe hospital.

c diff is awful. it was one of the most devastating things i've ever witnessed. the worst part is that since she got it she's had five or six (five maybe?) surgeries due to complications after having her colon removed. she's too old to be having surgery every six months. it sucks. she just got out of the hospital again on monday, i really wish she would sue the home who gave her antibiotics for 30 days causing her to get the c diff. ugh.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to leapfreak again.

That's awful. That's a lot of surgeries to have when you are elderly.

I think with grandad getting c. diff was just one thing too much. He'd had a massive stroke 5 years before and was wheelchair bound and couldn't speak at all. He'd been in a nursing home since his stroke and some how ended up in hospital with c. diff. He was 85 and he went downhill really fast. I miss him but part of me is glad that he's no longer sitting in that nursing home. He always seemed so unhappy and angry. He used to sit and cry because he'd been learning to say everyone's names but he couldn't say mine.

[emmieslost]

That's awful. That's a lot of surgeries to have when you are elderly.

I think with grandad getting c. diff was just one thing too much. He'd had a massive stroke 5 years before and was wheelchair bound and couldn't speak at all. He'd been in a nursing home since his stroke and some how ended up in hospital with c. diff. He was 85 and he went downhill really fast. I miss him but part of me is glad that he's no longer sitting in that nursing home. He always seemed so unhappy and angry. He used to sit and cry because he'd been learning to say everyone's names but he couldn't say mine.

that is really sad about your grandad. i hope i never end up in a home for some extended time, i couldn't imagine. but i know what you maan, my other grandma died of cancer last year and although it was difficult and sad she had been fighting cancer for two years and her health was so so poor no one wanted to see her suffer like that. i guess things can be a mixed blessing. we all gotta go sometime, right? we should all have the privilege to get old first.

[leapfreak]

that is really sad about your grandad. i hope i never end up in a home for some extended time, i couldn't imagine. but i know what you maan, my other grandma died of cancer last year and although it was difficult and sad she had been fighting cancer for two years and her health was so so poor no one wanted to see her suffer like that. i guess things can be a mixed blessing. we all gotta go sometime, right? we should all have the privilege to get old first.

I'm doing voluntary work for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and a colleague and I were discussing nursing homes. She's never been inside one or knows anyone who has and had this idea of them being like all the brochures show where the residents all sit around smiling and playing games together. I told her that I've seen lots of nursing homes and that there is much more sitting staring at the wall than smiling and playing games. I would never want to be put in one.

[morbidT]

Have I ever shared the story of a guy masturbating in the hallway of the nursing home? Well, if I didn't, there ya go. Emmie, the biggest thing to remember is hand washing. I don't really think hospitals are any different from infectious diseases than nursing homes. Back in the day, yes, but now, no. The hospital I worked for did their own study. They asked docs to have their hands screened for cooties. I can't remember how many docs it was, but I do remember it was 100% doc fail. They just do not wash their hands between patients and/or after any patient contact. They also screened some nurses. Their numbers were much better, but it should be zero. Wash your hands after EVERYTHING. You touch a phone, wash your hands. You touch a chart, wash your hands. You touch a counter, desk, ink pen, wash your hands. And, invest in some good lotion. We all need some germs to build our immune systems, but infectious diseases like MRSA is serious business.

[debk589]

C diff is terrible!! Last year both my mom (when she was in the hospital for a broken pelvis) and my sister (getting chemo) got it. I know how lucky I am that two family members of mine got it and beat it. But Jesus when they were both at the peak of it, it was TERRIBLE, like, I would probably wish for death if I felt that way. Augh.

[White trash bitchy blonde]

Nursing homes are where people like Emmie SHOULD be. A real caring person that wants whats best for the resident and is going to treat that resident with respect is sooooo needed anymore.
Some of these nursing homes are very sad to walk into. I did my CNA clinical in a NH and I cried the whole first week because it really bothered me to see people that way. Some residents didnt really know why they were there (dimentia, etc) and some were bed ridden and had lost their real memories and it just really bothered me to see people look so helpless and alone imo.
I went to a nursing home here almost 6 years ago and I worked there ONE NIGHT. I started on graveyard. As soon as I got there, the lady was showing me the ropes and it was about 11 at night. She didnt knock on the residents doors, she just walked right in, turned the light on and started talking loudly saying 'this one needs to be checked for urine....' and by 'this one' she meant the client. that's rude. I was taught that you knock and let them know you are coming in and call them by their names.

Oh and then breakfast was always served around 6am there and because the staff wanted to get shit done and not be rushed, they started getting clients up at 3am and putting them in wheelchairs and leaving them there. They thought the owner of the nursing home was there so they were busting ass to get clients back to bed so they wouldnt get into trouble.
I was so angry, I quit that morning. They asked me why and I told them. They didnt care.

[angelaiscaustic]

This is very trivial after the last few posts but DTTAM: being hungover and not being able to fall asleep.

[debk589]

This is very trivial after the last few posts but DTTAM: being hungover and not being able to fall asleep.

So not trivial. I'm highly annoyed at the fact that I had too much wine last night and the sugar kept me up all night while my 2.5 month old baby slept soundly from 9:30p - 6:30a. Fack. Fail.

[puzzld]

Nursing homes are where people like Emmie SHOULD be. A real caring person that wants whats best for the resident and is going to treat that resident with respect is sooooo needed anymore.
Some of these nursing homes are very sad to walk into. I did my CNA clinical in a NH and I cried the whole first week because it really bothered me to see people that way. Some residents didnt really know why they were there (dimentia, etc) and some were bed ridden and had lost their real memories and it just really bothered me to see people look so helpless and alone imo.
I went to a nursing home here almost 6 years ago and I worked there ONE NIGHT. I started on graveyard. As soon as I got there, the lady was showing me the ropes and it was about 11 at night. She didnt knock on the residents doors, she just walked right in, turned the light on and started talking loudly saying 'this one needs to be checked for urine....' and by 'this one' she meant the client. that's rude. I was taught that you knock and let them know you are coming in and call them by their names.

Oh and then breakfast was always served around 6am there and because the staff wanted to get shit done and not be rushed, they started getting clients up at 3am and putting them in wheelchairs and leaving them there. They thought the owner of the nursing home was there so they were busting ass to get clients back to bed so they wouldnt get into trouble.
I was so angry, I quit that morning. They asked me why and I told them. They didnt care.

And people wonder why I'm busting my hump to keep Mom at home...

[angelaiscaustic]

So not trivial. I'm highly annoyed at the fact that I had too much wine last night and the sugar kept me up all night while my 2.5 month old baby slept soundly from 9:30p - 6:30a. Fack. Fail.

My cousin and I drank a bottle of prosecco and a bottle of riesling with dinner last night. oof. We were there for four hours, one eating and three drinking haha

And people wonder why I'm busting my hump to keep Mom at home...

I feel the same way. My friend's grandfather died from an infected bedsore from never being moved. He was immobilized by a stroke and could not move himself/ tell anyone what was happening. Whenever the family went to visit everything looked hunky dory, but it was all for show.

My dad said if I put him in a home he'd haunt me forever. My dad is 54, and I can't imagine him "old". He's in better shape than most younger dudes.

[PunkerDuckie]

I didn't realize how bad nursing homes were until I started working on the ambulance. We visit them daily because they overmedicate/undermedicate/kill people on the regular. When my grandma was on hospice, she stayed at the actual hospital until she passed. we didn't want her going to a con home.

[Ron_NYC]

[White trash bitchy blonde]

Yeah, my grandma didnt want to be in a nursing home. She wanted to pass here at the house. My mom was the same way. She didnt want to be in any home other than her own.

Being able to give them that right is a gift to them and really to me also. It was hard for me to relinquish control when hospice had a cna come and give grandma baths. I stayed there and did most of it, really the cna didnt do anything except listen to me tell her to get this, or get that.
Same with mom. Every single time she was in the hospital and mom had an accident or anything, I would tell the nurses what i needed to help get my mom clean and in clean bedding.
I trust myself to be careful and thoughtful to their needs, I didnt trust anyone else.

[kevansvault]

Oh I could tell you horror stories of patients I picked up from nursing homes that, shall we say, didn't give the "most appropriate care". Like the 81 year old who had fallen because she was unsteady on her feet and the aides let her fall instead of easing her to the ground. She lay in bed with a broken femur for two days before they called us to pick her up. It was O B V I O U S that this lady's leg was broken, but we only got the call after 48 hours had passed. Ugh. It makes you want to beat the hell out of people.
Some nursing home and staff are wonderful, as I'm sure you will be emmie...wherever you choose to work. Though I have worked in pediatrics for the last 17 years, the previous eight were mostly with adults...older adults. You really can learn a lot from them, and I felt badly for them. Most of them had been independent their entire lives, only to have something happen that incapacitated them to the point of "incarceration" in a nursing home. It's very sad sometimes.

One of my most memorable days as a paramedic was a day we were busier than hell, I think we had 16 calls in 24 hours. Ugh. Two calls that day stood out, not because of anything "exciting" or "cool" but because they showed me that people can either be their own best friends or their own worst enemies. One of our calls, early in the day, was for a fifty something year old woman...called because she was "sick", just wanted to go to the hospital and be around people. She admitted in the ambulance that she was lonely, kids/grandkids didn't visit and she really just wanted some company. She had high blood pressure and complained of chest pain, so we took her on in. I felt horrible for her. She said she didn't want to go on anymore because she felt no one cared.

Later on in the day we got another call to an assisted living facility, a woman had called because she had fallen and hurt her ankle. She was 103 years old and lived alone during the day, and an aide came over at night to stay with her and help her out. She had broken her ankle but this lady was as sharp tongued and witty as anyone one fourth her age. She was fun! She was one of the first practicing female attorneys in the state of Virginia, and she still had a spark in her that you could see in her smile. She was more alert than I was...and I was all of 23 years old. I wrapped up her ankle, got her in the back of the unit, and listened to her as she entertained me the entire way to the hospital. I still have the run sheet, she was born in 1889.

[leapfreak]

When I worked in a nursing home I think one of the worst things was that some of the staff would get so fed up of dealing with the dementia patients and would start to come across as totally uncaring. I always remember this one patient Rosie who was 101 years old. She was the sweetest lady but had dementia. One of her sons was killed walking home when he was hit by a jackknifed lorry and crushed into a wall. Her other son then had a heart attack and died at his brother's funeral.

Rosie used to asked every day when her sons were coming to visit as they came every afternoon. The staff used to tell her over and over that they were dead but because of her dementia, each time they told her was the first time she'd been told as far as she was concerned. She used to sit and cry for a while before forgetting and asking again. Then the whole thing started all over again. It used to break my heart trying to comfort her each time. Then I caught one of the health care assistants yelling at her "They are both dead you stupid old cow!" She was frustrated because it was annoying having to keep telling Rosie but there's really no excuse for telling her like that. She became so distressed that we had to call her doctor out to sedate her. I spoke to my supervisor and her doctor and we came to the conclusion that she didn't need to be told any more. After that we just told her that her sons were on their way if she asked. It was bad but it was better than seeing her grief every 15 minutes when she forgot.

[Nancy Drew]

That is one of the worst stories I've ever heard. What an asshole.

[animosity]

When I worked in a nursing home I think one of the worst things was that some of the staff would get so fed up of dealing with the dementia patients and would start to come across as totally uncaring. I always remember this one patient Rosie who was 101 years old. She was the sweetest lady but had dementia. One of her sons was killed walking home when he was hit by a jackknifed lorry and crushed into a wall. Her other son then had a heart attack and died at his brother's funeral.

Rosie used to asked every day when her sons were coming to visit as they came every afternoon. The staff used to tell her over and over that they were dead but because of her dementia, each time they told her was the first time she'd been told as far as she was concerned. She used to sit and cry for a while before forgetting and asking again. Then the whole thing started all over again. It used to break my heart trying to comfort her each time. Then I caught one of the health care assistants yelling at her "They are both dead you stupid old cow!" She was frustrated because it was annoying having to keep telling Rosie but there's really no excuse for telling her like that. She became so distressed that we had to call her doctor out to sedate her. I spoke to my supervisor and her doctor and we came to the conclusion that she didn't need to be told any more. After that we just told her that her sons were on their way if she asked. It was bad but it was better than seeing her grief every 15 minutes when she forgot.

that was very clever! not bad at all - being told your sons are dead every 15 minutes is what i imagine it's like to be in hell... there is no need to do that. should've taken it a step further even and got her all dressed up for the visit and reminded her every so often that they were on their way! so she'd always be giddy with anticipation...

[Nancy Drew]

Or told her they had just left.

[Ron_NYC]

When I worked in a nursing home I think one of the worst things was that some of the staff would get so fed up of dealing with the dementia patients and would start to come across as totally uncaring. I always remember this one patient Rosie who was 101 years old. She was the sweetest lady but had dementia. One of her sons was killed walking home when he was hit by a jackknifed lorry and crushed into a wall. Her other son then had a heart attack and died at his brother's funeral.

Rosie used to asked every day when her sons were coming to visit as they came every afternoon. The staff used to tell her over and over that they were dead but because of her dementia, each time they told her was the first time she'd been told as far as she was concerned. She used to sit and cry for a while before forgetting and asking again. Then the whole thing started all over again. It used to break my heart trying to comfort her each time. Then I caught one of the health care assistants yelling at her "They are both dead you stupid old cow!" She was frustrated because it was annoying having to keep telling Rosie but there's really no excuse for telling her like that. She became so distressed that we had to call her doctor out to sedate her. I spoke to my supervisor and her doctor and we came to the conclusion that she didn't need to be told any more. After that we just told her that her sons were on their way if she asked. It was bad but it was better than seeing her grief every 15 minutes when she forgot.

OK....not for nothing, but no one figured this out until after a meltdown?!

that was very clever! not bad at all - being told your sons are dead every 15 minutes is what i imagine it's like to be in hell... there is no need to do that. should've taken it a step further even and got her all dressed up for the visit and reminded her every so often that they were on their way! so she'd always be giddy with anticipation...

Yep.

Or told her they had just left.

This is why you get the big bucks.

[puzzld]

Yeah a friend of mine had the same problem with her folks. Dad had Alzheimers, and after Mom died the nursing home people kept telling him she was dead. Almost like they wanted to see the old guy cry. Finally she managed to convince the people at the home to tell him "she can't come today, but you'll see her soon" and he was happy as a clam.

[leapfreak]

OK....not for nothing, but no one figured this out until after a meltdown?!

The NHS considers it unethical to lie to patients. We were trained that you always tell the patient the truth and that it is important to ground dementia patients in reality. I'd mentioned several times to my supervisor that I was concerned about the toll constantly telling Rosie was taking on her but no one ever listens to the student nurse. It was only after her meltdown that I was able to speak to her GP when he visited and he spoke to my supervisor.

[angelaiscaustic]

I can understand that. There's a fine line between comfort and making a mockery. Like I'd be pissed if I found out my elderly relative was being dolled up to wait for someone who is never coming. It's just as bad in a lot of ways.

[angelaiscaustic]

Also it's probably to cover their asses when some prize of a person decides to go past "your sons are on their way" to "your son needs your bank account info, give it to me."

[leapfreak]

I can understand that. There's a fine line between comfort and making a mockery. Like I'd be pissed if I found out my elderly relative was being dolled up to wait for someone who is never coming. It's just as bad in a lot of ways.

Yeah I think dolling someone up for a pretend visit is a bit too much. When you told her "They'll be here soon" she used to get the biggest smile on her face and would sit and wait happily. I don't agree with lying to patients but I also don't agree with being cruel to patients which is exactly what telling her over and over was.

The poor woman lost both of her sons within less than a week and the accident that killed her first son was bloody horrific. I think anyone would struggle with that information let alone over and over, numerous times a day at 101.

[angelaiscaustic]

You guys definitely did the right thing leapy