[michelle126]

Any of your facilities smoke free? We will be pretty soon. I'm not a smoker and am a little glad that we will be cutting down on all the breaks, but on the other side....that means no smoking for residents. Isn't that thier home?? How does/ would the state look at this?

[donmomofnine]

We are a smoke free facility for our residents. This is their home, if they choose. They know we are smoke free before they come and they have the choice of where to live.


We are going smoke free for staff starting in September. We are offering a smoking cessation program for staff. I have a feeling that the hardcore smokers are going to go out to the car and there will be butts all over the parking lot. We'll see how it goes.

[redshiloh]

We are 'smoke free' but patients can go outside to smoke. It is considered a right.

[michelle95]

You know, I have a problem with this. If they want to tell staff they can't smoke that's one thing...but, residents? Is it really hurting someone when they go OUTSIDE to smoke? This is ridiculous.

Old people lose everything when they go to a home. They fit their life's posessions into a small semi-private room. They're told what they're gonna eat, when to go to bed, they have to wait on someone to take them to the bathroom...don't get to go places like they once did,....and the list goes on.

To take their right to smoke away is overboard.

Is that home going to take away their sweets too? What about the person that is 300+ pounds and that puts the food away?

Utterly unbelievable and some of you are ok with that?

[michelle95]

I'm sure it infringes on resident's rights and I would certainly be on the phone to the ombudsman with this. If that didn't work...well, there are other places to call.

[Nurse Ratched]

Originally Posted by michelle95

You know, I have a problem with this. If they want to tell staff they can't smoke that's one thing...but, residents? Is it really hurting someone when they go OUTSIDE to smoke? This is ridiculous.

I would be okay with that assuming the person was capable of safely doing so independently without burning themselves or torching the facility by accident, or wandering off after they finished. Kinda hard if they are capable when they arrive and later deteriorate to the point that they can't. Who decides when they are no longer able? Should staff be expected to facilitate their smoking?

Local ECF's went smoke free with a grace period to allow those who did not want to quit time to find another facility. Harsh, but since the local law mandated it, not a lot of choice.

I have the same issue with patients going off the floor to smoke in the hospital, but I won't hijack the thread.

Edited to add: and most gov't funding for LTC/ECF's mandates provision of a non-smoking environment.

[donmomofnine]

We have 450 apartments where there are many people who, believe me, would not be safe smokers! They set smoke detectors off constantly just with their unsafe cooking practices! We are a community that promotes health, and are a faith based community. We are not willing to risk burning the place down. I am not providing staff to "smoke" people. When you do that, it's never a convenient time, never often enough, etc. ~ been there and done that! We did have a resident who came to us end stage COPD, smoker from the minute she was here. She was on hospice, O2, not expected to make it. Now it is a year later and she is smoke free, O2 free, alert and oriented, off of hospice and enjoying her life here. We had another resident from a nearby facility who was temporarily placed with us and he was a smoker. I did turn my head when staff took him out to smoke. He had stated he wanted to stop, we got him a patch, but the urge was great. We assisted him with finding placement in a smoking facility.

Again, our job is to provide a safe and healthy environment for all of the residents in our community. No one is forcing them to choose to live here! It reminds me of a friend who moved to a real upscale development. You were not allowed to hang out laundry there. She knew that from the beginning and yet she rallied and shouted and carried on about the fact she could not hang wash outside!?

[Destinystar]

One facility had a resident who was alert and oriented and smoking all of the time outside where the designated smoking area was. Now he is suing the place because he stayed out so long smoking that he got a sunburn on his hands. I have also seen confused residents pick up and eat and pocket cigarette buts. Do not think Health care workers are under any obligation to assist residents to smoke because doing so they will expose themselves to second hand smoke. Guess they could get a family member or hire someone to take them off grounds to smoke.

Originally Posted by michelle126

Any of your facilities smoke free? We will be pretty soon. I'm not a smoker and am a little glad that we will be cutting down on all the breaks, but on the other side....that means no smoking for residents. Isn't that thier home?? How does/ would the state look at this?

[robin_mds_nurse]

The facility where I work has recently admitted many younger residents who smoke. We have to assign a staff member to take them to smoke. We have assigned times posted, but it is never enough. They will drive you crazy all day long about going to smoke. Anyone who does not smoke does not have to be a designated smoke chaperon. It is a pain, but for some of the residents this is the only thing they have left.

[michelle95]

It is a pain, but for some of the residents this is the only thing they have left.

Exactly. I can understand safety issues. No one is refuting that. But, if they are safe then why are we going to take their last pleasure in life?

What happens when ALL homes go smoke free? Then they won't have a choice, will they?