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by kimburlynn

Hi,Im pretty new to all of this so PLEASE help me if you can.Im getting ready to take my exam to be a cna so I can be working while attending nursing school this Fall.I was browsing through my workbook this weekend and found a section asking me how I can help patients fulfill their sexual needs .Needless to say I was shocked .I want to be a nurse but not a sex therapist.I will be working in a nursing home this summer/fall and the mental images this dredged up were not pretty.Also there was a section on preparing a dead body although this suprised me I know I could handle it if I had to but the before mentioned sex thing Yikes!!!!!

[Amylcd]

everyone has sexual needs, you will have patients that masterbate, etc.... don't embarress them or make them feel bad for doing it. In some nursing homes there are going to be married couples who still have sex (or try), give them time alone. Really just respect their privacy and don't make them feel bad for doing it.

[elkpark]

Usually, those sorts of questions are intended to get you thinking about how people in healthcare facilities still have sexual needs, and have the same rights as everyone else to pursue those in appropriate ways ... No one expects you to actually interact sexually with a client (in fact, there are ethical and legal concerns about that! ). However, you need to be aware of clients' needs for privacy and dignity, and be sure that you are not preventing them from meeting their sexual needs (in appropriate ways, that is) or shaming them for doing so.

best wishes with your studies --

[kimburlynn]

Originally Posted by Amylcd

everyone has sexual needs, you will have patients that masterbate, etc.... don't embarress them or make them feel bad for doing it. In some nursing homes there are going to be married couples who still have sex (or try), give them time alone. Really just respect their privacy and don't make them feel bad for doing it.

Oh, I see.So you dont really help them.Blonde moment but I do feel ALOT better now.Thank-You.

[nursemike]

A nurse I know recently walked in on a 17 yr old and his girlfriend--told girlfriend to get dressed and get out. I didn't think that was very attentive to his sexual needs, but he had a chest tube, so sex was probably contraindicated. Parents would probably have backed nurse 100%.
I think a lot of nurses are going to have a tough time with this issue.

[elkpark]

A nurse I know recently walked in on a 17 yr old and his girlfriend--told girlfriend to get dressed and get out. I didn't think that was very attentive to his sexual needs, but he had a chest tube, so sex was probably contraindicated. Parents would probably have backed nurse 100%.

Of course, there are many variables -- most obviously, the type of setting. People in long-term settings are in a v. different situation than people in acute-care hospital beds, and what is appropriate in one setting may be v. inappropriate and problematic in another. Age (in the case of minors) is a factor, as well!

[CHATSDALE]

I dont know about that nurse with 17 y/o considering the chest tube it may have been a correct decision but if there was no medical reason then this may have been wrong parents wishes are not usually considered with late teens they are almost grown and should be allowed to make own decisions

[susanna]

i had a question pertaining to this on my CNA exam, to which I still do not know the right answer:

In a nursing home, you have found out that Mrs. X and Mr. Y, both residents who met in the LTC facility, are having a sexual relationship. You...

A) Try to keep Mrs. X and Mr. Y in different activities and in different groups as much as possible.

B) Inform the patients' families of this. They are paying for the stay and are thus legallly responsible.

C) Understand that it is very important that older persons are sociable and make new friends and give them their privacy.

And, I think the last one was,

D) Tell your nursing supervisor immediately before anything else happens.

[rollingstone]

Always knock on a door before entering.

[obeyacts2]

I think the reason for this section in your book is so students get beyond the perception that the elderly are sexless. Typically CNA students are young, and not too far out of high school. Trust me, I have done CNA work long enough to know that sex does not end at 65 In fact, if you work with the elderly, especially in a home setting, you will doscover this quickly! Just give them room and privacy, dont be shocked if you accidentally hear or see anything.

laura