Re: One of My Residents wont speak to me (Long term care)
Oh my dear nurse. It's NOT that serious.

I had a resident who did the exact same thing. We used to joke around and laugh and he always told me I was one of the nicest people he ever met. Then one day I went to take his weight, and he had a fit and would not talk to me at all. He even called me a B***h. I was a little surprised by his reaction, but not totally devestated. I tried to keep talking to him like things were normal, but that didn't work. It just made things worse. Then I remembered what I learned in my class, "Sometimes silence is the best form of communication". So I would just go into his room, perform care, and leave with just a hello, explanation of what I was going to do, and a goodbye.
Try not to take it personal. Each person is different, comes from different backgrounds, reacts differently to things, etc. My particular resident was bipolar, so I didn't think it really had to much to do with me. One thing I have learned in this field is that no matter how nice you try to be, there will ALWAYS be someone who doesn't like you for whatever reason they see fit. Some of these people are in bad moments in their lives and it just takes one thing to make them feel bad and take it out on you.
So it's not your fault, and he will probably be alright in time. If not then it's not really your loss, more his, because he lost a good nurse, and they are hard to find. And because of that reason, he will probably come around. Be patient with him, and just be polite without being too friendly and he will probably miss you and get over himself. Good luck.
P.S: My resident was over it in about two weeks and now I'm back to being one of the nicest people he has ever met.
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