Specialties Geriatric
Published Nov 21, 2012
Blackcat99
2,836 Posts
What to do? Of course, I was blamed for not checking the bed alarms every minute. It's always the nurses fault, never the CNA'S.
NurseCard, ADN
2,847 Posts
I've been in trouble in the last few weeks for having a resident fall and the bed alarm not being
turned on, so I feel your pain.
Unfortunately, the best, practically the only way, to truly keep your butt covered is to set aside
time at the beginning of your shift to go around the unit and check every resident to make sure
that their alarms are in place and turned on. Easier said than done I know, especially if you are
like me and work on a 54 bed unit, on which most of the residents have bed alarms.
Anyway, have a meeting with your regular aides, and let them know that you WILL be checking
alarms every shift, and if any residents fall that did not have bed alarms in place and working;
there will be serious consequence for the aide(s) working that hall. Let them know that you
simply have no choice in the matter.
Good luck. =)
CapeCodMermaid, RN
6,090 Posts
We got rid of ALL alarms. They have not been shown to prevent falls and give everyone a false sense of safety.
That sounds wonderful. No alarms!!!! I guess it's time for me to go work for CapeCodMermaid. These alarms are a nightmare for both staff and patients. I totally agree. They are worthless.
lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN
940 Posts
When I worked LTC, my aides used to "forget" to put alarms on all the time. And I agree, they don't prevent falls. They just let you know when someone has already hit the floor.
BrandonLPN, LPN
3,358 Posts
Where I work the CNAs are responsible for ensuring the alarms are on. They have to initial a fall alarm checklist every two hours. Ditto for a resident location check list. Not everything needs to fall on the licensed nurse.
We used to have all kinds of things the aides had to initial. They just falsified everything. God I don't miss LTC.
FLmed
159 Posts
True!!! I'm not a fan of bed alarms either.
I went into a patient's room when the bed alarm was ringing. I asked her what happened and she said that all she did was turn to her other side. The patient was so upset about all the noise that she said she was not going to move in bed the rest of the night.
JZ_RN
590 Posts
We only had one or 2 residents I think an alarm would have been useful for, one that constantly fell and another that got up unattended a lot and would fall about half the time. The others, why have the noise? Either way though, if the aides are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, write them up. The ones that are decent workers will follow rules so why worry about the rest? You're there to do your job, not make friends with lazy employees.
psu_213, BSN, RN
3,878 Posts
When I worked as an CNA we a checklist to initial. If a bed alarm was not on, there would be repercussions for the CNA that did not have the alarm on. However, it is a bit naive to believe that all the poo-poo will land on the CNA and not on the nurse if a resident falls.