Geri-psych unit

I work prn occasionally on the gero psych unit within my "healthcare system" employer, and, although it doesn't have to be this way, that unit is basically a glorified nursing home unit. They get people "dumped" by area nursing homes, and people who have been at home and can no longer be managed at home and need to go to a nursing home (there's absolutely no reason why they need to be admitted to the gero psych unit, but it's a way of "gaming the system" so Medicare will pay for the first however-many days of nursing home care -- basically, Medicare fraud). It's v. rare to see a client who isn't seriously demented, and we do lots of feeding people, changing diapers, etc. IVs, trachs, etc., are rare.

I've been a psych nurse my entire career, and the unit has nothing to do with psych nursing.

There are units out there that are "regular" psych units that just happen to cater to older folks, but I think they're getting more and more rare as time goes on. The demand is for care for the dementia clients who are causing problems in nursing homes.

I just have to chuckle- I have been a med/surg nurse for 30 years.. With all this upheaval in available nursing positions- I have started to question if I really want to go back to the hospital med/surg life again- I am seriously leaning heavily toward the NO WAY. I took a position in LTC- I does have a unit for alzheimer's/demetia- and alot of our LTC residents are geri-psych, I"ve never seen so many antipsychotics, SSRI's anoxolytics- gotta love the demented! the staff was in a dither/ called it a "crisis" because a demented resident said she was "abused" pointing to her wrist- at a "liver spot" I belive the offical term is purpura of dementia? and wanted to leave. I heard one of the nurses telling the DON- that unit is 'off the hook today' the DON was so concerned she went running up to see the 'crisis'. I'll take this anyday over the stress of Med/surg/tele- all this and I get to listen to Frank Sinatra 1/2 the day too. I feel foot lose and stress free and not a screamin doctor in sight for miles.!

LOL! That actually doesn't sound too bad! I want to come work with you after I get burned out in a few years LOL

I work in an extended-care geri psych unit ( we do have some younger - mid age adults with dementia also- not just "Geri",) It is a pretty good nursing job, the key is to know the residents well, and things go a lot better . Actually, I work in a 750 bed long term care facillity, and 3 units are for the demented residents, with psych issues.