I've posted a couple of times about the smoking in our facility. After last weekend, I guess admin has finally decided that smoking by the residents will have to be regulated.
We have 70+ residents in our facility. At nite there are two nurses and four CNA's. There are 3 residents that want to go out at nite to smoke, and it's been getting worse and worse.
One of them is in my half - he came out for his THIRD cigarette of the nite about 4AM - just as my two CNA's sat down for a break. Now, sitting down for a break means they sit where they can watch for lites on their three halls.
I told him no, they weren't going to take him out right then - about that time, the MDS coordinator came in and told him that if he'd wait until 5, she'd come up and take him out. He agreed. But as soon as she walked away, he started in on the girls again. Well, I'd had it - I told him the girls had the right to sit down and take a break without having to run him outside - and that he'd agreed to wait until 5. Then, he starts screaming at me that he wants a cigarette NOW!! Long story, short - he didn't get it at that time - called me a F****** B*tch, went back to his room and slammed the door. I'm sure I've been called worse.
Meanwhile in the other side of the building the two ladies that smoke - who I knew had also been out twice that nite - were back there threatening to report the nurse to 'State' for abuse for not 'taking care of their needs' by taking them out to smoke when ever they demanded. And apparently the one old bat's son had called this same nurse a couple of nites earlier threatening the same thing.
OK - enough is enough. For 70 residents, we have 6 staff at nite, with NO ancillary personnel. It takes one staff member to cart each one of those residents outside.
When do THEIR rights override the rights of the other residents to receive adequate care?
It took the MDS Coordinator to observe some of this to finally get someone to agree that it can't continue like this.
