I'm an Lpn working in a local nursing home 2 days a week. I watch my son the rest of the time while my spouse works. My mother is a resident in the facility where I work. She went in there about a month after I started working at this place. This was about 18 months ago. At that time, I though it was a pretty good home. It's gradually gotten worse as time went by. My mother is a paraplegic for 35 years. She requires a Hoyer lift to get in and out of bed. She has all her faculties, but her body has just betrayed her. Paralysis and old age are a terrible combination. She's 73 now, but to look at her, you'd swear she was 93. She's told me more than a few times the CNA's have transferred her by pulling her on a towel. one person has also ran the lift when the rules call for two. They say they have to do this, because they're short handed and it saves time. My father used to go there and spend 8-10 hours a day with her. They never did this when he was there, only on the days he couldn't make it in. He contracted C-diff( which I suspect he picked up at the Nursing home). He has been ill for several months and doesn't drive now. Since he's not there and I can't get there during the week, they do what they want. They talk her into staying in bed many days. Telling her they might not have enough staff on nights to get her back in bed. Anything to get out and have a smoke. Some of them brag that they smoke 8 a shift. That's on an hour. She get's very fearful and they play on this. I've told a few of the cna's about this. I didn't go to management because I knew they would do nothing and I have to work there. Even though I work on another hall, it would cause problems. I know I was wrong not to report them. I have also looked the other way several times while working there. I have never covered anything up,
but I have been aware of several things that were.
This leads us to the incident. The other day My mother was being transferred with the hoyer lift. They said there were two CNA's present. She went out of the sling backwards and hit the floor head first. I honestly do not know how this could happen with two CNA's following proper procedures. One person on the lift, the other steadiing the patient in the sling. If the straps were not hooked properly, once you lift then 2 inches you would know. You could then put them back down. She was rushed to the hospital. She has a subdural hematoma and many bumps and bruises. It's a miracle she didn't break her neck. They say she will recover. I'm having her transferred to another nursing home when she's discharged. I called th Dept of health on them. They did an investigation. Surprise, they found nothing wrong. Management probably told them exactly what to write in their incident reports and nurses notes. i have seen this done many times. I went to the home today and got all of her belongings. I thought I was going to vomit just walking in there. I was supposed to work tommorrow. I'm quitting without notice. I doubt they want me there anyway after calling the state on them. I feel like working there all this time, knowing the way things were, I have been partly responsible for what happened to my mother. I used to tell myself, at least I was there trying to give the residents good care.
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