what are the conservatee rights in SNF?

[tankee]

In this case a pt. has a mental disability, not compliant with medications, very loud, gets easily agitated.. etc.

hello nurses, I hope you can help me with this issue my question are in SNF settings.

Psychiatric MD says if patient is under/on conservatorship, it is ok to hold them to give IM medication. is it true?

Can a conservatee in SNF has the right to refuse medications? or they dont have the right at all to refuse medication and we can hold them to give IM meds?

Thanks

or if you can lead me to the site that will give answers to my questions and the conservatee rights.

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

Have NEVER heard the term conservatee?? Are you in the US or somewhere else?

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Have NEVER heard the term conservatee?? Are you in the US or somewhere else?

some one whom is a conservatee, would be one whom has been conserved....a guardianship situation.conservatee legal definition of conservatee. conservatee synonyms by the Free Online Law Dictionary.

[pielęgniarka, RN]

The following kinda describes a policy where I used to work, may not be the policy where you are at: If the pt is a danger to self or others and nonpharmacological interventions are not effective, you'd have to get an order from the MD for IM meds or whatever. That's one of the only instances I know where meds would be given against patient's will. You would also need to get consent from the Conservator, to administer these psychotropic drugs to the conservatee.

[tankee]

The following kinda describes a policy where I used to work may not be the policy where you are at: If the pt is a danger to self or others and nonpharmacological interventions are not effective, you'd have to get an order from the MD for IM meds or whatever. That's one of the only instances I know where meds would be given against patient's will. [u']You would also need to get consent from the Conservator, to administer these psychotropic drugs to the conservatee[/u].

Conservator already gave consent for the tx of pt. the question is if conservatee refuse medications specially IM meds is it ok to hold them in order to adminster the IM medication?

Ok heres the situation, Psychiatric MD gave orders for routine IM medication. Per Psychiatric MD if pt. is conserved they dont have the right to refuse and if they refused its ok to hold them to administer the medications. Is this true?

I couldnt find any reference online regarding this issue..

[pielęgniarka, RN]

I don't think you will find reference on-line.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

I don't think you will find reference on-line.

i would have to agree, it would seem that whatever the conservator has agreed to is the bottom line.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Conservator already gave consent for the tx of pt. the question is if conservatee refuse medications specially IM meds is it ok to hold them in order to adminster the IM medication?

If the "conservatee" is demented, he/she probably does not have the mental capacity to make a fully informed decision such as a refusal. They might refuse all day long, but ultimately the conservator has consented for the conservatee to have the meds.

Accepting a refusal from a demented person can get you in trouble in more than one way. If a demented person refuses insulin injections, it could throw them into DKA or nonketotic hyperosmolar syndrome, but they are incapable of understanding the consequences of refusing this medication. One of my former demented residents refused fluids for a couple of weeks and ended up dying from renal failure. She lacked the judgment to make an informed decision and probably didn't realize that she would die from refusing water.

People end up in conservatorship and with guardians because they are considered incapacitated persons who lack the ability to make their own decisions.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

We would NEVER hold someone down in Massachusetts to give them meds. It doesn't matter if they have a guardian or invoked health care proxy or whatever. It is still their right to say no. We will, however, have them section 12'd to the hospital where they can hold them/tie them down/call security and force them to take meds. Never easy.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

We would NEVER hold someone down in Massachusetts to give them meds. It doesn't matter if they have a guardian or invoked health care proxy or whatever. It is still their right to say no. We will, however, have them section 12'd to the hospital where they can hold them/tie them down/call security and force them to take meds. Never easy.

i have seen a patient in long term care in Mass. that was Rogered.....so yes they could have been forced....

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

A Roger's Guardianship does NOT give you the right to force anyone to take anything. No still means no and holding someone down and injecting them is not only abuse, it is assault. I have many residents with Roger's Guardianship and we DO NOT force them to take medications ever.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

Just googled Rogers Guardianships.

From my reading, it would appear that once the treatment plan is fully developed, considered -- including possibility of resident refusals -- and approved, the resident may lawfully be restrained to administer the mandated medical regimen.