Female patients at risk because of male patient?

[Major_Mira]

Hello! I'm brand new to the forums but I have a concern for my female residents that I want to ask for opinions on. I work in a locked unit and have for a few months now. What I have noticed is one male resident will intentionally go into the female rooms and sits on them or just stares at them. I try to catch him and prevent it but sometimes I am busy with others. He also chases me around the facility trying to touch my breasts or butt, I've talked with the other female workers and he does the same stuff to them. I will not let him touch me if I can avoid it as it makes me uncomfortable for him to be sexually touching me, I am not there for that. He will try to follow me into the female rooms too as I'm changing them and opens the door/pulls the curtain.

My questions are: do the female residents have any rights against this behavior and do we as female employees have any rights when it comes to this? I can only imagine what it would be like to wake up to a strange man doing that to you or for women of past abuse how that may be for them. The behavior has been reported but they refuse to do anything about it, they (the nurses and administrators higher up) actually encourage it and think it's "cute". What can I do about this? I'm extremely uncomfortable with it all.

[JKL33]

Do you have a buzzer of some kind? Some little hand-held thing that he could touch and feel a buzz? Nothing that

would hurt him, just something that would distract him? Or a flashing light? Some flashlights actually flash on and off.

Again, a distraction. Does he have a music box? A little ballerina dancing around in a jewelry box when you open the

box? Or a twirler of some kind? You blow on it and it twirls. How about a harmonica? Cheap, small, musical, keeps

him occupied for a while?

is there an alarm on his chair and bed that would warn you that he is up and likely going prowling?

These/similar are good ideas. I did a quick search before replying earlier - - one of the studies mentioned that a particular patient's behavior had been seriously decreased after they gave him a stuffed Pink Panther!! He was preoccupied with it and carried it around.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

This behavior needs to be addressed and soon. Even if administration turns a blind eye to this resident groping staff, as long as he is harassing female residents by sitting on them, standing over their bed staring at them and entering their room during personal cares this became a vulnerable adult issue. I fail to see how management can find this behavior "cute." If this administration has any knowledge of rules and regulations for a licensed care facility they should know how much trouble this could cause for them if this abuse is allowed to continue.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

You also have a right not to be sexually assaulted by this patient. I don't care how demented he is, he cannot be permitted to sexually assault female residents and staff. It seems that some people have forgotten that staff also have a right to be free from sexual assault.

I am disappointed in those who say you will lose your job if you report this behavior. Have you made repeated written complaints up the chain of command? A written complaint is taken more seriously. If you have already done that, then you need to report this to the regulating authorities. You are protected under federal law from being punished by your facility for reporting safety concerns. Check this website whistleblowers.gov

Call OSHA, number is on the website.

Good luck

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Call your ombudsman, yesterday. You are a mandated reporter, so that should eliminate any dilemma about what to do.

It's uncomfortable dealing with dementia pts who grope staff, and NO you don't have to allow it -- BUT we are more able to defend ourselves. A self defense class could teach you effective ways to escape various grips without hurting the offender. If he calls you mean, let it roll. That statement has nothing to do with you.

Female residents on the other hand -- vulnerable people -- are not being protected from sexual assault/battery. Sexual assault/battery is not "cute" -- they are CRIMES. Those ladies/their families need to have an expectation of safety and security. Your facility is aware that they are neither safe nor secure, and are allowing it, and even encouraging it by calling it "cute."

Years ago I worked as a CNA in LTC. One of our male residents thought one of the female residents was his wife. Now he was physically incapable of hurting her, but she was truly terrified that he would come into her room and try to have sex with her. She would say, "he thinks I'm his wife. What is he going to do if he sees me in bed in my nightgown?"

That is what this guy is doing to your female residents. The differences are 1) they may not be able to articulate it, and 2) this guy is actually capable of battery.

Someone needs to protect those women.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Have you called the ombudsman? You can also call who ever regulated LTC/SNF/ et al, in your state. Trust me, when they get called, administration will take notice very quickly (I used to work in LTC).

This man is definitely a danger to the female residents if he is sitting on them. And he is a threat to female staff.

I hope this is resolved quickly. I wish you the best

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

You also have a right not to be sexually assaulted by this patient. I don't care how demented he is, he cannot be permitted to sexually assault female residents and staff. It seems that some people have forgotten that staff also have a right to be free from sexual assault.

I am disappointed in those who say you will lose your job if you report this behavior. Have you made repeated written complaints up the chain of command? A written complaint is taken more seriously. If you have already done that, then you need to report this to the regulating authorities. You are protected under federal law from being punished by your facility for reporting safety concerns. Check this website whistleblowers.gov

Call OSHA, number is on the website.

Good luck

I do not disagree that the OP should formally complain. But do not kid yourself about the possibility of OP being fired. The boss can fire a worker for any reason, any time.

While I think staff SHOULD certainly have a right to not be assaulted, I don't know if that's a right staff give up while on the job. Yes, that remark sounds dumb, but I am really not legally sure what rights are curtailed or removed when one accepts employment.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I do not disagree that the OP should formally complain. But do not kid yourself about the possibility of OP being fired. The boss can fire a worker for any reason, any time.

While I think staff SHOULD certainly have a right to not be assaulted, I don't know if that's a right staff give up while on the job. Yes, that remark sounds dumb, but I am really not legally sure what rights are curtailed or removed when one accepts employment.

You are not correct that a boss can fire any worker for any reason, at any time. That's a myth I see perpetuated all the time on this site and it's high time we get things straight. If you report a safety violation you are a whistleblower. Federal law protects whistleblowers from being fired. Read up on it. Know your rights.

Always, all the time, and in every circumstance you have the right to be free from sexual assault. Being employed does not negate your right to be free from sexual assault. No one has the right to sexually assault someone. Ever. Even prisoners, who must forego some rights, have the right to be free from sexual assault.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

OP, I agree with Here.I.Stand and CelticGoddess. Call the ombudsman or report to the appropriate authorities. You gave management a chance; they chose not to correct an issue that puts staff and residents in harms way. It is not always easy to do the right thing, but in the end, allowing it to continue only makes you as guilty as those who have the power to stop it and don't. It's time to take it up a level.

You are not correct that a boss can fire any worker for any reason, at any time. That's a myth I see perpetuated all the time on this site and it's high time we get things straight. If you report a safety violation you are a whistleblower. Federal law protects whistleblowers from being fired. Read up on it. Know your rights.

Doesn't mean they can't trump up some sort of reason to get you fired. And in many states, it's at will employment, meaning the employer can terminate an employee for any reason that isn't protected by law. They can always come up with something.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

OP, I agree with Here.I.Stand and CelticGoddess. Call the ombudsman or report to the appropriate authorities. You gave management a chance; they chose not to correct an issue that puts staff and residents in harms way. It is not always easy to do the right thing, but in the end, allowing it to continue only makes you as guilty as those who have the power to stop it and don't. It's time to take it up a level.

Doesn't mean they can't trump up some sort of reason to get you fired. And in many states, it's at will employment, meaning the employer can terminate an employee for any reason that isn't protected by law. They can always come up with something.

If you make a complaint, and are subsequently fired for a trumped up reason your employer will definitely be investigated for improperly firing you.

When people don't know they have rights, they might as well not have them. If you believe your employer can fire you for any reason your employer has total control.

Educate yourself.

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

You mention you've "been called mean and stuff" and you "feel like they expect you to allow him to touch my bits"

Depending exactly what and how this was said, they are starting to border on sexual harrassment. Management to employee. And sexual harassment is generally zero tolerance (or close to it).

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

You are not correct that a boss can fire any worker for any reason, at any time. That's a myth I see perpetuated all the time on this site and it's high time we get things straight. If you report a safety violation you are a whistleblower. Federal law protects whistleblowers from being fired. Read up on it. Know your rights.

Always, all the time, and in every circumstance you have the right to be free from sexual assault. Being employed does not negate your right to be free from sexual assault. No one has the right to sexually assault someone. Ever. Even prisoners, who must forego some rights, have the right to be free from sexual assault.

Theory is often different than the practical reality.

They can always conjure up some other reason to fire someone. No, they won't tell you they're firing you for whistleblowing. They'll go after you for attendance, tardiness, doing something else wrong, anything they can think of. The tension makes it a miserable place to be. If they want you gone, you will be gone. No matter what lies or misrepresentations they come up with, no matter how long it takes.

[HyzenthlayLPN]

I think the difference is that when a facility fires a whistle-blower, the burden would be on the facility to show that it wasn't a retaliatory discharge rather on the (former) employee to show that it was. There is a presumption that lasts for a length of time (6 months??) under federal whistle-blower laws that if the employee is fired in that time, it is automatically considered retaliatory and up to the employer to prove that it wasn't.