Live-in RN advice

Specialties Home Health

Published

I am not a live-in nurse (although I am still a student). But I am in dire need of advice from your perspective.

I have hired live-in nurses to care for my 88 year old grandmother who has some early signs of Alzheimer's among many other medical conditions. The problem is that my grandmother keeps firing them all. There are no real reasons, just irrational things like "she was sleeping in my house", or "she was getting paid too much."

I have gone through 3 frustrated nurses in less than 1 month, and now it looks like I have to hire another. I try to reason with them, but eventually they get fed up with grandma.

Has anyone had experience with this type of situation? Anyone have advice for me? What is a nurse supposed to do in a situation like this?

Please help, I am desperate and don't know who better to ask than the nursing professionals themselves. Thanks.

Specializes in Hospice, Geriatrics, Wounds.
i agree that a large part of the problem may be lack of training in dealing with dementia

perhaps you could ask prospective care staff if they have or would be willing to take some

of the training offered by the alzheimer's association

perhaps some behavioral interviewing

i've worked in several memory centers and for the life of me i cannot

understand why professional care staff wants to argue or insist on reality orientation

rather than concentrating on the fact that the patient feels threatened and is afraid

who cares if the patient says, "I'll pay you $5" - the patient probably thinks a loaf of bread costs 50 cents

it is always difficult to find someone with a heart, but that will be your first challenge

then what others have said

look into medical management

and legal aspects

you have a huge job on your hands and you don't have time for poorly trained staff

who wants an easy patient

i wish all my patients were easy, but then again, they probably wouldn't need me if they were

Great advice...i second that!

If there's not already a healthcare POA in place now, then it sounds as if that option is no longer available. SHE has to be competent to make her wishes known to sign a POA. You can petition the court for a conservatorship over your grandma. If you don't want to do it, then maybe a son/daughter of your grandmother can do it.

If there's not already a healthcare POA in place now then it sounds as if that option is no longer available. SHE has to be competent to make her wishes known to sign a POA. You can petition the court for a conservatorship over your grandma. If you don't want to do it, then maybe a son/daughter of your grandmother can do it.[/quote']

That's not true. The POA can be completed but not activated. It takes the two MD signatures to activate. If one was never written then you're right, one cannot be written now.

+ Add a Comment