Roaches are going to drive me out of home care!!!

Specialties Home Health

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Specializes in Home Health.

I feel like I should be called the Orkin Nurse, and instead of a backback, I should carry an orificenal of roach-killing chemicals.

I need a roach repellant perfume or something.

Yesterday MONSTER roach appeared too close to my coat, and I swear I could barely focus on my new admit, and I admit, I skimmed that OASIs faster than fast to get the heck outta there!

Today, very clean house, in the midst of several abandoned ones boarded up in a drug-infested neighborhood, and I know that is always a bad thing, a draw for roaches and rodents, and it isn't the fault or lack of cleanliness of the people I serve but ...

People I have a serious issue, fear-factor, r/t roaches. I am not sure I could even get away w asking not to be sent there, it wouyld only mean some other poor nurse gets stuck w that many more roach motels.

Let me put it this way, if I were on that show fear factor and I could be given a million dollars to enter a room swarming w roaches, I would probably hurl at the thought.

Today, sitting in this clean rose among the thorns, and here comes da beast, crawling up the couch I was just sitting on, once again too close to my personal stuff. At least in the summer, I don't have a coat or so many pockets and stuff w me for the creepy critters to hide in.

I can't function like this, I get tunnel vision, and I do struggle to keep cool and remain non-judgemental, esp w the older folks.

Help me!! Should I seek deconditioning? I think this is NORMAL to not like roaches. Yesterday's man carried his med zippered bag in and tried to hand it to me w a monster roach on it!! I asked him to set it on the table and take out the bottles one by one so we could review it, I wasn't touching that freakin bag!!

I have been going into the dregs of the city w/o a roach-free home lately, and I can't take it much longer. I am not only afraid of these things touching me, or getting into my clothes, but of bringing them into my home by accident. My winter coat is still in my car b/c I was afraid to bring it inside. I am seriously stressing here!!!

What would you do? I have no problem w dogs, snakes, or other creatures, just bugs tarantula spiders, roaches, NASTY stuff.

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Exactly why I do not do home health care!! (Besides the gawd awful paperwork you have to do!) I don't have any advice for you but I can tell you that you are better person than I.

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I quit HH because of the Gawd awful paperwork. The next in line reason I quit was the cockroaches scurrying around my feet as I changed a dressing on a stinking, moldy, rottten swamp-foot. It was a filthy, stinking, disgusting house. I would leave my coat in the car even when it was 20 below. UG!

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After we are all nuked out of exsistance, Roaches will inherit the Earth. I'm totally convinced of this.

Roach feces are the main culprit in asthma among city kids.

KILLL THEMMMM!!!!!!

Isnt htere some type of social intervention? I believe in some places theres a vector control board that will send in the big guns to help eradicate the suckers.

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Adult protective services will do a heavy duty cleaning, but they really only scratch the service. I went into an apartment after a heavy duty cleaning & when I opened the kitchen cabinets a horde of roaches poured out & raced around the walls like they were in the indy 500.

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OMG-

After reading this thread, I do not think I would ever work in home care as an RN. I did as a CNA, but that was in a very ritzy retirement community- never saw a single bug in a home there.

I had imagined home-care nursing allowed nurses to really get to know their pts, and I dreamed of what it must be like to only have to care for one pt at a time.

I never imagined the horrors described here.

My hat is off to all of you.

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Originally posted by valk

Adult protective services will do a heavy duty cleaning, but they really only scratch the service. I went into an apartment after a heavy duty cleaning & when I opened the kitchen cabinets a horde of roaches poured out & raced around the walls like they were in the indy 500.

TMI!! for me!

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Oh, hoolahan, you poor thing!

Can you talk to your patients about roach control? That is a health issue, isn't it? Do the patients not see roaches crawling toward you? Are they so used to it that is doesn't bother them?

Uuuggghh. That is so sad and disgusting at the same time. :eek:

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I've worked in facilities with the suckers- See em on the NOC shift crawling on detnures... YOW. And they always spray, so they are endemic.

I saw a roach in NYC on the sidewalk stop and LOOK BOTH WAYS for traffic before crossing.

I chased it and KILLED IT so it couldnt pass on any GENETIC KNOWLEDGE.

Boy I do hate them.:devil:

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Originally posted by hoolahan

I feel like I should be called the Orkin Nurse, and instead of a backback, I should carry an orificenal of roach-killing chemicals.

Yesterday MONSTER roach appeared too close to my coat, and I swear I could barely focus on my new admit, and I admit, I skimmed that OASIs faster than fast to get the heck outta there!

Today, sitting in this clean rose among the thorns, and here comes da beast, crawling up the couch I was just sitting on, once again too close to my personal stuff. At least in the summer, I don't have a coat or so many pockets and stuff w me for the creepy critters to hide in.

What would you do? I have no problem w dogs, snakes, or other creatures, just bugs tarantula spiders, roaches, NASTY stuff.

This is one of the reasons why I left Home care. AT one house, which was over a store/restaurant, there were cockroaches everywhere!! Ceiling, floor, furniture. It was DISGUSTING. I reported to the agency. I didn't want to go back.

I have also seen snakes, ferocious dogs, and other odd creatures.

Do I want to go back to home care?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

What would I do?? Think about not doing home care anymore. Or ask myself, are these creatures worth while dealing with?? Teach the patient about living in a sanitary environment??

Lee:p

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hugs to you Linda.

I have no great words of wisdom, roachs totally freak me out, I spent a miserable 2 years living in south FL because of them.

My only suggestion is to wear close fitting clothing, a dress length lab jacket with few pockets and don't carry in anything you don't absolutely have to, better to go back to the car to get something than to get a bug in your stuff. If you *have* to carry in a bag get one that is just big enough and every pocket/compartment closes with a zipper and keep it zipped.

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Originally posted by Little One2

This is one of the reasons why I left Home care. AT one house, which was over a store/restaurant, there were cockroaches everywhere!! Ceiling, floor, furniture. It was DISGUSTING. I reported to the agency. I didn't want to go back.

I have also seen snakes, ferocious dogs, and other odd creatures.

Do I want to go back to home care?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

What would I do?? Think about not doing home care anymore. Or ask myself, are these creatures worth while dealing with?? Teach the patient about living in a sanitary environment??

Lee:p

SNAKES!!!!

(in a cage, right):eek:

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