Loaded gun

Yep, until the gun was safely stored during my visit, which starts the moment I pull up to the house, not when I walk into the bedroom. Safely stored means unloaded for starters.

I own guns, am not afraid of them per se, but I also respect what they can do, which is kill or injure me.

I think I would first have to know how balanced this pt is before I would say go or not go again, but I would encourage you to discuss this with your supervisor and explain how you personally feel about this situation.

TuTonka

The first thought that flashed through my head...

Patient becomes confused, mistakes nurse for intruder.

I think we can all imagine how the rest of that scenerio would play out.

Definitely a safety issue, at the time of death people react in strange ways and anyone in the home could use that gun. We once had a family member outside with a gun after her mom's death waiting for the nurse to come out. Other family called the sheriff's office and she left before they got there but of course they did go after her. This is a question we ask and assess on our admission safety check and tell them to lock them up or get them out of the house or we will not come back. Sorry, you never know how someone will react, a patient could even use it on himself at some point. Not against guns but against loaded guns that are available to even kids or others.

I am a gun owner, shooter and second amendment advocate and depending on the situation I would not feel comfortable with an armed patient. There are too many variables in hospice patients that make the possibility of a serious accident very possible. I carry a gun but not when I might be having a cocktail or doing anything else that might impair my judgment. A patient with terminal agitation, on large doses of morphine and facing imminent death is not the person I want to have a loaded .45.

Story one: I had a patient with some sort of civil war gun by his bed. I requested that his family removed it. I was assured they did, but guess what, he used it on himself. He was a very old man and it was so very horrible for us all and most of all his family. He was alone at the time, thank the lord. We think he could see "the writing on the wall" in terms of his increasing weakness, need for increased pain meds, etc. He did not have a depressed affect. It was hard.
Story 2: Another guy years ago (in Home Health actually) who had another civil war revolver --yeah I live in South West Virginia! And he just had to show it to me, loaded of course. I was a little nervous since I had to drive over cow grates and fields to get to the house and I was ALONE. Turns out he used it to shoot deer and then drag the deer to the front step for his dogs to chow down. And yes, there was a carcus on the front steps!
Story 3: Teenage Aides pt (about 20 years ago) who was on lots of dope and he had to show me his gun. I was really upset and told him I would never come back until it was locked up. His parents locked it up but not before his dad brought him out to kill a wild boar!
I am a rural nurse, and the idea of guns totally scares me and I do not look for such things but they make fine stories mind you, when in doubt leave and alway, always get your team involved, and if danger lurks then of course you must discharge.