Here is the letter I wrote: I edited it a little to protect names.

I copied and pasted it for you to read while standing in line at the grocery store or something sometime. LOL Thanks again.

Here goes: Dear ***
cc: ****, RN, Charge Nurse
**** Administrator

Thank you for your hard work at ____. I appreciate your listening ear and determination to make this business flourish and touch our community in a positive way. I wish this letter was about one of the many awesome hardworking healthcare providers that I am honored to work with. However, this letter must be written.

I desperately want to believe that the Safety of our Residents is our Priority at ______. I want to believe that we have a no-tolerance policy for any healthcare worker at _____ who continually puts a resident in harms way.

I must express my deep dismay over the lack of care for some of our residents on __Hall at ________ on February 20, 2009. Once again, I was rudely awakened from my disbelief and faced with a harsh truth. The truth is that every day, there are human beings working in the health care field at ______ who callously and coldly put our residents in danger.

ØTonight, at 7:30 pm, Carmen , the permanent CNA, was nowhere to be found. I looked in **** and ****** room… since their door was closed… I thought Carmen must be in their room since their door was closed. (I had already talked to Carmen on another occasion about her leaving without notice and having **** and **** door closed with their needs unmet.)


ØTonight, after opening **** and ****’s closed door, I found ***** alone in the bathroom on the toilet, **** alone in her wheel chair without her oxygen on…Dirty linen on the floor along with dirty laundry and dirty briefs sprawled all over the floor. I Notified ****, RN, charge nurse, for her to be my witness to the hazardous conditions these two residents were left in. I don’t know how long they had been in that room alone without care with the door closed. I am thankful Luella did not fall…

ØAfter I presented the situation to *******, RN, with my medications to pass in hand, I waited in ***** and *****’s room at their doorway for Carmen to come back… for 20 minutes.

ØDuring those 20 minutes, **** sat there on that toilet. The other techs were in rooms working and could not be pulled away. Luella also would need a lift machine to be taken off the toilet. I had my hands full of medications. So, deeply saddened, for 20 minutes, I waited while no one was around to help**** or *****. What if I had not opened that door???? What if???? ***** wanted to go to bed. I put her 02 on and encouraged her to hold on. None of the other CNA’s (___ or ____ ) had seen Carmen S, and no one had been told where she had gone. I wondered about all the times this has probably happened before…

ØDuring this same time, another resident I love (&&&&&) was crying in the hallway, stripping out of her clothes… longing to go to bed. I tried to soothe her with words of comfort (in the doorway) while taking care of *****and *****. &&&& was waiting for Carmen…

ØThere were several other residents waiting on Carmen.

ØWhen Carmen came back, I asked her where she had been and why she hadn’t told me where she was going. She said that she had to run out to her car to get her pill. I asked, “It took you 20 minutes to do that andyou didn’t think it necessary to tell me or to get ***** off the toilet first?”She cut me off and said, “It will not happen again.”

But…it did…

ØLater in this same evening, Carmen , CNA, came to me to tell me she needed to take a barrel down to laundry. I looked at my watch and said, “Okay”…After 10 minutes of waiting for her to get back so I could tell her about Donna needing to be changed; (Donna was soaked) I finally went to the laundry room to find her. Once again, Carmen was no where to be found. The techs were also helping me look for her. The girl in the Laundry room said she had not seen her.

Ø15 minutes later when she approached my way, I confronted her. She denied being gone that long and that she had been in another room caring for a resident. She then said that I could even go ask the CNA from A hall that she had been with in the Laundry room. So, I went to A hall and found the CNA that was with her. I asked, “Did you go to the laundry room with Carmen a while ago?” She said, “Yes”. I asked, “Where did Carmen go after that?” She said, “Out to smoke”. At this point, I was shocked! I still am! The A- Hall Tech is a fabulous, honest, hardworking woman. Carmen S. continued to stick to her story and denied being out smoking when the residents were soaked and ready to go to bed. Another resident (^^^^^) did not get to bed until almost 10 PM…She was so tired and soaked.

ØI took several personal phone calls for her tonight and almost every time I work with her on ___ hall. I find myself leaving my medications or charting to answer the phone when the calls are usually for her. I also wasn’t the only one taking calls for her..

ØI worked overtime, because of these safety issues.


I REALLY LIKED CARMEN. I really did….I do not ever want to work with her again…I know I will have to…and it pains me to think after this letter she will still have a job here at ________. I feel sorry for Stephanie, LPN tomorrow night. She will have to work with this CNA. She told me she too has had a hard time with this CNA.

On behalf of our elderly…I will continue to let you know about any safety issues. Will you check your filesfor other times Carmen has been written up for leaving ourresidents indanger? Most of us nurses think it is a waste of time to write- up careless, selfish, techs. I am still hoping it is not a waste of time. Ask any nurse on second shift about Carmen S… because they may have not written her up due to the fear of nothing being done about it.

I desperately want to believe that the Safety of our Residents is our Priority at ___________. I want to believe that we have a no-tolerance policy for any healthcare worker at __________ who continually puts a resident in harms way.


Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,


_----------

I am an LPN, by the way. I worked at the Hospital too as a CNA, but miss home care...The Nursing home breaks my heart....Thank you for everthing you are...to this site.

I have ended up to your site several times. I am really searching right now and need help with my health...I was a HHA and CNA in HOme care...Now, I find myself at a nursing home and just got back from my first visit to the hospital after thinking I was having a heart attack on my day off....It was my first panic attack. I want to go back to Home health. Would you be willing to contact me more about your experiences? I don't know how to send you something private...But, if you will tell me how, I would love to chat with you when you have time...I'm almost 40, two teenage boys...desperate.

Hey systoly, if you could anwser my five questions I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much for your help

Lindsay V

Systoly: thanks for the flattering message you have left on my profile! I look forward to reading more of your posts.