Share The Weirdest Reasons Patients Push The Call Light

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Adam D. RN2005

151 Posts

I use to work in a senior assistant facility. They gave us pagers which were activated by the call lights. Well we always see rooms in the Alzheimer's unit coming up. And we would have to go to the computer to manually reset them. Well, when I transfered into the unit I found out why we would get six or seven call lights coming on together. It seems that one of the residents was a wanderer and she would wander into each room, pull the call light and then wanderer to the next room and do the same. And in that unit there was no light above the door and since we did not use pagers up there, we never knew which rooms were set off.

After working nearly 6 months in that unit, I saw it all.

The fingerpainters, wanderers, talkers, kleptomaniac. (yes we had a Klepto on the floor). And then there was the one that insisted she was married to me and hung onto me for dear life the entire shift.

Adam

Graduate Nurse

OntCaRPN

40 Posts

Many years ago our facility installed the light system you can speak over. This was supposed to save steps. You can just take the pain pill, glass of water, blanket with you the first time you go. Many, many pts call and say something like ...."I'd like to see a nurse". I say "Can I help you?" .... "Yes, it's Fred here in room 12, I'd like to see a nurse." .... "What's up Fred? Can I help you with something?" ...... "Yes, it's Fred and I'd like a nurse please."

Sometimes it's kind of cute. If we're busy and they want something I could have taken with me, it's not funny.

I often wonder .... in the middle of the night .... who do they think is answering the call bells?

I've started telling pts on admission, not only how to use the callbell but also that it is a nurse who answers. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it don't :)

Gromit

821 Posts

Specializes in ICU-Stepdown.

Only have a few:

Had a patient who had been used to having female nurses (no way could I ever be confused with that gender. I'm just a big-ole' biker boy, I may have long hair, but I've never been mistaken gender-wise (grin) ) well, this 'gentleman' (about 60 yrs old, if memory serves) would have the nurse put his 'member' into a urinal, and hold it there, so he could pee (and surprisingly enough, they had been doing it). I went in, and he looked up at me (now, it should be noted that he had full use of his hands, and while he was not able to walk, he certainly could do the job sans-assistance) and said "You're not female!" (I had -as always- introduced myself to each of my patients when my shift began -this was a few hours into the 12 hour shift) -I said 'correct.' -he said, "I always have a nurse help me pee." -I told him that as far as I was concerned, that was an " 'owner-operator' function" and that he had better figure that one out, or hold it until morning, but either way was fine with me.

Oddly enough, as far as I know, he never needed a nurse to help him pee anymore.

Had a little old lady buzz me because she couldn't change the channel on the TV, and she was tired of the program she was seeing. Could I shut it off for her or get her another TV ?? (our rooms are all private, hard-wired telemetry with full-service monitors in each room) -she had craned her neck around, and was staring (not happily) at the monitor on the wall, watching her rhythm, respiratory and pulse-ox strips run by on the screen. Each time she hit the button, her lights were going on and off, but the TV buttons were at the other end. Once I turned the call-controller around, she hit the TV channels, and the TV on the wall at the end of her bed lit up, she was happy as punch and asleep in less than half an hour.

Had a guy who was up there in age, who woke up screaming and cussing, several of us converged on his room, he was rolled onto his side, tugging HARD on his foley catheter, yelling "I can't get my member out of this hose!"

Gromit

821 Posts

Specializes in ICU-Stepdown.
I use to work in a senior assistant facility. They gave us pagers which were activated by the call lights. Well we always see rooms in the Alzheimer's unit coming up. And we would have to go to the computer to manually reset them. Well, when I transfered into the unit I found out why we would get six or seven call lights coming on together. It seems that one of the residents was a wanderer and she would wander into each room, pull the call light and then wanderer to the next room and do the same. And in that unit there was no light above the door and since we did not use pagers up there, we never knew which rooms were set off.

After working nearly 6 months in that unit, I saw it all.

The fingerpainters, wanderers, talkers, kleptomaniac. (yes we had a Klepto on the floor). And then there was the one that insisted she was married to me and hung onto me for dear life the entire shift.

Adam

Graduate Nurse

Adam, THAT is a riot!! hehehe.

I was a tech at a facility a few years ago, and we had this lady on our floor (she had been there for quite a while) -she was nice as pie, and during the day, was pretty well oriented. At NIGHT, however, she was Houdini Encarnate. She must have worked with linen all her working life, because she had this habit of taking every sheet, bedspread, fitted sheet (towel, washcloth, etc etc) and folding it, then stacking them in neat, organized, squares. One night she did this, and (quite by accident) stacked 'em on her bed-monitor strip, so we weren't alerted (this time) when she got out of bed. I went to do an accu-check on her (she was Q2hours -ours was a diabetic specialty floor, Q 1 hr, or 2 hr was normal for us) and she was missing. Her sheets (and the ones on the empty bed next to her) were folded and stacked neatly. So were the ones from the two empty rooms down the hall. I caught her in the third room, folding the sheets for the empty bed next to the one occupied one. She walked back, saying how nice I was to come and get her so she could have her break.

This lady cried the day she was discharged, telling us all how she was going to miss us. Keeping up with her could be a royal pain, but she was such a likable person :)

PsychRNMsz

63 Posts

Specializes in Medical Surgical & Behavioral Health.
You guys always crack me up, so I came up with this question to hear more funny weird stories.

What were some funny,stupied,or weird reasons patients push the call light for? Are you supposed to go to the room right away or how does it work? I will be an RN next year and intersted in knowing more about the actual daily life w/ pt.

During my CNA training I had to do several bed baths at a NH where we trained. After i completed getting my assigned pt up and ready for the day i was called in a gentlemans room to assist one of my classmates because she could not handle being alone with this man any longer. The man was bed bound but still had great function of his hands (you had to watch out for where he would grab). He refused to help in any way with the washing. So by the time we get to his genitals he has asked me 5 times if I am married and if I like older men. I am just glad that one of the male CNA's that work with this Pt finally came in. When i told my husband later that night he just laughed and said he hoped that he could be a dirty old man too someday.

OntCaRPN

40 Posts

mizzyrite25 ... I was sooooo hoping you were going to say that the male CNA said that he DID like older men!

PsychRNMsz

63 Posts

Specializes in Medical Surgical & Behavioral Health.
mizzyrite25 ... I was sooooo hoping you were going to say that the male CNA said that he DID like older men!

That would have been great but he just made the guy stop leering at my scrub top by distracting him with sports stories.

OntCaRPN

40 Posts

At your scrub top or down it? I had a fellow for a long time and every morning when I was tying his shoes, he asked me to lean a little closer so that he could see "those gorgeous mountains". I started putting his shoes on in bed with my back to him or waiting for the physiotherapist (male) to help me. Ick!

PsychRNMsz

63 Posts

Specializes in Medical Surgical & Behavioral Health.
At your scrub top or down it? I had a fellow for a long time and every morning when I was tying his shoes, he asked me to lean a little closer so that he could see "those gorgeous mountains". I started putting his shoes on in bed with my back to him or waiting for the physiotherapist (male) to help me. Ick!

Hahaha I do not want to know if he got a peek or not, i would think not because i wear a tank under my scrubs. If he did get a peek, then I am glad he didnt call them gorgeous mountains!

UM Review RN, ASN, RN

1 Article; 5,163 Posts

Specializes in Utilization Management.

Young guy, obese but still able to move, calls me into the room and asks me to push the buttons on the telephone for him so he could make a phone call. He then handed me the phone.

I said, "I know you're not feeling well, but we encourage patients to do as much as they can for themselves, and pushing the buttons on the telephone is one task that I believe you'll have no trouble doing independently."

lpnshortygurl

32 Posts

Hahaha I do not want to know if he got a peek or not, i would think not because i wear a tank under my scrubs. If he did get a peek, then I am glad he didnt call them gorgeous mountains!

I have one guy who wears a texas cath who rings the call bell to find out which nurse is working, then rings to say his texas cath fell off.. Problem is it falls off constantly although TRUST ME we make sure that it is on SNUG!! His roomate has said many times he pulls it off depending on who is working.. Its gross!

We also have quite a few people at this LTC/rehab facility who have personal phones :uhoh3: These become abuse mechanisms for us nurses. They will call all hours of the night to ask for petty things such as "who is working, Who will be the tx nurse tomorrow etc." the best is from a patient who is a quad pt that has a phone in which she uses a toothbrush in her mouth to dial the numbers. She is one of those "never satisfied although you just spent :LITERALLY: 2 hours in my room." kind of people. She will call the Nurse's station to say she "cannot reach her phone"... WTF???? how can you call if you cannot reach the phone???? Her family will call cussing the staff saying she called them stating she can't reach her phone! Go figure! :rotfl:

OntCaRPN

40 Posts

Oh pt phones! 911 called us one night because the lady in room 16 wanted a nurse and couldn't find her callbell. Another pt called 911 because his doctor hadn't been in for a few days. Another called a neighbouring hospital because she thought she might get better care there, she was looking for a better doctor too. Another called 911 because he was in pain. He'd seen that on TV. But, sir, you're in the hospital!!

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