akward situations in the home

Specialties Private Duty

Published

I. Have done 2 cases this week that have situations I never seen Before. I work 11pm to 7 am. Yhe cases are chikldr

Children 4 years old with gbutton. Mom sleeps with the child in a full size bed. I feel kinda awkward becase I sit in a chair about 5 feet from the bed,meaning I can see both of them sleeping. The case is alright but I don't know how I am going to get used to it. Also,mom is looking and scrutizing everything u do. She also turns off all the lights so the only light I have is a flashlight. Anybody ever run into any awkard situations in the home setting? Please share!

Completely feel as though your employer should find this an unsafe condition for you to provide the skilled interventions allowing them to acquire hours for PDN for this client. If the care isn't truly needed (what's the need if your watching the client sleep) then why is it provided? Personally I would request my supervisor speak with the caregiver's about allowing other sleeping arrangements for the child or they should remove themselves from the room and sleep elsewhere. How are you able to observe and monitor your client's safety if your sitting in a dark room?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I work home care/private duty, and my client's mother sleeps in the same bed with him (he's 3 and also has a g-tube). But I don't have to do his assessment in the bed. I arrive in the morning and they bring him to another part of the house. I have had to go into the room where they were both sleeping and bring him out myself, which was a little awkward (have done that when the mom was sleeping next to the child AND when the dad was sleeping next to the child). I just act as professional as possible. Fortunately, the parents aren't "shushing" me, or breathing down my neck. :nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I dont find anything odd about someone sleeping in the same bed as thier child but what seems odd to me is that they would have nursing care for their child....so maybe they dont have another room to sleep in? or maybe they do worry about their child but isnt that kind of why the nurse is there? so they can get a break and go get some rest? ok I guess I am being naive here? but I would definately feel odd about this, at the hospital they make the parents sleep in a cot next to the child at least so you can do what what you need to when you need to with the child. And if the parent doesnt like the light on, this would be another reason to be sleeping somewhere else? Not that you need to have a light shining on the patient but you certainly need to be able to assess your patient! I would think that the nursing company might have an issue with this as well? But obviously not....?

The child also needs frequent suctioning orally and is on cpap at hs. Its not a medicaid case but private pay,so I think they need rest.I think they may have money because the child goes to cali to have dental care and they have 2 nannies who do his carw when I'm not there. So the nannies do 8am to 9pm,then I do 9pm to 8am.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Completely feel as though your employer should find this an unsafe condition for you to provide the skilled interventions allowing them to acquire hours for PDN for this client. If the care isn't truly needed (what's the need if your watching the client sleep) then why is it provided? Personally I would request my supervisor speak with the caregiver's about allowing other sleeping arrangements for the child or they should remove themselves from the room and sleep elsewhere. How are you able to observe and monitor your client's safety if your sitting in a dark room?

I thought that is the reason, to have a nurse to watch the client sleep so that way if they code you are there?basically we are there just in cases of emergency. Also with parents sleeping with children,isn't it dangerous? What if someone rolls over the child? ( esp, these children,who are often underweight and small with long term disablities). What if the trach gets blocked by someones arm? Or the circuit gets pulled out accidently? If u knew a parent was sleeping with their child, and something happened(but not on your shift,on a night when no nurse was there) how would u answer that in a court of law? I can imagine it now,the judge asking me about nursing teaching and why that was not included.(me,I'm always thinking of legal implications)

If I'm not mistaken,in peds they tell parents not to sleep with newbies or has it changed? I know I'm talking about children and not newbies but I would think those reasons would apply here in children up to 15 yo.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I also never sleep on the night shift and inform my patients of that fact. I refuse to allow them to jeopardize my license by placing me in a position of vulnerability by taking up their offer to "turn off the lights and sleep". What other nurses do is their business and I tell the patient this.

And I do believe some parents would set a nurse up just so they can sue,esp if they need money. My nursing malpractice had some interesting court cases involving nurses in their newsletter.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
And I do believe some parents would set a nurse up just so they can sue,esp if they need money. My nursing malpractice had some interesting court cases involving nurses in their newsletter.

If not for the whole kit and kaboodle of a lawsuit, they do it to have the upper hand when they want to control the nurse. They know what the nurse is supposed to do and not do. When they get the nurse doing those left of center things, they are the ones holding the sword of Damocles over the nurse's head. They learn very quickly that they can make any accusation to the agency that they please and that the agency will go along with whatever they say, whether true or not.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
QUOTE=smartnurse1982;4206544]I thought that is the reason, to have a nurse to watch the client sleep so that way if they code you are there?basically we are there just in cases of emergency. Also with parents sleeping with children,isn't it dangerous? What if someone rolls over the child? ( esp, these children,who are often underweight and small with long term disablities). What if the trach gets blocked by someones arm? Or the circuit gets pulled out accidently?. . .

. . .If I'm not mistaken,in peds they tell parents not to sleep with newbies or has it changed? I know I'm talking about children and not newbies but I would think those reasons would apply here in children up to 15 yo.

Right. We're there at night to monitor the patient so the parents can sleep at night. Pediatricians do tell parents not to sleep in the same bed as their newborns, though I have heard varying statistics about the actual danger of it. In practice, it is much more common. When we're dealing with children with trachs, vents, cpap, apnea monitors etc. sleeping in the same bed without an awake and alert observer is super dangerous! Alarms aren't foolproof, and some people sleep through them! :eek: Very easy to knock a vent circuit apart, especially the way I've seen some people put them together.

I think I originally thought the child sleeping in parents bed in the dark only had a feeding tube going, in which case it wouldn't be life-threatening if it were disconnected by accident. Anything airway related, never take chances is how I feel about it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I thought that is the reason, to have a nurse to watch the client sleep so that way if they code you are there?basically we are there just in cases of emergency. Also with parents sleeping with children,isn't it dangerous? What if someone rolls over the child? ( esp, these children,who are often underweight and small with long term disablities). What if the trach gets blocked by someones arm? Or the circuit gets pulled out accidently? If u knew a parent was sleeping with their child, and something happened(but not on your shift,on a night when no nurse was there) how would u answer that in a court of law? I can imagine it now,the judge asking me about nursing teaching and why that was not included.(me,I'm always thinking of legal implications)

If I'm not mistaken,in peds they tell parents not to sleep with newbies or has it changed? I know I'm talking about children and not newbies but I would think those reasons would apply here in children up to 15 yo.

My post was intended to be interpreted as: why does a parent request nursing if the nurse is unable to see (b/c the lights are out and not allowed to be on requiring a flashlight to be used or the nurse being requested to stay outside of the room the client is sleeping in b/c it disturbs their sleep). I feel the nurse should have the ability to perform her job duties which includes the ability to see her client for monitoring and knowing they have the ability to breath with unobstructed airways and mechanically, sound equipment in place.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Medical, Rehab, Psych.

"I wouldn't do private duty unless I had to. I can't think of a more boring way to work."

Well, in my area they're the only ones hiring new grads. So I guess that's a "have to."

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment