A Funny Moment in LTC...

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I am an RN in my mid-forties. Recently, I was working in our facility's long term memory care unit. One of our residents, a salty little lady of 92, noticed my wedding ring on my finger and stated, "Oh, you got a new piece of jewelry!", to which I replied, "Oh, no, it's not new. I've had it since 1988." She looked up at me with a look that was 50% shock and 50% disgust and proclaimed, "You're OLD!!!"

That made my day. Do any of you have any funny moments you would like to share? I would love to hear some of them.

Specializes in acute care and geriatric.

Oh, you can get these dolls at ashtondrake.com (Not an advertisement, I have no stock in the company, nor do I work for them or am related to anyone who does -as far as I know)!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.

One evening, one of our little old ladies was obsessed with the hallway not being wide enough, for some reason. She kept saying that people were going to get "stuck" in the hallway because it was too narrow. Thinking that I was helping the situation (and not having had much experience with dementia at the time), I told her, "Martha, you don't have to worry about that. That hallway is almost wide enough to drive a team of horses through." Ooh, bad idea. Then Martha forgot about the hallway being too narrow and began freaking out about the team of horses that was going to be charging into her room at any minute and trampling her in her bed. My bad!

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I miss my dementia residents! We have more short term rehabs now and not many of these stories anymore...

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
I miss my dementia residents! We have more short term rehabs now and not many of these stories anymore...

LOL, I feel your pain. Maybe I could start a thread called, "A Crabby Moment in Short Term Rehab". :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Ambulatory Care.

[WIKI][/WIKI]Actually we buy dolls that were created for use as "doll therapy" for our Alzheimer's patients, they feel and weigh and smell like the real thing, This really calms many of our patients (male and female). We dress them according to the seasons and this actually helps our patients know when it is winter and when it is summer.

We had a life like doll for a dementia resident and she woke up in the middle of the night and wanted the nurse to call 911 because her baby was not breathing.

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Specializes in LTC.
Actually we buy dolls that were created for use as "doll therapy" for our Alzheimer's patients, they feel and weigh and smell like the real thing, This really calms many of our patients (male and female). We dress them according to the seasons and this actually helps our patients know when it is winter and when it is summer.

We had a life like doll for a dementia resident and she woke up in the middle of the night and wanted the nurse to call 911 because her baby was not breathing.

And what ended up happening? Did they play along or tell the resident the baby is breathing fine?

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Specializes in LTC, ER, ICU, Psych, Med-surg...etc....

1st female resident- Are you going to play Bingo?

2nd Resident- I don't know anything about a dingo.

3rd Resident- She didn't say dingo. You need to pay better attention, she asked you if you were related to George Bush.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
1st female resident- Are you going to play Bingo?

2nd Resident- I don't know anything about a dingo.

3rd Resident- She didn't say dingo. You need to pay better attention, she asked you if you were related to George Bush.

:D:D:D

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Ambulatory Care.

We had a life like doll for a dementia resident and she woke up in the middle of the night and wanted the nurse to call 911 because her baby was not breathing.

And what ended up happening? Did they play along or tell the resident the baby is breathing fine?

Luckily she had dementia so they took the baby and told her they were calling the doctor and were able to redirect her. She was not given her another doll. She could only have stuffed animals.

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Specializes in LTC.

Last night .. I was finishing up my med pass and I am outside a room with 4 dementia patients. The CNA told me Bed C was awake. Bed A was stripping naked. Bed C could see all of this. Bed C was concerned about the soup on the stove. She told me to turn off the stove, and check to see if it was hot. I played along. Its easier. So I went to go finish up my last room and I went back into her room.

Me- "Mary, I just checked on the soup.. its hot and I turned off the stove. I tasted it too it was delicious."

Mary- "Oh good. I'm glad. Did you have dinner already?"

Me- "Yes I did. I will have the soup for lunch tomorrow."

Mary- "Help yourself. Those women over there.. (her roommates) .. did they have dinner? That one(the one who is stripping naked) looks like shes going somewhere. Where is she going?

Me- They aren't going anywhere its bedtime. And yes they had dinner earlier. Now its time for bed I'm turning the lights out in here and going to bed too. I will see you tomorrow.

Mary- "Ok good night."

And not another peep from that room.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Ambulatory Care.

I was toileting a resident one day, and as usually I was talking her through the process. While she was seating I changed the incontinence pad and explained what I was doing.

I said "now you are going to stand up and I am going to pull up your pants"

She replied "if you do that that thing will be next to my *****"

I replied "yes ma'am it will"

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Specializes in LTC, Dementia/Alzheimer's.

Female resident in her 90s told her caregiver she was worried she might be pregnant, because she hadn't had her period for awhile.. LOL

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