A way to turn stress into gold? Healthcare Corruption

IowaKaren · Apr 15, 2012

Interesting concept that I do agree on. I doubt the families of most residents agree on all this but yes, I do see your point. It's a different world we live in and actually can be depressing when you think about it with all the rules/regulations enforced but guess the limits have been pushed by someone requiring them to be placed.

Naturess · Apr 15, 2012

As long as the corrupt governments (pretty much all of them) are in power, with all their ties to industrialist's families like the Kaiser Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Council on Foreign Relations, and all their weapons and threats of imprisonment for going against THEIR way which is the BEST way... the world ain't gonna change I suppose. Thanks for the comment.

catlvr · Apr 18, 2012

I take it that you work in LTC as well. I view this environment as dysfunctional at best, and often downright abusive. There are a lot of front line staff doing their best to give their residents a decent life in their last years, but they are stymied by regulations that really don't serve the best interest of the patient.

I suppose the way in which a facility is run depends a lot of top management. I was fortunate to work for one with an outstanding DON: she treated the residents as adults; if they were cognizant and wanted an alcoholic drink, we got an order for it and agreement from family. If they didn't want one of our complicated dressings, we educated the patient, documented refusal, and did what the patient wanted. If someone didn't want to take three calcium pills a day, we educated, documented continued refusal, and notified the doc. We also worked hard to get dressings changed once a week, instead of the insane twice daily - and it is actually better for most wounds that are not draining copiously.

Your idea of a documentary to make folks start to consider the ways in which they want to be treated is great - please put a plug in for better food so that patients are not "forced" to drink supplements!

dentyne628 · Apr 19, 2012

Wow I could have written this myself. I also am in LTC and so in love with it (sarcastic) I am going into computers. I have been an LPN for 25 years the last 10 years have been in LTC, not sure if it's the LTC or nursing in general but I'm really over nursing. It's all about the money, how they (corporate) can save money and keep the minimum of staff, while taking care of the patients. We work with little supplies and have learned to make do, but let state come in and we have everything, extra staff, extra supplies and extra help. I don't really blame the businesses, SNF, ALF, etc but the government. The people making the laws, regulations etc have probably never worked a day on the floor, have never had to tell a patient we dont' have any more wash cloths, no evening snacks, etc. Not that it happens all the time, but it shouldn't happen at all. I don't know what the answer is, but when you have 1 LPN and 3 or 4 CNAs for 60 patients, even if it is on the night shift, how can they expect the proper care to be given?!! It's going to end up costing us all more in the long run, there will be more falls, more law suits, more laws, more regulations, less staff, more money, more falls, more law suits, just like a vicious circle. I have written several articles for the editorial of our local paper, but never turned them in, because the persons that really need to read them, will never see theirselves in what they read. So would a documentary really change anything? Don't know, but maybe if you got enough health care staff involved we could affect a change at the government level and make life better for our patients and ourselves. Count me in.

dentyne628 · Apr 19, 2012

Oh one more thing, about the pills, for those of you who have been a nurse for more than 20 years remember drug holidays? For you newer nurses, that was a day usually the wknd, that only the most necessary, insulin, b/p, cardiac were given, no stool softners, no vitamins, anything that would not affect an immediate change was held. But I guess that cut into the pharmaceutical companies pockets and thus the nursing home pockets. And one more thing and I promise I'll get off my soap box, what about the prescription drug addicts that come in, they could be sound asleep and if the least little thing wakes them up they want their drug. It's not healthy for the patient to be dependent on narcotics and I have a problem giving the narcotics to them. Now, don't misunderstand me if they are fresh out of surgery, new fx, etc I do not have a problem giving them the medication. It's the ones that have been with us for weeks and weeks and weeks with no cause to take them that I have a problem with. OK I'm done. LOL I'm really not a bad person or even a bad nurse, just tired!!!