Advice Please!!!!!!!!

London Turtle · May 9, 2005

I am a peds HH nurse and I have one case where the house is just so gross, I have brought this to a number of folks attention, even the bureau for developmental disabilitys and nobody seems to care. There is stuff everywhere and you can barley walk around let alone get to the needed supplies. There are ants all over the house, as well as multiple animals and there was even dog crap on the floor. I was told by my emplyer that I can at anytime refuse to return to a case. But does this make me a bad nurse or person for that matter?? Has anyone else had this problem??

I have been in numerous homes that are so filthy and disgusting. The smell is so intense, that I can smell it on me after i leave, and so I try to get home and shower, but that's not always possible. Some homes the roaches are so bad I'm sure that I have them crawling on me when I leave. One home, this poor dear lady who did not know that her home was unacceptable by most. I came in one day and when I went to put the BP cuff on her I saw she was literally covered with bed bugs. I had never seen a bed bug before, but had seen there description. I knew right away what they were. She had lived like this all her life. When I hot lined it the social worker said he knew (he was raised in the same town) and knew the family well from childhood. The house was so bad you could see through to the outside in several places, the rain poured in in several places, including on her bed. She fried her morning eggs in the same unwashed skillet for years, ate from dirty dishes, did not know what a shower was, an out door toilet, no running water (ok that used to be acceptable) and in the winter, sat in the same chair by her wood stove day after day. There was no other place in the house that was warm. I could go on. It took several hotline calls, but we finally got her out of there. And yes I've seen dog poop on the floor many times in many homes. Another home, my patient lives with her daughter and all the kitchen counters are piled a foot high with dirty dishes, The dining table, a foot high with food stuff. You can't even walk around in the kitchen for all the junk piled, and every where else in the house is about as bad. The daughter is able, but evidently not willing. I can kinda understand if there is some developmental disability.

It does not make you a bad nurse if you choose to leave. You have to be in there 8 or so hours? Most the homes that are filthy I can leave in 30-45 minutes. And haven't refused, but I'd like to. I cannot imagine staying an entire shift!

suzanne4, RN · May 9, 2005

CPS is available (Child Protective Services). If you are dealing with minor children, then by all means get them involved to look out for the children if nothing else. When children are involved, and their welfare is at stake, then something needs to be done. Even for the animals in the house, because this means that they are not getting properly taken care of either. For the animals, you can call it in to Animal Control for your county.........

But I am quite surprised that your agency never made these suggestions to you...........

suzanne4, RN · May 9, 2005

I have been in numerous homes that are so filthy and disgusting. The smell is so intense, that I can smell it on me after i leave, and so I try to get home and shower, but that's not always possible. Some homes the roaches are so bad I'm sure that I have them crawling on me when I leave. One home, this poor dear lady who did not know that her home was unacceptable by most. I came in one day and when I went to put the BP cuff on her I saw she was literally covered with bed bugs. I had never seen a bed bug before, but had seen there description. I knew right away what they were. She had lived like this all her life. When I hot lined it the social worker said he knew (he was raised in the same town) and knew the family well from childhood. The house was so bad you could see through to the outside in several places, the rain poured in in several places, including on her bed. She fried her morning eggs in the same unwashed skillet for years, ate from dirty dishes, did not know what a shower was, an out door toilet, no running water (ok that used to be acceptable) and in the winter, sat in the same chair by her wood stove day after day. There was no other place in the house that was warm. I could go on. It took several hotline calls, but we finally got her out of there. And yes I've seen dog poop on the floor many times in many homes. Another home, my patient lives with her daughter and all the kitchen counters are piled a foot high with dirty dishes, The dining table, a foot high with food stuff. You can't even walk around in the kitchen for all the junk piled, and every where else in the house is about as bad. The daughter is able, but evidently not willing. I can kinda understand if there is some developmental disability.
It does not make you a bad nurse if you choose to leave. You have to be in there 8 or so hours? Most the homes that are filthy I can leave in 30-45 minutes. And haven't refused, but I'd like to. I cannot imagine staying an entire shift!

Adult Protective Services are also available in cases such as this, but they need to be notified..........there is usually something that can be done....that will be benenficial to these patients. We need to look out for them, not stay away from them.

renerian, BSN, RN · May 9, 2005

I agree with the APS and CPS posts.

renerian

London Turtle · May 10, 2005

I agree with the APS and CPS posts.
renerian

So help me out here. Division of Aging (or Division of Health and Senior Services) as it is now called in my state; is aware. Perhaps this is not the same as APS. I don't know. I have always been told to hotline circumstances like these to DHSS. And perhaps this is not the same from state to state. If anyone can direct me to APS I would be so appreciative. Most of my hotlines result in very little help. So if there is anything else I can do, I will!!

suzanne4, RN · May 10, 2005

Not sure where you are.................you can try your County Health Dept to have them steer you in the correct direction. Unfortunately, you may get a quicker response from the department that handles cruelty to animals.........there is no reason for animals to have live in conditions like that either.......You can also make a routine call to your local police dept to get their suggestions on this matter............You have health endangerment on all angles here..............worst comes to worse, contact your local newspaper, something will definitely get done then. Sometimes you just need to look outside the box. :)

But for an agency just to tell you that you do not need to go back there???

Shame on them for not stepping forward and trying to do something.

renerian, BSN, RN · May 10, 2005

Yes I also agree for some reason, and I think it is sheer caseload and not enough staff, the Protective Services are slow for adults. I find it moves quicker for kids but for adults/akin to molasses.

I have lived in several cities and found the Protective Services housed at a county office. They would come in, investigate the situation your reporting as neglectfull or abusive. Does not have to be proof mostly/just a suspicion. If you report/mandated by law here, it does the CYB thing.

renerian

doubledee34 · May 10, 2005

I had a somewhat similar problem when I did pediatric home care. The house was infested with roaches. The roaches would crawl around the liquid medicine bottles. I never went back to that assignment because I found a roach in my bag while driving in my car. I didn't want to take my work home with me. A nurse should be able to work in a clean working environment.