AM care?

Yes, I think that stinks also that days are too busy for whirlpool baths also. I guess one lady says she is offered at 1:30 PM a whirlpool but she doesn't want one at that time of day. Why have that kind of tub if they can't staff to use it, oh well.:icon_roll

Do they have showers? Or, maybe they can do the bed bath in between the whirlpool?

Yeah, it does stink. Sometimes the showers break and then you are stuck. And sometimes the hot water broke and that was even worse.

what about a shower aide? this could free up a lot of time for the aide. even if she did half of each aids showers it would make the day a lot easier...or even a float aide

It would be nice to have a bath aide but they can't keep a good bath aide. Everytime you think you have one, they quit or get an excuse to not do it so everyone does their own showers/baths now (twice a week, some are only once a week, one is daily and it ties up the CNA for over an hour since she gets a good long soak ($$). Anyway, Residents have the choice of shower or bath but more than once I've heard them complain that during the day they don't have time for the whirlpool bath. Sad.

Hello,

We have a small facility, (33 beds) with 3 aids. Patient care isn't being finished until lunchtime. What can we do to make a.m. care go more smoothly? Any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

By the way, out of the 33 patients, 24 are complete care, 6 are assist, and the rest are independ.

My suggestion would be to have more CNAs on staff so the CNA-to-resident ratio is more reasonable. My whole section of residents is complete care, and many of them require a lift, which also requires a second CNA to be there to assist. It takes a lot longer to do a shower or a bath when you have to wait for another CNA to be free to help you. I try to team up with another CNA to help with mechanical lifts, but if the numbers are odd, like the 3 CNAs that are on your shift, then one CNA is left without a partner.

My suggestion would be to have more CNAs on staff so the CNA-to-resident ratio is more reasonable. My whole section of residents is complete care, and many of them require a lift, which also requires a second CNA to be there to assist. It takes a lot longer to do a shower or a bath when you have to wait for another CNA to be free to help you. I try to team up with another CNA to help with mechanical lifts, but if the numbers are odd, like the 3 CNAs that are on your shift, then one CNA is left without a partner.

That's exactly the problem. The completes also need a hoyer lift to get up. So, another aid has to stop what she/he is doing to get the other resident up. We do have a few residents that get up on third, by choice, but occasionally they want to sleep in.

A part-time C.N.A would be great! But, I doubt that is in our "budget'!!

Don't get me wrong, I think our staffing ratio is pretty good compared to other facilities and we have a fourth aid that is a "restorative aid" she ambulates patients, spends one one time with them, but per administration, is not allowed to spend her time doing patient care.

i guess my biggest complaint is someone that doesn't have anything to do with direct patient care, dictates how fast everyone needs to be ready ! The families can be just as bad! " how come auntie isn't dressed yet? it's 10:00am she should be dressed!!"