Charity Patients

Nurses Activism

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I am not aware of hospital policies but I am just curious why my floor keeps 3 charity cases and they have been in the hospital for over a year!

1) an illegal immigrant who has family in US but will not take him (I heard they are homeless which I doubt)

2) a patient who is a double amputee who colostomy and dialysis patient who keeps on getting fluid overload because he will not adhere to fluid restriction. He is also very rude to nurses and treats nurses like trash and also asks nurses to bring juice to his jobless but able bodied son who lives with him in the hospital

3) lady with self induced respiratory acidosis because she will not wear her bipap

What kind of policy, regulation that keep them in the hospital? Thanks.

Specializes in Critical-care RN.

Oh Please... click on the link and learn something about blue states :yes: http://www.http.nurses.bluestatedigital.com

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Oh Please... click on the link and learn something about blue states :yes: www.http.nurses.bluestatedigital.com

I'll pass. I already learn so much from your oh, so informative posts :-)

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Specializes in Acute Care - Adult, Med Surg, Neuro.

Back to the topic, we have had patients who have been there many months. Most of the time they are sex offenders, felons, or confused & violent elderly that are not safety able to be discharged home, but are also not safe to be around other vulnerable adults in a group home/assisted living/nursing home environment. As you can image these aren't the most pleasant of patients to have day after day and frustrations run very high.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Back to the topic we have had patients who have been there many months. Most of the time they are sex offenders, felons, or confused & violent elderly that are not safety able to be discharged home, but are also not safe to be around other vulnerable adults in a group home/assisted living/nursing home environment. As you can image these aren't the most pleasant of patients to have day after day and frustrations run very high.[/quote']

Oh wow. I can't even imagine having to go through that every day. Better person than I if you can get through that and still want to practice.

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Oh wow. We used to have a child molester in our unit and the nurse will not go to his room lol

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

I shudder when I consider what will happen when the general population figures out hospitals can't discharge pts who refuse to go to LTC.

We've have pts for MONTHS who cannot go home, and refuse to be discharged to LTC. Family won't take them, or the pt doesn't want to go with family.

They've been threatened by social services that Medicare won't pay the bill and they will be responsible. That doesn't work. Family tries to convince them to go to assisted living. They refuse. THEY WANT TO GO HOME AND NOTHING LESS WILL DO. Unless of course it's living in the hospital. That's a close second.

They aren't charity pts exactly. But eventually they could be.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

[charity collector]: At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.

{Scrooge}:Are there no prisons?

[charity collector]:Plenty of prisons...

{Scrooge}:And the Union workhouses, are they still in operation?

[charity collector]:Both very busy, sir...

{Scrooge}:Those who are badly off must go there.

[charity collector]:Many can't go there; and many would rather die.

{Scrooge}: If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

Call me crazy, and I'm just spit balling here, but perhaps the administrators have determined to care for these individuals despite the cost because it is simply the right thing to do? What do you think? Is that possible?

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Specializes in geriatrics, IV, Nurse management.
[charity collector]: At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.

{Scrooge}:Are there no prisons?

[charity collector]:Plenty of prisons...

{Scrooge}:And the Union workhouses, are they still in operation?

[charity collector]:Both very busy, sir...

{Scrooge}:Those who are badly off must go there.

[charity collector]:Many can't go there; and many would rather die.

{Scrooge}: If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

Call me crazy, and I'm just spit balling here, but perhaps the administrators have determined to care for these individuals despite the cost because it is simply the right thing to do? What do you think? Is that possible?

Amen. I can't imagine and am grateful I live in the North.

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The amputee patient I mentioned apparently is not allowed to go AMA so it looks like our hospital is stuck with him until the course of his life runs over which is being hastened by his in noncompliance. He is full code by the way and when I wheeled him into icu one day, he told me if he is dying, tell everyone to do everything to keep him alive. I was also told a story about a charity patient who keeps going back to the hospital and one day drove drunk and hit a house. The cops took him to jail but released him to the hospital because he has many medical issue and prison does not want liability, the patient wishes to stay in jail and had to be carried away to the hospital. I am sure when US goes broke, there will be changes made. Thanks though for hastening the process libertards.

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I am horrified that in the 21st Century, someone is called a "charity case".

No they are human beings who despite their financial or psych issues are deserving of compassionate care.

I am truly horrified when I read posts like this. In Canada, it's called looking for a fellow human being for the greater good of society as a whole.

I hope the OP is never in a position to be so judged by anyone.

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Fiona, what is wrong about calling someone a charity case? What is horrifying about that? These patients have a common denominator - noncompliance. Have you had anybody beg for your forgiveness but do the same sin over and over again? Have you ever been abused? There are people who are deserving help, they should be the one receiving it. Why are these behaviors being rewarded? If you like them so much, can we send them to your facility?

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Specializes in geriatrics, IV, Nurse management.
Fiona what is wrong about calling someone a charity case? What is horrifying about that? These patients have a common denominator - noncompliance. Have you had anybody beg for your forgiveness but do the same sin over and over again? Have you ever been abused? There are people who are deserving help, they should be the one receiving it. Why are these behaviors being rewarded? If you like them so much, can we send them to your facility?[/quote']

It is wrong. As nurses we are taught to provide care and not judge. Why should it matter how much it costs to keep them? Are you footing the bill? Please feel free to send them to mine if it is such an burden to provide the care.

And for behaviours, who are we to punish or reward? I just had a seminar for my staff with that attitude because it does contribute to how you provide care and providing less care to someone can be a form of abuse or neglect.

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