CNA's keep removing the patients alarms off of the beds

allnurses Guide · Nov 21, 2012

I've been in trouble in the last few weeks for having a resident fall and the bed alarm not being

turned on, so I feel your pain.

Unfortunately, the best, practically the only way, to truly keep your butt covered is to set aside

time at the beginning of your shift to go around the unit and check every resident to make sure

that their alarms are in place and turned on. Easier said than done I know, especially if you are

like me and work on a 54 bed unit, on which most of the residents have bed alarms.

Anyway, have a meeting with your regular aides, and let them know that you WILL be checking

alarms every shift, and if any residents fall that did not have bed alarms in place and working;

there will be serious consequence for the aide(s) working that hall. Let them know that you

simply have no choice in the matter.

Good luck. =)

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Nov 22, 2012

We got rid of ALL alarms. They have not been shown to prevent falls and give everyone a false sense of safety.

Blackcat99 · Nov 22, 2012

That sounds wonderful. No alarms!!!! I guess it's time for me to go work for CapeCodMermaid. These alarms are a nightmare for both staff and patients. I totally agree. They are worthless.

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Nov 25, 2012

When I worked LTC, my aides used to "forget" to put alarms on all the time. And I agree, they don't prevent falls. They just let you know when someone has already hit the floor.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Nov 25, 2012

Where I work the CNAs are responsible for ensuring the alarms are on. They have to initial a fall alarm checklist every two hours. Ditto for a resident location check list. Not everything needs to fall on the licensed nurse.

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Nov 25, 2012

We used to have all kinds of things the aides had to initial. They just falsified everything. God I don't miss LTC.

FLmed · Nov 25, 2012

When I worked LTC, my aides used to "forget" to put alarms on all the time. And I agree, they don't prevent falls. They just let you know when someone has already hit the floor.

True!!! I'm not a fan of bed alarms either.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Nov 25, 2012

We used to have all kinds of things the aides had to initial. They just falsified everything. God I don't miss LTC.

Well, if they falsify their documentation it falls on them, not us.

Blackcat99 · Nov 25, 2012

I went into a patient's room when the bed alarm was ringing. I asked her what happened and she said that all she did was turn to her other side. The patient was so upset about all the noise that she said she was not going to move in bed the rest of the night.

JZ_RN · Nov 25, 2012

We only had one or 2 residents I think an alarm would have been useful for, one that constantly fell and another that got up unattended a lot and would fall about half the time. The others, why have the noise? Either way though, if the aides are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, write them up. The ones that are decent workers will follow rules so why worry about the rest? You're there to do your job, not make friends with lazy employees.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2012

Where I work the CNAs are responsible for ensuring the alarms are on. They have to initial a fall alarm checklist every two hours. Ditto for a resident location check list. Not everything needs to fall on the licensed nurse.

When I worked as an CNA we a checklist to initial. If a bed alarm was not on, there would be repercussions for the CNA that did not have the alarm on. However, it is a bit naive to believe that all the poo-poo will land on the CNA and not on the nurse if a resident falls.