Correct and Current Information

[justme01]

Okay, where do I get up to date information on residents? Today I was going over my shower schedule. I have been told that one of the residents on my list is a Hospice patient. I have been told that the Hospice aides come in and do the showers for the hospice patients.

I wanted to be sure so I approached the nurses station. One of the nurses told me that this resident is not on Hospice. Another nurse told me that she is on Hospice but I am supposed to do the shower, not the Hospice aide. She said that Hospice had not even been there today. The third nurse told me that the resident is on Hospice, and that Hospice had already been there today and gave her a bed bath.

These three nurses were all sitting together at the nurses station, and none of them could agree on the resident's care. What's a lowly aide to do? I just want to make sure that this resident receives the care that she needs and deserves.

[Chica17]

At my work Hospice does the showers. We have a book at the nurse's station that has a log of what date and time hospice came in although I cannot vow how accurate it is. Its one of those things that you'll just have to ask, but if they are Hospice then I wouldn't think you would do the shower unless for some reason hospice didn't come in or was not planning on coming in. (:

[CoffeemateCNA]

This is one of the sucky things about LTC. It can be so hard to get good info on your residents because 1) it is always changing; and 2) some people are just too lazy to update it consistently. Look at your CNA care plan first, and if you can't find the information you need, ask your nurse to pull their chart and look up the stuff you need. Some nurses really do know everything about their residents and can be a wealth of information; others just think they do, but in reality haven't cared for that resident in months so aren't really the best people to get info from.

Not sure how your hospice works, but ours will chart any showers in our own shower books and also write a narrative in the resident's chart documenting everything that they did. Our hospice companies try to schedule the individual residents' showers on their non-regular shower days. So if Mr. Smith gets a shower on Mon. and Thurs., then hospice won't come on those days; they'll come on Tues. and Fri. Hospice care is supposed to be in addition to the care that the regular staff provides. But obviously you don't want to subject someone to 2 showers in one day. :)

If you're not sure about a resident, just ask the hospice nurse/aide next time you see them. Many times their visits follow a regular schedule which you will be able to plan around. And at least at my facility, CNAs are allowed to add information to the resident's CNA care plan, so after you find out the information about their hospice and showers, etc., you could write it in so that other people will know, too.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

We don't have hospice staff where I work. Are they from an agency or something?

Was the resident able to tell you what they wanted to do?

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

We don't have hospice staff where I work. Are they from an agency or something?

Yea, they're usually from an agency. I know at one of my jobs, all the residents who are on hospice use the same agency. But not all of them will have the hospice aide do their showers. I really wouldn't rely on the nurses regarding the shower issue. I would ask the aide from the previous shift whether the resident is getting showers from hospice or not.

[annacnatorn]

Ok, as a Hospice CNA...we do the showers/bedbaths, roms, vitals, WE NOTE WHAT ACTION WAS TAKEN AS WELL AS WHO WE REPORTED IT TO IN THE NURSES NOTES ALSO FOR THE HOSPICE I WORKED FOR, WE HAD A SPECIAL SECTION "HOSPICE" IN THE BACK OF THE CHART. When I worked for the facility, I ALWAYS checked on the chart for any updates in addition to the report to make sure I KNEW what was up...remember the first rule of Nursing..regardless of level is...........COVER YOUR OWN A$$....CYA...CYA...CYA...frustrating, I know.