how to you deal with this?

You can't fix the mental issues she came in with, so stop letting her drain you.

If she is lucid and completely neurologically intact, she will refuse. Document and accept it.

It's HER choice, not yours...and when the family members call, explain. YOU can't make momma do what she doesn't want done.

Go take care of the next person. There is only so much emotional investment WE should be making, and if she has children/attention issues, so be it.

My opinion, this lady is pretty sharp--just stubborn, controlling, and manipulative. Her 2 children visited her and stayed with her during MD rounds then an hour after that.

I'm usually drained after work, then I get over this by the time I have to come in for the next shift. I was unusually drained when I took care of her because-->She refused my care and yet she demanded I be in her room the second she pushes the call light. And for what? Just to complain about something and then refuse to have interventions done--then, gets on the phone and tells her children that she's not being taken care of. It's very frustrating.

I honestly felt very bad for her, even though she made my shift like heck. I understood I can't 'make' her do anything. And I respected her wishes.

Supposedly this lady had a reputation of being verbally and physically abusive to hospital staff (even before this admission), which I found out the next day I worked. I never knew, and I'm not at all surprised.

My opinion, this lady is pretty sharp--just stubborn, controlling, and manipulative. Her 2 children visited her and stayed with her during MD rounds then an hour after that.

I'm usually drained after work, then I get over this by the time I have to come in for the next shift. I was unusually drained when I took care of her because-->She refused my care and yet she demanded I be in her room the second she pushes the call light. And for what? Just to complain about something and then refuse to have interventions done--then, gets on the phone and tells her children that she's not being taken care of. It's very frustrating.

I honestly felt very bad for her, even though she made my shift like heck. I understood I can't 'make' her do anything. And I respected her wishes.

Supposedly this lady had a reputation of being verbally and physically abusive to hospital staff (even before this admission), which I found out the next day I worked. I never knew, and I'm not at all surprised.

Even more of a reason to not give her your emotional energy.

Was it her idea to come to the hospital or her family's? It sounds like possibly her real beef is with her family for taking her in, if that's what happened.