Dealing with tedious and demanding patients

[Ms. Nurse Assistant]

Sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed.

I have a patient who has alot of steps when it comes to getting them out of bed. It's very overwhelming. And if you miss a step or don't do it at all, she throws a fit. And will not get up or move until you complete that step. She needs lotion on a certain part of her back..let the lotion dry, then place some babypowder over it. Then you have to put three or four different lotions on other parts of her. And once you get her out of the bed, you have to place her in a chair, but before you sit her down you have to perfectly align two towls on the recliner. It's just exhausting and it takes forever.

She's always one of those patients who will have you stop, to move the clock in a particular position, and then she'll see something else like a paper envelope and have you move it to the right side..just tedious things, very controlling.

How do you deal with patients like that? I try to remain calm but it's so easy to get combative with her. I just want to do a good job

[care_baer]

I have a lady just like this where I work. What worked for me was knowing her routine, and going to her last (if at all possible). I've found that if I go to her last, take my time, and have a conversation with her, she's not as picky, and a lot more appreciative of my work. She also doesn't use the call light as much. If you try to rush this lady or she can sense irritation she will torture you for a lot longer by using her call light while your in the room, screaming that she's in pain (when your not even touching her), and no matter what you do you can never adjust her pillows right. So taking my time with her is a lot less time consuming than rushing her.

[mncna08]

I have to deal with someone kind of like that myself. He will scream at me for doing the slightest thing wrong, like not folding the blanket right, or for putting his wheelchair in the wrong spot etc. It really tries my patience sometimes and he does not deal with o.c.d, he is just a man stuck in his ways.His night cares are almost redicules, the running back and forth to warm his rag up etc and his peri care i have to do, mind that he is fully capable of doing it himself! i used to get so mad and annoyed with it, but then i realized its not ganna make me feel or work any better being upset about it. So i let it go, i get in, do my business and call it a night. Sometimes it really is just better to let it go and NEVER take mean comments personally!! you just have to figure what works and what doesnt. im sure if you work with her long enouph you will know what to and what not to do! hope everything works out for you!!

[asun21ta]

I had a resident like that at a Nursing Home I used to work for. She had severe OCD. She would cry, through a fit all night if you didn't tuck her bed a certain way, pull her curtains a certain way, allign her foot on the footrest of her wheel chair, move her clock so that she can see it, place her bedside table in front of her eyes so she can't see the light from the hall way, etc, etc, etc,. She would become fixated with anything that did not happen in routine. New CNA for the night, bad night for resident and staff! I my resident's case, she had OCD plus she wanted attention. She was a self care resident who only needed help transferring to the bed and toilet. When you assisted her for the night, be prepared to be helping her for at least 30-45 minutes. Everyone hated getting her. It was insane. When I would walk out her room, all my call lights would be on. My hallway looked like a christmas tree! Thats how behind I would get. One day, I had to nicely explain to her that other residents needed me just as much or more than she did. She was still demanding, but she understood if she had to wait a little longer than others.

Try not to let it get to you. She may be trying to get you for all that your worth and then some, but look at it like this: your helping someone. She probably has a touch of OCD. If you have a busy schedule, nicely suggest other things to speed things up or make it less tedious. If she asks you why, tell her you have other cases, and you need to utilize your time with her as efficiently as possible. If she is your only case, suck it up in stride. I had a case like yours. The only reason I didn't go crazy was because she was the only one! lol

[Ms. Nurse Assistant, LPN]

As some people get older, they develop OCD?

I told the agency, and tomorrow is my last day caring for her. She had some family members call me a few times to make sure I was arriving on Saturday, it's obvious that she has a history of HHAs not showing up because of how much work it takes to get her out of bed. she's such a tiny lady, if it weren't for all the tedious steps to get her out of bed, she'd be so easy!

[chickapea]

"It's so much easier when you can make them your last one, though. I have this one assignment where everyone except one lady wants to go to bed immediately after supper. So I rush around like a nut trying to get them all in, and of course this lady is one of those fussy controlling types who tries to keep you in her room as long as possible, and even though she doesn't GO to bed until much later, she wants to get ready when everyone else is."

I love that... "So I rush around like a nut". Ha ha, that just tickles me! I know the feeling :chuckle

[MichaelCNA]

This has been my biggest challenge as a CNA, 15 people on my line-up requesting to go to bed immediately after dinner. I've yet to figure out how to mitigate this issue. One of my worst evenings took place when it was just myself and one other CNA on a hall with 35 Residents. While attempting to put a Resident to bed via Hoyer, the lift malfunctioned, and I lost 20 minutes. Subsequent to this, each room I entered contained a very angry and impatient Resident, demanding my assistance. Extremely frustrating!