Demanding resident-vent

Specialties Geriatric

Published

We have a resident in our LTC facility that is so demanding. I normally have the patience of an angel when it comes to nasty, demanding residents but for some reason this resident really gets under my skin. She loves to take ativan, tylenol, and ultram. I know pain is whatever a patient says it is and I completely agree with that, but don't tell me at 4pm ( when I'm currently giving you your pain meds) that you will need your PRN pain meds at 9pm! How does she know she will be in pain four hours later?

Tonight she received her once daily dose of ativan PRN. She requested another dose even though we don't have an order. She throws a fit ! I notified the supervisor who is in house and she said to call the doc. I call the doc and get a one time dose of ativan. By time I get to her room she is knocked out asleep. I watched her sleep for a few minutes and debated whether to wake her up. I did decide to wake her up because I knew if I didn't she would eventually wake up and call me to give her her meds.I have tried to do non-pharmalogical techniques with her, doesn't go for it. We got psych involved and that hasn't helped. We ruled out any other underlying medical issue. I expect my supervisor to back me up but that was a no go. Just so sick of it sometimes.:sniff:

Specializes in LTC.

No I wouldn't disable her alarm clock because no matter what if asks for a pain pill and it's time to get one, I'm going to do the right thing and give it.

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

As someone who has at one time or other suffered excruciating pain.....sometimes you DO fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. So what if she sets her alarm. If she thinks the pain medicine might not come and knows that it'll start wearing off 3 or 4 hours after she took the last dose...

Time for a consult at the pain clinic.

Specializes in LTC.
As someone who has at one time or other suffered excruciating pain.....sometimes you DO fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. So what if she sets her alarm. If she thinks the pain medicine might not come and knows that it'll start wearing off 3 or 4 hours after she took the last dose...

Time for a consult at the pain clinic.

Like I said earlier, this doesn't happen every night. Don't think we need a pain clinic consult. Sorry to the original poster, didn't mean for my comments to take over the thread. I was just agreeing that residents can be demanding and shared an example of that.

I've been doing this for years and have seen my share of demanding residents and super demanding not even gonna back down type of residents. I think we all have dealt with one of them or the families.

I don't see a problem having a resident say that they will need another pain med in 4 hrs. I don't have a problem asking about pain every med pass (the 5 and 9) and even asking in between when I see them or are doing dressings etc.."Did that help?" Just about everyone gets a pain med and or sleeping med at hs med pass..I offer/ encourage and or they ask for it.

A lot of times they might just be reminding the nurse about it because they do fall asleep (yes, people in pain sleep) and will wake up in more pain and have a tought time getting control over it. Chronic pain doesn't always mean sitting around crying or having sad face..alot of residents have learned how to deal with it and still live life.

Now..following me around the cart, asking me evey five minutes, complaining that it isn't working all the time, telling me about every pain med that you are on, have tried or became allergic too...yes...I have that thought in my mind, but when they are due for it, they can get it.

It is so much easier to plan, work with the residents, re assure them that they will get prns when asked or anticipate the need and ask them about pain rather than get upset that some one is a clock watcher. Beat them to the punch...they don't have anything left to demand (yeah...they come up with a next complaint/ demand) or complain about.

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