Does your residents hit you?

[Ev1987]

Yesturday, I had one resident hit me on the wrist with her bed side remote and she repeatedly slapped my arm beacuse she didn't want me to change her brief. She had a diaper full of hard BM, that I know she'd been laying in for hours. There was no way I could leave her like that. I have no ill feelings towards her because she is confused and has severe dementia. I also had a combative two-assist resident that a co-worker and I had to change last night. Her brief was filthy, and as my partner helped roll her to the side, she pinched me with her nails and left marks on my arm. She also called my co-worker the 'N' word...

Has any of your residents or patients hit you, or called you offensive names? I was already mentally prepared for this type of behavior before I signed up for the job, but it sucks thinking sometimes that I get paid pennies to have to deal with verbal and physical abuse, on top of my back-breaking job. I'd love to hear your comments, advice and experiences dealing with these issues. Thank you! :redbeathe

[okcna09]

I work in ltc...we have two that are extremely combative...only one of them has dementia...the other is just plain mean...even her own family is afraid of her

can't count the number of times i have been called a f*****g B***h by this woman for trying to change her or take her to dinner or bring her a meal tray. I usually just tell her "why I always thought you were such a lady and ladies don't talk like that". and i have gotten really good at ducking or blocking her swings.

This woman is a tiny little thing but strong....i would rather wrestle grizzly bears than deal with those little bitty old ladies;)

i don't like it either that we get paid so little to put up with what is basically abuse...but you have to grow a thick skin and just let it roll off

[eveningsky339, LPN]

Kicked in the face, called a worthless m-----f-----, bitten, had fingernails dug into my arm, been shoved... Yeah, all that good stuff. One of many reasons that being a career CNA takes a very special person, which I am not!

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

OMG at one of my jobs, everyone in the building has some form of dementia, so yes I've been called quite a few names: fat a**, pig n******, b****, not to mention pushed & hit. The ones who hit me though were frail little ladies so they didn't hurt me lol. One of our residents had to leave his old facility b/c he broke both arms on a CNA & she sued the facility.

[CoffeemateCNA]

*sigh*

I'll let the faded bruises on my arms answer that question. . .

Yes, I've been hit and kicked. Lost count of the number a long time ago. Been called every name in the book, too.

There are two categories of the hitters:

1) The AAO x3's

2) The ones with dementia

Let the alert ones know that it's not acceptable, and notify your nurse so that it can be documented. Sometimes nothing gets done, but sometimes they will be able to "gather enough evidence" to kick the person out of the facility if they won't comply.

For the ones with dementia, being calm yourself and making nice and slow movements can go a long way. They are often so disoriented and unaware of what in the world is happening. I try to see it from their point of view: they're peaceful and just trying to get some rest and next thing you know these crazy people come in, flip on these bright lights and start turning them all over the place and rubbing cold soap in their private areas. I take things nice and easy and explain everything I am doing as I do it. I try to have a minimal number of lights on if it is nighttime, and I get a helper when necessary.

. . .and sometimes that makes no difference and they still hit. There's not always stuff we can do to prevent it. Just learn how to duck.

As far as the pinching goes: I try to keep the top portion of their body, including their arms, under the covers if I have to turn them towards me and I know they have a history of pinching unsuspecting aides. Sometimes I think pinching is their little game because they know we'll fall for it. :)

[Ev1987]

Thank you for your responses and encouragement. I will have to develop a thicker skin and accept that this is the risk of being a cna. Thanks again! :redbeathe

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

Thank you for your responses and encouragement. I will have to develop a thicker skin and accept that this is the risk of being a cna. Thanks again! :redbeathe

Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while

[NM nurse to be]

See there's a reason that the only words of Spanish I know are the really bad ones I had one 100 year old lady who didn't talk at all. Except to swear at whoever or whatever (sometimes the artwork) for anything. She was the one that I learned the safety (mine) maneuver of flipping her gown up over her arms when she needed changing. It's not a restraint, it lasts only the time it takes to change her, which is considerably less when you are not ducking and everyone is safer. Doesn't do much for the vocabulary lesson though

The flipped up gown has saved me bruises many a time. What really isn't fun is the ones you don't know are kickers who suprise you with a rockette move!

I will add alert stroke patients who can not speak. They know exactly what they are doing and why and have been some of the meanest I've had to deal with. And honestly I can't say that I blame them but we've have a few that go above and beyond general frustration. One would roll up behind others in the dining room and pinch the h#ll out of them for no reason! She beat up a nursing student right before she was asked to leave. We didn't know she could transfer herself until she got a CNA cornered in her room and wouldn't let her out. Granted the aide wasn't bright enough to block her with the bathroom door and just go out that way, but still, that resident was a trip!

[eveningsky339, LPN]

See there's a reason that the only words of Spanish I know are the really bad ones I had one 100 year old lady who didn't talk at all. Except to swear at whoever or whatever (sometimes the artwork) for anything. She was the one that I learned the safety (mine) maneuver of flipping her gown up over her arms when she needed changing. It's not a restraint, it lasts only the time it takes to change her, which is considerably less when you are not ducking and everyone is safer. Doesn't do much for the vocabulary lesson though

The flipped up gown has saved me bruises many a time. What really isn't fun is the ones you don't know are kickers who suprise you with a rockette move!

I will add alert stroke patients who can not speak. They know exactly what they are doing and why and have been some of the meanest I've had to deal with. And honestly I can't say that I blame them but we've have a few that go above and beyond general frustration. One would roll up behind others in the dining room and pinch the h#ll out of them for no reason! She beat up a nursing student right before she was asked to leave. We didn't know she could transfer herself until she got a CNA cornered in her room and wouldn't let her out. Granted the aide wasn't bright enough to block her with the bathroom door and just go out that way, but still, that resident was a trip!

At my hospital, fortunately before I worked there, they once had a bariatric woman who was 500+ pounds. She was extremely needy and yet abusive at the same time. When they rolled her, she deliberately pushed back against them. Several staff suffered career-ending back injuries thanks to her. EMTs from the ambulance service often had to come up and assist with turning and repositioning. She was continent of bowel and bladder, but deliberately went in the bed. One minute she would be swearing and hitting, and the next she would be sobbing and begging the CNAs to stay with her.

After five weeks of this, the hospital called a bariatric facility. It's a small rural hospital and they just couldn't handle it anymore. The facility guaranteed an open bed within a week. So the week came... and went. The director called the facility about the delay, and they said that the open bed had been taken, because someone from the hospital called and canceled. Guess who it was? Yup, the patient.

I'm not sure how they finally got her out of there, but they did.

[Ev1987]

What really isn't fun is the ones you don't know are kickers who suprise you with a rockette move! One would roll up behind others in the dining room and pinch the h#ll out of them for no reason! She beat up a nursing student right before she was asked to leave. We didn't know she could transfer herself until she got a CNA cornered in her room and wouldn't let her out.

Scary! I feel like I need to take up boxing lessons just to learn how to dodge a jab to the face, lol!:) Yet after all this, I can honestly say that I still take pride and enjoy my job. Ironic, huh?

[Ev1987]

they once had a bariatric woman who was 500+ pounds. She was extremely needy and yet abusive at the same time. When they rolled her, she deliberately pushed back against them. Several staff suffered career-ending back injuries thanks to her. One minute she would be swearing and hitting, and the next she would be sobbing and begging the CNAs to stay with her.

Wow! I would be so devastated if something like that were to happen to me. It's obvious this woman suffers from mental and emotional issues. It's just sad.

[NM nurse to be]

At my hospital, fortunately before I worked there, they once had a bariatric woman who was 500+ pounds. She was extremely needy and yet abusive at the same time. When they rolled her, she deliberately pushed back against them. Several staff suffered career-ending back injuries thanks to her. EMTs from the ambulance service often had to come up and assist with turning and repositioning. She was continent of bowel and bladder, but deliberately went in the bed. One minute she would be swearing and hitting, and the next she would be sobbing and begging the CNAs to stay with her.

yeah I've had one like this. She threw herself on the floor in the bathroom not too long ago and it took five of us to get her up. I have one now who flips like a fish and throws herself into me when I'm changing her. If she wants to fling herself around, I get out of the way and let her. She won't fall out of bed and I'm not going to get hurt trying to hold her. She flopped herself back into a mess of BM last week and hasn't tried that stunt again with me.

But even with all the horror stories, there are enough good ones to make a night worthwhile. I guess that's why we do it, for those who do appreciate us and what we do :)