Family always watching direct care?

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I have a new resident on my floor (Long term facility), ths resident has a trach and much more. The family of this resident is "nuts", they constanly complain, they call the state frequently, they demand & threaten your liceanse number...yada....yada...yada. Anyway, when staff is giving direct care, the family insists on being in the room watching your every move. So my question is do they have the right and by law allowed to be in room, or do I have the authority to have them step out of the room while giving direct care? Any info on laws on this (New York)? Thanks.

Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.

i had a family take up residence at bedside for the entire time the patient, a woman in her thirties, was in the facility, and in a coma. someone of this family of 12 was at the bedside, 24/7, watching and writing down everything that happened. the patient was their "project", and since no one worked it was no problem for them to spend so much time at the facility. they were also calling the state every other day. the pt was in perfect condition--no skin problems, no infections, and was actually gaining weight on tube feeds.

when we found a bottle of barcardi 151 in one of the sister's purse and asked her to leave, she threw a fit and said "i don't drink it, its to rub on my sore knees!":jester:

after i left that position, i saw her story in a woman's weekly magazine (hence not being overly concerned about hipaa, even though this was a decade ago). seems she had "woken up" from the coma, was home and apparently normal. the family claimed they "loved" her back to normal! too bad her recovery took the wind out of the sails of their dozens of lawsuits for malpractice...:yeah:

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Rubbed rum on her knees. That rum was better suited for a glass of coke.

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