Forgive me, but I've been up 24 hours.......could you please pick a funeral home

[AtlantaRN, RN]

Forgive me, but it's been one of those weekends, that even when I did get home, I was so keyed up, I haven't been able to sleep. Had a rough rough continuous care case this weekend, and my fellow nurses and hha's stepped up to the plate to give the family continuous care until roughly 3p this afternoon........ I visited again before 8p. patient comfortable, comatose, but no issues requiring continuous care.

family called me around 930 to say she had passed. I got there in 15 minutes..... did my nursing duties cleaned, changed patient, placed clothes family preferred........Now we wait for a niece that is driving from way northside atlanta. My only question is which funeral home....many were named and said niece had given written information earlier to one of the nurses who was providing continuous care. Normally i'm so calm and reserved, but i'm tired......when niece finally arrived, she would not provide the information! They were still calling around trying to decide where to have patient cremated.....She FINALLY picked a place and I APOLOGIZED, stating i had been up 24 hours...........she says "WELL YOU HAVEN'T BEEN HERE THE LAST 24 HOURS">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

MY BRAIN WAS ON FIRE THINKING......NO, I HAD 6 VISITS IN ADDITION TO BEING HERE FOR 7 HOURS OFF AND ON SINCE 1 AM............ please forgive me, but i'm tired.......normally i am so calm and compassionate, but i had been sitting at the foot of the bed on the FLOOR for nearly 3 hours WAITING for this information.....

Rant mode off, thank you for listening........i'm on until 8am monday morning...

[tewdles, RN]

Rant understood and accepted...get some sleep...

[Hospicetex]

I am so sorry! I hate when that happens. I hope that you get some sleep. Weekend Hospice call is very difficult and I don't think our patients or their families really understand they are not our only patient or family which is as it should be...but it can be very taxing on us. I hope that you are off Monday after you give report.

I would have felt exactly the same way as you do.

[AtlantaRN, RN]

had 6 hrs sleep=better now, thank you all

[SoCalRN1970]

Family can be so clueless. Really they can be.

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

I hear you. Hope you get to sleep the rest of the night.

[DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP]

I just love being on call for 120 pts (census), a call comes in the middle of the noc, "my dad is incont. of stool, and I WON'T clean it up. Someone needs to come here and do it..."

Seriously...?????

[AtlantaRN, RN]

CODE BROWN is not an emergency..............We do NOT replace family.....if they can do it for their children, they can do it for their adult family members imho

[tewdles, RN]

CODE BROWN is not an emergency..............We do NOT replace family.....if they can do it for their children, they can do it for their adult family members imho

Honestly, though, for a stressed and terrified family there are some CODE BROWNS that are pretty intimidating. While we clearly cannot wipe the butts of our nearly 300 patients every night or weekend, we can send a nurse on occasion and arrange for an aide to visit the next day (even on weekends) to give a good bath and instruct in the ongoing incontinence skills and techniques.

Please don't get me wrong, there are CLEARLY families who have the wrong expectations about this stuff, but even I have been overwhelmed in a CODE BROWN.

[rngolfer53]

There are a few families who just refuse to consider a FH before death, and then want to wait 18 hours for Uncle Fred to drive in from Podunk before deciding.

That's when I dream about being Luca Brazzi.

Hold a gun to the caregiver's head and say, "Either you pick a FH from this list, or we'll pick one for YOU."

[wyogypsy, RN]

oh how I understand - I wish what funeral home they wanted to use was the first question asked and they had to answer before the pt could be admitted LOL