Creative Ways to Manage Confused Pts

[Vespertinas]

We've all had those folks who continually try to climb out of bed despite our best efforts. Or they chew themselves free of IV tubing.. at least I have had those.

Anyway, another thread reminded me of something cute we did for a patient who was ambulatory and steady but kept wandering off the floor without us noticing despite frequent redirection.

Eventually, we taped a sign to his back that said, "Hello. I belong on the 9th floor room 10. If you find me, please bring me back."

Any creative solutions of your own?

[loriangel14, RN]

We used to do the same thing only we had t shirts that we wrote on with marker.Now we have electronic monitoring bracelets that automatically lock the doors if they get too near and alarm if they ever get off the floor.

We have beds that lower right to the floor( about an inch of the floor). Many patients can't get themelves into a standing position from way down there. Plus if they slide onto the floor from that height they don't get hurt.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

We also use alarms. Often, if the resident is wandering or continually trying to climb out of bed they're either anxious, hungry, thirsty, or they need to be toileted. Sometimes, all of these need to be addressed. Tylenol PRN helps some people settle. Or we may just get them up again until they're tired. It depends.

[Snowbaby87]

When I was a student we had a lady that constantly kept pulling at her Foley and was also trying to get out of bed. I talked the nurse into getting her an activity vest (I did not know where they were and she did not think it would help). Well that vest kept the lady busy for hours. We occasionally would have to redirect her to the vest but it kept us from running in there every 5 minutes with the bed alarm going off. Most of the nurses on that floor acted like they have never seen an activity vest used.

[FlyingScot, RN]

I've given confused LOLs heaps of washcloths and ask if they would like to help out the little babies in the nursery by folding them and putting them in a bath basin. This usually works like a charm and when they're done you step outside of the room, mess them up (the washcloths not the LOLs) and repeat the entire procedure. I kept one busy for 4 solid hours while we were waiting for a bed.