Mid-Shift Shower

Nellie was an 80ish year old lady with Alzheimer’s. She wore red lipstick and big sun glasses, even just sitting in her room. She had no children, no family so to speak of. She had been married to one man, her entire life. His name was Chuck, however, she rarely spoke of Chuck or acknowledged his existence, she spoke very lovingly of Leroy, her child hood sweet heart. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

All names have been changed and some words are misspelled for pronunciation purposes and curse words have been changed or left out.

She talked about dances they would be going to, hay rides, walks along the river, school and other things like that. We would often ask her questions about Chuck and she would in turn tell us the stories about Leroy. She was just kind of stuck in the Leroy years and had seemed to have forgotten her husband almost completely. Nellie didn't think she was so 80ish, kind of more like she was 16ish and she hated showers.

She would yell and would also often become very combative.

One day while giving her a shower in the rolling shower chair she became upset and started in yelling, "Get that water offa me you fool. I'm gonna call the sheriff. I don't want no darned pneu-monia."

I told her we had to get her all prettied up for Leroy. This was something we often said and it usually eased her and she would be a little more cooperative, however this day she screamed, "I'm a married woman, you wanna tell my husband that?

You tryin to ruin my honor?"

I quickly apologized and told her that I had meant to say Chuck.

She replied, "Who the heck is Chuck?"

I didn't know what to say, so I continued with her shower.

"Listen hear, you get that water offa me, my daddy will get you for this."

I explained that he had fully given permission for her to have a shower, and that we were almost through.

"My daddy don't want me warshed by no preverts." She would occasionally swing out and try to hit me, but nothing too bad or too violent.

I said, "I promise I'm not a pervert, I'm a nurse and I'm trying to get you cleaned up."

She nodded her head, "Yeah, that's what they say ain't it?" At this point I was finished with her bathing and needed to rinse her off.

I explained what I was going to do. She allowed me to rinse her off, and honestly, I thought she was finally okay with the shower, so I proceeded to rinse her hair. I was very careful not to get any soap in her eyes.

As I was finishing, she grabbed the shower sprayer out of my hands and pointed it directly in my face, "Let me wash the filth offa ya, you sinful heathen."

I attempted to get the sprayer from her, but she began swinging it frantically. I stepped back, right into a puddle of soapy water, and flat on my butt I went.

She began to sneer, all the while spraying me with the water.

Every time I would try to get up, I would slip right back down. Finally, I crawled backward to a semi dry spot and was able to use the toilette to stand. I stood up, sopping wet and pulled the emergency light, and then slowly made my way through her arcs of streaming water to cut the water off. (Why didn't I think of that first, I wondered?)

She threw the sprayer at me and I hung it up. I told her I was sorry for giving her a shower, but I had to get her clean.

We both sat there for a moment, then I grabbed a towel and gave it to her. She began drying off, I began sopping water up off of the floor. I kept wondering where my help was.

I had pulled the emergency light some time ago, and I could hear it beeping. "Well, ain't ya gonna get me decent now that you've had yer fun?" I proceeded to assist her with drying off and dressing. I sat her in her w/c and began to wheel her out of the shower room.

At this time one of the male nurses came to help me. I looked up at him, and he was almost busting at the seams. I looked around, through my water splattered glasses.

There was water everywhere. He didn't even ask if I need help, I guess he could tell I was a little flustered. "Sorry, lunch break." He said.

I cut the emergency light off, and Nellie said, "Sheriff, I need to press me some charges on this here prevert. She done poured water on me for a Leroy and a Chuck. She gonna trade me, put me on the market? My daddy ain' t gonna like this one iota. Look at her, what kind of operation is she a runnin'? She got one of them red light houses?"

He couldn't contain his laughter any longer, however he did manage to say, "Let's go work on that paper work, Ma'am we've got some spare clothes in a closet out there, why don't you get cleaned up."

He then proceeded to wheel her out into the hall. Her all the while telling how I had taken advantage of her virtue, him trying to hold in his laughter, but failing miserably. I came out behind him, soaked to the gills and began walking down the hall to the extra clothing closet, wondering why I had volunteered to do this shower. I slipped in my haste, and was sprawled flat on my back, this time with many witnesses.

As I got up, several people were laughing, I looked down then and realized I was wearing white scrubs and pink polka dotted panties. I couldn't get to that closet fast enough.

Specializes in Med/Surg, LTAC, Critical Care.

I don't normally do this but...

lol

i was feeling kinda down today and you just made me laugh!!!:D:D

thank you!:yeah::yeah:

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

This is a very funny story and thank you for being able to share it and laugh at the situation, one which surely would have made others angry. From the tone of your writing I gather that this event happened somewhere in the south... Is this correct? I remember a CNA that I used to work with who wore tight white scrubs and the brightest underwear she could find. I have also had medical students and residents who wore colorful underwear or NO underwear (with things hanging around, if you get my drift) who I had to advice to "put some clothes on".

I worked with a nurse back in the 80's at the time when eatable underwear came out on the market. Do any of you remember these things? In any case, she went shopping and found a bargain on underwear and bought several pairs. One day at work she gets splashed with something and she goes to the restroom to wash herself off and to her dismay her underwear was gone. It had dissolved. All she had left was the elastic. She was not aware of the kind of undies she had purchased. We all had a good laugh.

This is the great thing about nursing. We have funny stories to tell.

LOL big time!!!

Where are all the "mercy killer" nurses with patients like these? Someone should have put a pillow over her face long ago. She's just taking up space and money. :-)

JK--little dark humor from someone who's had a lot of these kind of patient's lately....

Dark....very dark......

Aww, what a story! Thanks for sharing with us green ones...makes the scary part a little easier ;)

LOL, Just a reminder that if you don't have a sense of humor, nursing isn't for you.

My first job out of Nursing School was in Geriatric Psych. One of my all-time favorite patients was Findley. Now Findley was a very tall, lean farm with a world class case of Alzheimer's. For the most part, Findley was sweet and would spend his days wandering the locked unit herding chickens back to the coop for the night. But man alive on shower nights, because day shift would always leave Findley for night shift shower, because we had a male tech who had a pretty good report with Findley. That is, until Sean told Findley that it was time for a shower. At that point, Findley, who by the way made two of Sean, became combative and started swinging. Sean, always ended up soaking wet and Mad as a wet Hen, all the while Findley was shouting down the hall. "How'd like that you little pouf!"

It finally got to the point, that it became to dangerous for Findley and Sean for this practice to continue, so Findley's wife was allowed to come in every other day and give Findley a shower and he was as docile as a baby for her. But, he wasn't having anything to do with any of us giving him a shower.

BTW, for those that are wondering, what I've been told regarding patients who are incapable of making decisions and showering is that according to CMS, patients are to be bathed/showered at least every other day unless visibly soiled, then they should be bathed/showered with each incident of soiling to prevent skin breakdown.

If anybody is going to put a book together, working Geriatric Psych, I've got TONS of stories.

Specializes in Transitional Nursing.

Isn't it just so awesome?

Awwwww. I miss my lil' old people. Not everyone can say they've been beat up by a lil' old lady! I'll never forget the first time I got hosed. I let her hold it, and she pointed it directly at me and laaauuuggghhheeedd. OMG, I loved that lady. I called her "Grandma".