Ethical dilemma, need input from sister nurses

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I am DON at my facility. I caught the activity director looking at gay Media in the activity room with residents present.(I don't think they saw it). A few days later 2 of my nurses witnessed it also. I reported it the administrator. Nothing was donel. Ten days later, the activity director got an award for Director of the Year in my state! Other types of Mediaography was found in his office where the residents have access.

He won the award per written recommendation of our admin, so I doubt he will be disciplined for this behaviour. The nurses and I are worried about our responsibilty to meet state and federal guidlines re: elderly abuse? sexual hostile enviroment, etc. The nurses are asking me, as their supervisor, why he is allowed to break policy? Admin. insisted that I suspend a nurse for 2 days without pay for missing a mandatory meeting.Nurses feel this is discrimination. HELP. Need advice.

I would consider ANY form of Media inapropriate for a long term care setting.

That is a PRIVATE thing, and anything potentially offensive is just WRONG.

Are you allowed to bring wine into work, or even non-alcoholic beer?

why not?

do you allow confused men to grope female residents or visitors?

why not?

Do you allow gambling between residents or staff at work?

why not?

Personally I would look up the professional conduct page

highlight what is being infringed on

and use those EXACT words in a written complaint.

Have as many people sign it as possible, and make copies.

I am not saying this will work or be easy.

but it is the only way to be impartial (which your administrator seems not to be)

My DON just hired a man to work with me

He has a horrible attitude, selfish and inconsiderate and very rude, and he has a mean streak.

I followed the chain of protocal, and now i have seen her throw away a written complaint about him (I use distinctive stationary) rather than deal with it. I choose to work someplace with a minimum standard of care, not just one that has good skin and great notes (yes I am interviewing) but Corporate will get copies of each complaint, and concern before I go.

My complaints were coppied for Corporate

AND I am looking for a new job

and have gotten referances from my coworkers already

Good luck

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*** May we all have the serenity to accept what we cannot change, and the determination to change what we cannot accept. ***

Perhaps a resident advocate approach would get results. I would gather the pertinent information and documentation to support your claim and call the LTC agency that investigates reports of resident abuse!! I feel this may be hard to prove to make a legal complaint stick; laws seem to protect scumbags like this. However, a state investigation with information given of abuses would be initiated pronto. In TN complaints may even be made anonimously to prevent reprisals from employers. Good luck! I hope you can eliminate this person from your facility.

Not only do you have an ethical responsibility but a moral and legal responbility for reporting this inappropriate behavior. Use your local resourses and contact your police department to identify your responsibilities. Also contact your state level nursing organization to obtain some guidance. You probably have a legal service that you can notify for direction. Once you have your "written" information prepared along with documentation from other nurses and staff who have witnessed this inappropriate action, then present it to your administrator. Yes, this is risky, but if your administrator has any moral values that person should investigate this further immediately. If not, this person too has a boss. You are doing the right thing on behalf of your geriatric clients. Keep us posted on your progress. Good luck and God bless. "Thank you" on behalf of your patient population. Remember as nurses we are patient advocates! I'm proud to know there are good nurses who are willing to take a risk for moral goodness. From the White House down, no one is exempt as we are well aware!

I'm not a nurse, but I was an Ombudsman for three years in Tennessee. Your post is a couple of months old, so I hope the problem has been resolved. Your activity director may not have abused any of the residents, but the mere fact that he brings that type of material to a nursing home is outrageous to me. He obviously doesn't show good judgment and may have a serious problem.

Call the Ombudsman program in your state and let them handle it, if it hasn't already been resolved. Your administrator probably won't act on it since he/she promoted the director for the award. I'm assuming the admin's recommendation was prior to finding the Media. If the Media includes pictures of children, the police might need to be involved.

No, I'm not a nurse, but I wouldn't want any of my family members living in a facility where such behavior is tolerated. I'm glad to know that you're there. The residents are lucky that you care about their welfare.

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