Family members that run the facility!

[wefdm21]

What's up with this! I have a psychotic resident on my hall who is now in her 5th nursing home, which happens to be the last chance for her because there are no more facilities that will take her. Well anyway, mental illness must run in the family because the son is just as crazy as the mother. He's known for going around sexually harrassing the nurses and threatening peoples jobs. What is unfortunate is that he is good friends with the executive director. Just recently this resident has accused a nurse of ripping out her J-tube and scrubbing around it with a wire brush. She's not all here, and they know it, but the son comes in, believes what she says, and eggs her on. He is constantly telling her that something is wrong with her and she is now being sent out to the ER on a daily basis. Last night she threatened to report me because I would not send her back out after she had just returned from the hospital 4 hours earlier. She also had an appoint to go the next morning. I had to send her roomate out because she was truely sick, but this resident got so jealous that the roomate was leaving that she had a fit. It's really sad because just to have a normal day this resident has to be given every prn psych med that she has on a routine basis. But I'm feeling like I don't want to work in LTC anymore because of this and other reasons. The facility feels like they have to give into any request this family has not matter how weird and believe any story they come up with not matter how insane. They recently had the day shift nurse suspended for a week, and I fear that my job is on the line everytime I'm around them. There is nothing that anyone is doing wrong, but we have to take time away from our other residents in more serious condition to go around and get statements from everyone to cover our behinds. It's a really sick situation. This is just my vent for today. :angryfire:madface::angryfire:madface:

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

The resident issues are one thing, but if the family is sexually harrassing the staff.....that is an entirely different issue that needs to be addressed and not tolerated at all. If this this a corprorate facility...they have 0 tolerance and probably have policies in place for this.

I second the don't forget the ombudsman. Too many times we forget that they are a support for staff too.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I have observed that the most hell-raising, belligerant family members only visit with their loved ones for less than five minutes. They spend most of their visiting time complaining to administration about petty issues such as Kleenex, beauty shop appointments, Boost/Ensure nutritional milkshakes, and other matters that are totally inconsequential to the big picture.

[caliotter3]

Imagine more than one set of family members badgering the staff with their demands at one time, jockeying for attention like spoiled children (come to think of it, you are usually dealing with spoiled children)! Makes for quite a circus in the pt rooms, in the hallway, at the nrsing station! It is one of these golden moments in time that you wish the media were in there with their hidden cameras and reporters gathering info for an investigative piece. By all means, a different perspective.

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

When I worked in long term care we had one of those nutty family members...The sad thing was the patient WASN'T THE PROBLEM, it was the family...Her husband would come in and insult/hit the staff and threaten other residents when he was raising hell....he'd get suspended from the facility for a few days and then we'd have peace and quiet, but then he'd return and behave for a day or so and then go back to his normal psychotic behavior....The facility was doing everything possible to get rid of her, but here in California it was almost impossible...we were hoping and praying that she'd go to the hospital that way all we would have to do was hold her bed for the minimum time required by medicare and then NOT ADMIT HER BACK TO THE FACILITY...well we got our wish....and unfortunately she ended up dying....such a sad story because she wasn't the problem, it was her nutty family.....But unfortunately sometimes if money (no matter if it's private pay or medical) is coming in, most of the high ups don't care who is in the facility because it's the nursing staff that has to deal with it....not them....

[banditrn]

CNAIsorificeRSE2b - if he was hitting the staff, why wasn't he arrested for assault?

Not putting up with families is one of the reasons I work nites!!