Horrified at what I have seen go on in this nursing home

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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So I started my CNA clinicals last week and I am horrified at what I have seen go on in this nursing home...and I'm not the only one! At our last clinical we were told by our instructor if we see anything to feel free to inform her. So, the whole class pipped up and started telling her what we had witnessed the CNA's doing. To name a few:

being rough with non speaking residents

throwing dirty socks back in clothes drawer

banging their feet on the bottom of the lifts instead of gently putting their feet up

dropping them on the beds with the lifts and not even caring if they almost roll off the beds

not wiping the residents thoroughly before putting a new depends on

When all of this was brought up to her she justified it after asking who the resident is. I don't understand this, is she maybe testing us to see if were honest people or does she this crap really go on? I shadowed a male CNA so I wouldn't have to see that crap again because honestly it was all I could do not to exchange words with these women!!

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Is there anyone you can report this too, such as the dean of nursing? This is elder abuse.

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So sad, this happens a lot too. Try to talk to whoever is in charge of running the nursing home. Or you can even talk to the nurses because nurses supervise the CNA's.

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i see a lot of that where i work as an LPN in a NH. its so sad. i wonder how these CNA's sleep @ night. i had to correct a lot of them. i see pts with double diapers, poop all over, they dont provide oral care. it makes me sick.

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This IS elder abuse, and you need to report this. Start with the DON of the facility. I personally would name names of whom you seen abuse patients and specific instances and then leave it unsigned except for CNA trainee from XXX school.

I know in my state there is a 800 number people can call and report this, maybe yours does too....

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@irisheyesRsmilin its pretty easy to advise her to report it with NAMES of the guilty CNAs because you are not in that situation. I advise her to report what she saw in general without mentioning names of either CNAs nor patients because the NH has to consider the situation as if everybody was victim , it could happen to any patient, pls DO NOT cite NAMES...#ThatsProfessionallyDangerous

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If you report it, you need to be specific about what exactly you saw, leaving out subjective stuff like "dropping them on the beds with the lifts and not even caring if they almost roll off the beds". How do you know whether they cared if someone rolled off the bed, did anyone roll off or did it appear to you that the CNA didnt care if they did? Did you notice marks or bruises resulting from this rough treatment?

Thats great that you are conscientious and take being a mandatory reporter seriously, but the fact an instructor who is a licensed nurse with extensive experience correctly performing the tasks you described on actual patients didnt think it was abuse or neglect means there needs to be some actual proof or evidence and not just the opinion of someone who has no actual experience. Ive seen family members accuse a CNA of rough treatment, when everything was in fact done properly given the circumstances, so its made me skeptical of vague non specific statements by untrained people.

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Specializes in Legal, Ortho, Rehab.

Chances are most people working there probably know this is going on. I would choose to report to an ombudsman anonymously.

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I definitely go with the anonymous report ...for sure, is anyone in the east coast, damn I'm in Boston and Sandy ain't kidding !

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I definitely go with the anonymous report ...for sure, is anyone in the east coast, damn I'm in Boston and Sandy ain't kidding !
I am in NY, and you are right... Sandy is brutal!
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The OP didn't need to measure the height of the patient's fall for her observations to be credible. The OP observed that the patients safety was not being protected.

The OP doesn't need to be licensed or be a CNA etc. to determine that abuse or neglect is taking place. The OP just needs to be an observant human being with a conscience who cares about people who are vulnerable.

"Untrained" people along with trained people contact their State Health Departments and report abuse and neglect.

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Thank you for the advice. I will be contacting the State Health Department because this kind of treatment is inhumane.

As for the one saying "untrained = less credit" that's complete crap! Abuse is abuse no matter who witnesses it!

For those who said I should contact the DON, my instructor IS the DON, and because of the resident's whom this was happening to she justified it as their basically just a pain in the ass and they have tried "everything"....so like I said...I will be contacting the State Health Department. Thank you again for the good advice!!

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