Hospic and care giver issues

[evansj2]

Hello,

I am a nursing student at the University of Nevada Reno Orvis school of nursing. I shadowed a hospic nurse last week and one of the clients she was being a patient advocate for was a 94yr old who lived with her son and his wife. The problem was that the wife did not help with the care of her mother-in-law and the son would leave his mother in a soiled bed. I would like to know what actions should be taken to aleviate the stress in the home for the patient and the care givers? Has anybody else had a similar experience? The nurse and a social worker found a place for the patient and used a nursing diagnosis of "Care giver break down."

[BeExcellent]

Caregivers are all different. Some are loving and kind but doing personal care for another is just not within them emotionally and sometimes physically. Sometimes, it is the daughter in law or the nieces or friends that can do that kind of care. At times no one can do it. We often forget that most of the human race do not routinely do personal care on other adults much less on mom or dad! It is rare to have a household too impaired by drugs or ETOH to get it together to care for someone. Sounds like y'all did what should have been done, move the pt to a place where care could be provided. It is hard not to judge. It becomes more complicated if the family or pt refuses to make changes toward better care. Do you call Adult Protective Services if pt and family are happywith care but you are not? Short answer is depends.

[aimeee, BSN, RN]

I agree with the above poster. There are just so very many variables. Each situation requires stepping back and taking a look at what the real barriers are to having the patient well taken care of and then brainstorming on how to overcome them. Sometimes its a matter of education, sometimes its a matter of economics, sometimes its a matter of resolving old relationship issues...on and on.