How can you protect yourself from a harrassing patient at a Nursing Home?

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I have a serious problem. I am on a Travel Assignment an I have truly loved it. I love the people I work with an all, could not find better people to work with. but I have a resident there that is about 600lbs and is 52 yrs/old. he can walk an an is very alert an oriented. he goes out on pass each day an throws his w/c up on the bus an hops right on up. this is a nursing home not an assisted living facility. For the past 2 weeks he has made my life miserable. i truly want to complete assignment, but this nursing home is saying even with all the heavy documentation I have done an SS workers heavy documentation they have not got the right to give him a 30 day notice. It is unreal what he has done to me, I am charge at night an I feel Like I have made very sound judgement calls. he request a bath at 3am an wants the female cna's to do it. We do not have the staff at night to be able to give this man a bath in the middle of the night. Then he wants me to personally show him how to sponge bath himself, for some odd reason he doesn't think he knows how. Then he stalks us specially me thru out the night and we have caught him taking a flash light outside peeping thru windows of other residents in the middle of the nite. He always has a very good excuse when asked about his behavior. See he is smart, but he reported this nursing home last month an they did not see any reason for c/o's. But a social worker performed the site check. So last nite I was told an so my cna's that the state listens to him because he is alert & oriented. But there are many other residents alert an oriented as much as he. This man has been thrown out of nursing home after another. So why do we not have rights to fight back when you feel sexually harrassed an stalked? My company was told by these people this would be handled, well things got worse when he was counseled of this matter. As of last night my company will be stepping in on Monday to have it resolved or have me pulled from assignment. To me the nursing home is afraid of this resident. I want to known do I have a liable case to bring before a court against this resident? I really would like to know something about if anybody else has had this same type of problem? According to DON he started strange behavior 3 months ago an I got here May 19th. At first it was great, now the DON thinks he only likes light skin gals an I am. SO PLEASE HELP ME HERE!!

Thank You

maggiecreek:confused:

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

We cannot hand out legal advice. I'm sorry for the situation you are in, this guy sounds like a creep. You need to tell the travel company to find you a new assignment.

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We cannot hand out legal advice. I'm sorry for the situation you are in, this guy sounds like a creep. You need to tell the travel company to find you a new assignment.

I guess I am not asking for legal help, i think what i am asking is this a problem that many nurses come into contact with or is this a isolated deal? My travel company is gonna find me another assignment on Monday. thank you maggiecreek

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make sure your agcy aggressively pursues another assignment for you.

in the meantime, continue w/limit setting and thorough nsg notes.

do not give in to his unreasonable demands.

do not talk w/him any longer than necessary.

any prolonged contact will only enable him.

let him know in no uncertain terms, that as a charge nurse, what you will and will not allow.

and walk away from him.

remain professional and poised.

do not let him get the best of you.

tell the licsw or staff developer, about his 'knowledge deficit' in self-bathing.

granted, i'm sure he will need assistance w/certain body parts, but make him do as much possible.

this guy is playing you.

and it has to stop...

like yesterday.

leslie

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Agree with earle. Have as little as possible to do with him, do not give in to his demands. Instead concentrate on giving quality care to your other residents until your agency finds you a new assignment. It would only be worth pursuing further if you were in a permanent position. Since the end is in sight, distance yourself, maintain your equilibrium, and prepare to move on.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

And if you ever have to provide "care" to this man, make sure you have another nurse with you so that in case this guy accuses you of anything, you have a witness. What a sick and twisted person he must be. Yuck. Do what you can until you get out of there.

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And if you ever have to provide "care" to this man, make sure you have another nurse with you so that in case this guy accuses you of anything, you have a witness. What a sick and twisted person he must be. Yuck. Do what you can until you get out of there.

Oh yeah. I wouldn't go within 10 feet of this man without someone with me. That goes the same for the others you work with as well. The whole bath thing is creepy. Protect yourselves.And get out of there ASAP if they aren't willing to deal with this situation in an appropriate manner.

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We had a male pt. similiar to this when I was a CNA during nursing school. I was told NEVER to go in his room alone. He would make constant sexual advances, sit with his pants unzipped (you know the rest) and someone who visited always brought hard-core Media mags and movies for him! As long as he kept the items in his room and kept the volume low, he was allowed to watch the movies! Very uncomfortable when two of us had to do vitals etc. and he was watching Media! A male CNA had to assist him w/ ADLs because he had no shame in groping the females. He had been sent 3x for a pysch evaluation and deemed unfit to be in the nusing home but the state did not want to move him$$. He could not live on his own because of various health issues but no family member could or would care for him. Soon after I quit he sexually assualted a grad nurse and was sent to psych facility. Very scary. And sad it took that to happen for the state to be willing to pay for him to be elsewhere.

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We had a male pt. similiar to this when I was a CNA during nursing school. I was told NEVER to go in his room alone. He would make constant sexual advances, sit with his pants unzipped (you know the rest) and someone who visited always brought hard-core Media mags and movies for him! As long as he kept the items in his room and kept the volume low, he was allowed to watch the movies! Very uncomfortable when two of us had to do vitals etc. and he was watching Media! A male CNA had to assist him w/ ADLs because he had no shame in groping the females. He had been sent 3x for a pysch evaluation and deemed unfit to be in the nusing home but the state did not want to move him$$. He could not live on his own because of various health issues but no family member could or would care for him. Soon after I quit he sexually assualted a grad nurse and was sent to psych facility. Very scary. And sad it took that to happen for the state to be willing to pay for him to be elsewhere.
OMG...why does it have to come to this type of circumstances for states to listen to us?
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I have talk in depth with my recruiter...today. and he is going to make sure that Monday something is done. But one thing if i leave my assignment it might cost me. I have 5 weeks left, an thinking just do the job an leave this place. But he said he will be getting those answers for me also. I do know he said if they request another travel nurse they will not help them unless this resident is gone. I am not understanding why we do not have a voice. maybe one day we will, but it should not take an incident that is tragic to make them listen to us. I am going to just do my job as professional an continue to do heavy documentation each an every shift. I made sure last nite that 2 cna's went in his room at any time. After I leave that is what I am woried also about, he is not gonna stop, he will continue to imtimidate people. What worries me is he makes everyone think je cannot do for himself, an he sits in tv area lifting weights an holding hig in air for long periods of time. Then he claims he can't stand walk or anything. But when I asked him how does he go to bathroom when in room, he replied by saying I get up an walk to bathroom. last week work days was in room next door, and i heard the creaking chair coming down hall. I waited a bit went an looked around corner, an caught him running to bathroom. So by him doing these tricks I feel like he wants to make you think he does can't get outa chair, and when you get close then BAM! This is my strong feelings after observing him. Am I being over dramatic here? I don't think so, I think I am being very aware of what could happen. Specially if he has a heavy weight in hand he could do damage with that. So anyway my company is going a few more steps further to fix or pull me. I wish I could take these guys, with me. They are super, they really went to bat for me, an seriously thinking of quiting because of this resident. I have voiced my concerns for them when I leave so hopefully someone will listen.

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

I agree with most of the posts, and I can't give out legal advice. But let me tell you about a patient that sexually harassed me, and how I handled it.

I was working ICU and had been off a couple of days, so when I came back, no one wanted to take care of this guy. He was a prisioner complete with gun toting guards. He had been a MI, and was being titrated off of his Nitro gtt - so I had to go in to see him approx every ten minutes.

My first trip in, I introduced myself and did a head to toe assessment. I check his base fluids and his gtt, explained we were going to begin titrating off the nitro, so he was to report any chest pain/tightness or sob to me immediately.

As I turned the drip down, the patient exposed himself to me and began touching himself and making suggestive comments. I tried not to look at him and told him his behavior was innappropriate, and I would treat him with respect if he treated me with respect. The guards even told him to "knock it off".

I left the room, and documented what happend. 10 min later, I go back in, check vitals and turn the Nitro down. He starts this ritual again, adding "have you every seen anything like this baby!" referring to his member. Again, I got flustered and tried the "this is inappropriate behavior" lecture.

I left the room again, and documented everything, third time in the room, I did vs, asked him if he had any pain, and turned the gtt off. Again, he exposed himself and asked me "come on baby, have you ever seen anything like this before" the answer came to me, I stopped what I was doing, look directly at his member and said "yes I have, every night when I bathe my 6 year old son". The guards started laughing, and the patient called me the "B" name and the "C" name. I left the room feeling a bit worried that I would get in trouble. The nurses at the nursing station all patted me on the back. Again I documented exactly what happened.

Next time in the room he addressed me as "Mam" and was polite, and most importantly, kept himself covered and his hands away from his privates.

Mission accomplished.

Good luck

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Babs

Are you sure you didn't insult your son?:chuckle

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