i have been a cna for the last 20 yrs. i have worked in numerous facilities. i have never had to report anyone i worked with for abuse. i had never seen any of my co -workers abuse a patient.
as a mandatory reporter, how does that work when you have witnessed elderly abuse on a personal level ??
i know i should report it cause it is the right thing to do. but how does that affect my cna certification if i don't ?? (although i plan on doing it if the abuser does not follow thru on the conditions that were made to her).
my mother in law has been taking care of her elderly dementia sister. i have witnessed her abuse her physically, emotionally and mentally. my husband and i keep telling her to put her in a home but she won't cause she says the dr. won't do it. my husband told her that if she didn't have her sister to another doctor and in a nursing home by the end of jan. that i would be calling aps. now my mother in law also has her 16 yo daughter and her niece (the sisters daughter) living with her. i have offered my help and it was refused. the other day i witnessed my mother in law hit her sister on the head with a rolled up magazine and yell at her to "open your eyes". i told her that that was considered elderly abuse and that she could get in trouble for it. my mother in law cussed me up one side and down the other and then hit my on the head with the same rolled up magazine, not to mention she has her tied in a wheelchair with scarves. i told my husband what had happen and that as a mandated reported i have a legal obligation to report her. if something were to happen the sister and there was suspected abuse and an investigation was called, if they were to interview us, they are gonna come at me for having a medical background and not reporting it. i will not jeopardize my career or my chance at nursing school because his mother is abusive.
so my question is, would my certification be at stake if i were not to report it (i plan on doing it if she does not have her to a doctor and in a home by the end of jan.) my mother in law is trying to tell my husband that they can't take my certification. that i am not legally obliged to report it because she's not in a nursing home, nor is there home health. (which she has needed for sometime now. although i think she would be better off in a nursing home.) what advice do you have for me. i'm really stuck in a pickle right now. my mother in law and i had a fairly decent relationship up until now. my husband supports me but my mother in law can be very persuasive to.
