intermittant home oxygen+chain smoker=um, yeah...

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I am trained as an RN, not working officially at the moment due to needing to care for family. But I still have my RN education, I passed with flying colors.

But, I have a new neighbor as of yesterday. I just happened to go into his place yesterday to help him set up his TV, note to self=I saw at least 3 oxygen tanks. He doesn't seem to have it all together in the thinking department. His place completely STUNK of cigarette smoke. He had the "official" sign on his door saying DO not smoke, Oxygen in use. I alerted my management about this today. And, all they made him do is take down the sign on his door, so it doesn't call attention to the fact that there are multiple oxygen tanks in there. Oh yeah, he wasn't wearing the oxygen when I was helping him, but in addition to the at least 3 tanks I saw, there were nebulizer and inhaler items everywhere. So, even though it is not my place to be questioning a person I do not know about their health history, I still have a functioning brain, and I know that this entire situation isn't adding up to being letting me be reassured that there is no fire hazard.

I am seriously worried about this. The apartment management obviously could give a rats a** about this. They probably flunked basic high school chemistry, to be able to know that oxygen is an accelerator.

So, I don't want to drop this. Do I call the fire department? I have no clue who his home health company is. I don't want to step on his toes, if he in fact, is of the responsible type that turns off the o2 before lighting up. But, man. Suggestions on how to tactfully handle this from here?

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Specializes in ER.

Sounds like a mind your own business moment. People smoke on oxygen all the time, and no one does a thing about it.

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I encountered this with a woman when I made a home health visit on my own as a nursing student. I called my instructor who told me to call the doctor and report the situation. My instructor told me that was all I could do and for me not to waste too much time on the visit, because the hh agency knew how noncompliant the lady was.

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Of course it is a MYOB moment. Other than the fact, that I am not a person that gets to just periodically be around him. I live next door to him in an apartment building, as do many other people. Ok, maybe this isn't a nursing moment, this is a "I have freakin valuable possesions, I sort of don't care to lose them or my home or my life anytime soon, because of a preventable fire". Ok, I am sorry I asked if I shouldn't be here.

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You have the same rights to live in a safe environment as anyone else in that building. Make a report to the authorities.

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