Irritating residents

mandykal, ADN, RN · Jun 22, 2005

You are not alone in feeling that way. We do have a few of those residents who are referred to as "she's a caller."

As for your resident constantly asking "What NA has me tonight?" and when she finds out who exactly and starts her complaints.......I have to say I've been there. Everytime a resident has a complaint, I always bring it up to the person she talks about because apparently, there is an issue the resident doesn't like, and the only way the problem is resolved is to address it directly. There are some instants where it's the resident and her thoughts to be fixed on attention. These are elderly people who are different with their needs, and sometimes look forward for certain things or to be cared for. Like supper, if it's doesn't look good, they lose their appetite. One of the best way to help the residents is to create a routine, and that's part of care planning, and have the CNAs follow that routine. The only problem is if the routine is broken because of short staff or something, it can make it worse, but thats when therapeutic communications comes to play. At 5am in the morning, that's the time rounds are being done, don't wait for her to ring, advise the resident that, "that is the time rounds are being done, and the CNAs will be in to offer the bed pan or assist in changing." By creating a care plan, and sticking to it, the CNAs can anticipate the residents needs, thus decreasing frustrations to both the resident and the staff. I worked 3-11 for 5 years and love to pull overtime because as a CNA all I do is change people (11-7). By 0500 we're rollin, and in the middle of get-ups, I don't like to leave my client in the middle of care. So the usual ringers, are attended before we start our care. So, if a resident complaints to you, address it, fix it, it might not be them at all, it might just be....

Sue7573 · Jun 22, 2005

I totally agree. I love my job and I love working with residents as a CNA. I don't normally work midnights but have been picking a few of those shifts up. Like last night. I had Mr. Jones. He is on his light all night long. I am serious 9 out of 10 times he calls he just wants to know what to do next. He doesn't just call a couple times a night, one night we counted that he called 87 times. Last night he didn't call that often as he slept until three. From three untill around 6:30 he had called every 7 - 10 min. Things like I dropped the edge of my blanket, I need to roll over ( he can and does turn himself, however if we remind him of that he states he wants us to watch make sure he is doing it right), or once he wanted me to pull his sock up. One time he did c/o headache. I told the nurse and she brought him a tylenol, which she dropped under the bed. She went and got another one and disposed of the first one. around 6:00 he called and said that he didn't have a headache any more but he couldn't figure out why the nurse wouldn't give him any headache medicine. I reminded him about the nurse dropping the first pill and he remembered. around 6:30 I was getting his room mate up and I know he asked me at least ten times while I was caring for his roommate what to do next. I kept telling him that I didn't know for sure what his schedule was after the dayshift girls got there. Any way when I took the roommate out of his room I didn't get 2 doors down when his light was on again. I went back in there and asked what could I do for him. He said he didn't know that he didn't sleep very well last night and that he didn't know what to do. I told him rest a little while longer one of the girls would be in to get him up soon. He said well I know but my ankle hurts (and I quoat what he said) "My ankle has hurt all night long, I told the nurses but they wont do anything about it." I said "sir, I didn't know your ankle was hurting, I would have told the nurse if I knew that" he looks up at me and says "you are not a dayshift nurse" I said "No I worked last night" He then says in exasperation "never mind then". I reported that conversation to the nurse and she charted it verbatum. This fella boy oh boy. We have tried everything. ON the nights that he is really on the lights we work with him we have gotten him up to sit at the desk we have sat in his room with him we have fixed him something to eat. We don't know what to do with him. He has been evaluated and reevaluated, we have worked with doctors, and social services, I mean we have been thru the ringers with him. One of the main problems we have is that he is now telling His son (of which works in same facility) that some of the nurses and aides are telling him to shut up and for him to leave them alone. I have never heard any one speak to this man in any way but appropriatly. So he is very hard to deal with.

I know how you feel.

Sue

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jun 22, 2005

Perhaps and especially with the new CMS regs. on urinary incontinence, that woman should be put on a bladder retraining schedule. If she knows she needs to be changed, might she know when she has to go? Or might it not be easier for all y'all to go in to her room first and get her changed...or toilet her.

You know once you fix this problem, she will come up with another. We all have those pesky residents we dread but at the end of the day, WE get to go home....they are stuck there.

Mandylpn · Jun 27, 2005

You're not. I had a rez b*&^% me out because her ice cream was "melted", and "what time did I take it out of the freezer?", etc. In the meantime I have other rez's worse off health-wise than her and they do not complain at all. GEEZE :smackingf

Mandylpn · Jun 27, 2005

Perhaps and especially with the new CMS regs. on urinary incontinence, that woman should be put on a bladder retraining schedule. If she knows she needs to be changed, might she know when she has to go? Or might it not be easier for all y'all to go in to her room first and get her changed...or toilet her.
You know once you fix this problem, she will come up with another. We all have those pesky residents we dread but at the end of the day, WE get to go home....they are stuck there.

You are so right! I thank God every day I can go to the toilet and shower myself and walk!

rebel_red · Jun 28, 2005

Our facility is split between sub acute and ltc. My ltc residents are absolute dolls. My subacutes are another matter entirely. Sometimes I wanna take em on a little field trip or offer them a little pillow therapy. Call me when you need pain meds, or you feel a little "off" always happy to assess and medicate, but do not tell the aide "Only the nurse can help me." Then when I arrive in the room tell me "You need to change the channel on my tv." Because I will perceive that as a change in mental status ship your butt off to the hospital and have you labeled a DNR as in do not return to our facility.....OK so I really wouldn't but I really want to......who knows how much longer I can hold onto my tenuous grasp of reality in light of such inanity......And yeah I know the tv thing may be a bid for attention or emotional reassurance....still....

Tres

who thinks if you can do it on your own you should.....

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jun 28, 2005

Sometimes...when the patient is REALLY horrid, we use a gentle "threat".....Oh,Mrs Jones, you are here for rehab. If you can't do that by yourself, you might have to stay here long term....OR....if you don't get better and more independent, your Medicare will no longer pay for your stay here....

Zowie that gets 'em motivated.

I really can't believe that those people would rather let someone else "do" for them. We had one woman once, she was the head of some cockamamie religious cult, and very very overweight. She had come in for rehab after falling and breaking something...ankle...leg...I can't remember which. Anyway, there I am, the nurse manager trying to deal with critically ill people on my sub-acute floor, and I hear her calling for help and see the emergency light going off. I went into her bathroom and there she sat..."Wipe me" she demanded. I looked at her and said "WHAT?????...did you say Wipe me" "Yes" she said. Well, I had about had it with this woman and her superior attitude. "Madam", I said, "I believe you have a broken leg, not a broken arm and I think you are more than capable of wiping yourself. If you can't reach, I'll speak to OT and get you a reacher." She started to holler at me...so I said "If you can't wipe yourself, how will you be able to go home?" She answered, "One of the sisters will do it for me."

I had to leave the room....can you imagine being so lazy as to allow someone else to wipe your butt?????? She finally got that we weren't going to cater to her and went back to the sisters......

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2005

Sometimes...when the patient is REALLY horrid, we use a gentle "threat".....Oh,Mrs Jones, you are here for rehab. If you can't do that by yourself, you might have to stay here long term....OR....if you don't get better and more independent, your Medicare will no longer pay for your stay here....
Zowie that gets 'em motivated.
I really can't believe that those people would rather let someone else "do" for them. We had one woman once, she was the head of some cockamamie religious cult, and very very overweight. She had come in for rehab after falling and breaking something...ankle...leg...I can't remember which. Anyway, there I am, the nurse manager trying to deal with critically ill people on my sub-acute floor, and I hear her calling for help and see the emergency light going off. I went into her bathroom and there she sat..."Wipe me" she demanded. I looked at her and said "WHAT?????...did you say Wipe me" "Yes" she said. Well, I had about had it with this woman and her superior attitude. "Madam", I said, "I believe you have a broken leg, not a broken arm and I think you are more than capable of wiping yourself. If you can't reach, I'll speak to OT and get you a reacher." She started to holler at me...so I said "If you can't wipe yourself, how will you be able to go home?" She answered, "One of the sisters will do it for me."
I had to leave the room....can you imagine being so lazy as to allow someone else to wipe your butt?????? She finally got that we weren't going to cater to her and went back to the sisters......

Which only proves that Those People are literally everywhere...

I admire anyone who can work in a care facility. I don't believe I could do it.

hollyster · Jun 28, 2005

I have read a lot of posts saying that everyone should spend a year of Med/Surg. After reading all the LTC posters, It looks like everyone should do six to tweleve months in a LTC. I bet their views would be different.

boulergirl, CNA · Jun 28, 2005

One of our irritating residents just moved out this week after five years. All I can say is,

"Ding dong, the Wicked Witch is goooone!" :Melody:

Moving on: We have had a resident living with us for awhile who was supposed to be there temporarily to recover from a fracture. Now he's there permanently even though he drives a new car, has a nice house AND a boat, and likes to court some of the lady residents every now and then. He's not hurting for money. We have independent living cottages...but nooo, he lives in the main building. At every meal he has to fuss about something. Having worked other shifts on occasion, I learned this quickly. "That's not French onion soup, it's onion soup. I need crumbled cheese in it. It's too onion-y" "What do you mean, you don't have white gravy to go with the biscuits? This is Georgia!" (Yeah, and you just went to the hospital with an MI!)

He also makes inappropriate comments at times. Once, in front of a couple of other residents and a family member, he told me I ought to start drinking Vodka. He said it would make me talk louder and stuff like that. Um, WHAT??? :no: Jerk.

He and the maintenance director get along really well. Of course they would...they're both ladies' men, they both like to brag, and they both act inapproriately at times or say things that make us uncomfortable. They're just peas in a pod. :cheers: Oy......

Mandylpn · Jul 3, 2005

Sometimes...when the patient is REALLY horrid, we use a gentle "threat".....Oh,Mrs Jones, you are here for rehab. If you can't do that by yourself, you might have to stay here long term....OR....if you don't get better and more independent, your Medicare will no longer pay for your stay here....
Zowie that gets 'em motivated.
I really can't believe that those people would rather let someone else "do" for them. We had one woman once, she was the head of some cockamamie religious cult, and very very overweight. She had come in for rehab after falling and breaking something...ankle...leg...I can't remember which. Anyway, there I am, the nurse manager trying to deal with critically ill people on my sub-acute floor, and I hear her calling for help and see the emergency light going off. I went into her bathroom and there she sat..."Wipe me" she demanded. I looked at her and said "WHAT?????...did you say Wipe me" "Yes" she said. Well, I had about had it with this woman and her superior attitude. "Madam", I said, "I believe you have a broken leg, not a broken arm and I think you are more than capable of wiping yourself. If you can't reach, I'll speak to OT and get you a reacher." She started to holler at me...so I said "If you can't wipe yourself, how will you be able to go home?" She answered, "One of the sisters will do it for me."
I had to leave the room....can you imagine being so lazy as to allow someone else to wipe your butt?????? She finally got that we weren't going to cater to her and went back to the sisters......

:chuckle :chuckle this is so funny!!!!!!! thanx for the laff! :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: