Just let me vent - a little!!

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Went to my ex-LTCF today to visit with a couple of my favorite residents. When I got there, I found that a lot of the residents were down with a stomach virus.

When the evening nurse saw me, she asked me to go in and try to get 'M' to get up for supper, as M was one of my 'special' residents, and this evening nurse can't get along with her (I personally feel that's the nurses' fault, but that's another story). So I went into M's room and found her confused, her face was hotter than heck. I talked to her awhile, and she said she'd had some broth and jello. IMO, that lady had no business out of her bed and into a dining room with other residents who may not have gotten it yet.

Before I left, I went to the evening nurse and told her how I had found my friend - well, this gal tried to argue with me - she told me that M didn't have a temp.

Well, this place is known for having crappy, unreliable equipment, but isn't that something any nurse is taught? DON'T depend on the machines - use your hands and eyes?

That was always my quarrel with this particular nurse - she's worked there for 20 years, and by gosh, no one is going to tell her anything!!

I'll bet as soon as I left they made M go to the dining room!:uhoh3:

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Yeah, and I bet in 4 or 5 days the rest of the patients come down with it too.I once had the absolute WORST case of the flu after the whole unit had it , the nurses stating coming down with it. I bet we carry all kinds of nasty colonized germs from working in LTC for so many years.Another perk that comes with being a nurse.:barf02:

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Specializes in psych, geriatric, foot care.

It's hard when you can't make things right, at least "M" has someone who cares and tries to look out for their interests.

ingelein:

lol ...I had the same conversation about how many germs we must carry the other day with a co-worker after testing a resident for MRSA. I said it would be interesting to test all the staff for these things....I bet we carry more bacteria ect.. then the residents.

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Wow, it sounds like the stomach virus is really going around in LTC's. My husband's grandmother is in an LTC, her roommate has had the stomach virus, my husband's grandma has had it, as well as several other residents. Sounds like it's not a local deal.

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Oh, I just hate when a pt or resident is sick and the nurse insists that they get up. Yes, getting up is important to reduce risk of pneumonia, DVT, etc. BUT when that otherwise chipper resident who gets up daily is sick, it isn't going to hurt her to lie in bed for a day or two. And setting her with other residents so they can get sick???? Gee, I wouldn't be suprised if that nurse ends up sick with the flu! If she just *HAD* to be up, leave her in her room to eat.

What do you do when you have a fever of 103, can't breathe, so achy you just wanna die? I bet most of us stay in bed or lay on the couch. Why can't these people be afforded the same luxury as us?

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It's hard when you can't make things right, at least "M" has someone who cares and tries to look out for their interests.

ingelein:

lol ...I had the same conversation about how many germs we must carry the other day with a co-worker after testing a resident for MRSA. I said it would be interesting to test all the staff for these things....I bet we carry more bacteria ect.. then the residents.

At the hospital, they tested us all a couple of years ago. I didn't have it, but I wouldn't bet money on it now.

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Specializes in psych, geriatric, foot care.

I don't even want to know if I do, but I find it interesting that my LTC is so intrigued with knowing which pt's carry it and never ask if staff do?

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