Nurse physical and verbal abuse by patients

sheneeg · May 28, 2018

First of all I'm glad that you are ok. Secondly this would have been a reportable to the state, where I come from. This outburst and physical aggression could have been directed at anyone, including another resident. In Arkansas we call the police for every state reportable as mandated by our state. So, for us, yes the police would have been called. The resident would have been put on one-on-one, to ensure he didn't hurt anyone else. most likely he would go to a Geri psych for eval and admission.

As for what he did to you as a whole, unfortunately there are very few, if any protections for staff. All the steps I mentions above would have been done to protect the other residents and not the staff. I have been and also had staff that have been hit, cursed, spit on, stuff thrown at, and all sorts of assaults that in the "real world" would land a person in jail. But for us, the caregivers, we have no recourse. I have had my nurses call the police for an out of control resident. The police may have spoke to him and tell him to not do that again, but that would be about it.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · May 28, 2018

Was he A + O? If he knew what he was doing I would have called the police.

BunnyBunnyBSNRN, ASN, BSN · May 29, 2018

I have the same question as CapeCodMermaid - was this resident A&O? If he has any form of dementia, then he is not responsible for that action - his reality is his reality. I know you know this, sorry if I sound bossy.

As CCM said, if he was A&O, then yes, you needed protection and the police/security needed to be called. If not, then....

lumbarpain, ADN, RN · Jun 12, 2018

thank you all for you input....and the man was demented and had a past history of physical assaulting his roommate who wound up flooring him with a punch one day..police were called for that event. however as a LTC nurse of over 30 years...I am working in a very disorganized Nursing home which has changed DONS four times in the last four years...and the revolving door has swung off the hinges on this place from so many staff coming and going. Its a horrible place to work. This man had been possiblily instigated by a female resident who resides In the room across the hall so no one knows if he became agitated over "something being inn his water pitcher by something she said" the man has a history of abusing roomates..the nursing home has put him in another room with a male resident who has complained about this resident hitting him already......but my assault was the worst I have ever encountered in my career. It was very fast and I didn't see it coming ...you never know when these people will just lash out, grab something and hit you with it or just plain sucker punch you like he did to me. I find this very unnerving as a LTC nurse...and my Unit manager and another senior nurse laughed this off as OH..we all get hit, we get scratched, spit on etc, that's no big deal" the problem here is that non of hese two nurses were a witness..only one aide was there to help me when he held me up in the air by my scrub top....sounds funny now..but at the time I was waiting to be sent to the hospital by his other fist coming at me......right now I am seeking other work.....I am 62 and tired of the BS in Nursing homes....I gave them enough time to prove themselves over the years and they are all the same...some a little better than others..but I would never ever work in one again. And Demented or not.....I am not a referee, I am not a boxer, nor a wrestler or trained in protecting myself.

Neats, BSN · Jun 12, 2018

As a LTC DON and LNHA I can tell you a few things I would do in this situation

1. If I notice resident increasing in agitation I try to reorient this resident in a different environment, try to see if they will eat something , try to take a walk around the building with the resident, in short just divert their attention.

2. Take the water picture with them to the kitchen/water fountain and dump all the water out and replace with new water all the while they are watching me.

3. I would never sit on the side of the bed and talk to the patient move directly to their side offset a little and have them turn their head to meet your eyes, this way you are in a safe position and the patient is off kilter. Place yourself near the door so you can get out fast.

4. I would report this as this person needs an evaluation he could be decompensating and possible hurt another nurse or resident, how would you feel if this happened and you never reported this?

Immediate write a new nursing care plan that 2 people must go into room each time for the next 14 days...just enough time to get this resident re-evaluated.

5. Change this residents room to a room with no roommates if at all possible and cover yourself for any fall out because if the state comes in you will have done all you can now it is up to the DON/LNHA.

6. Ensure this is reported to the state and on the 24 hour report.

7. Go see your PCP and have a quick check up-you had difficulty breathing I do not care if this resident has dementia or not he is a time bomb waiting to go off.

lumbarpain, ADN, RN · Jun 21, 2018

thank you so much for your responses....since then I cut my hours...this nursing home has a lot of severe staffing problems , amongst other things.

During the time of this incident..I felt confident I can divert this mans attention..but I felt that another female(very confused resident)who comes to visit him often MAY have instigated the water problem...but this is heresay and was never approved.. I was never attacked in my life by anyof my residents...and this was very scarey for me since I am a bit long in the tooth now and I don't move as quickly.....I was not actually SEATED on his bed.I was seated in a regular chair next to the bed....bbut he had gotten up and lunged at me so fast..it really shocked me. I was iffing and awing about calling the police cause it took a long time for him to calm down...he was yelling out for some time after that occurrence...I was lucky I had a witness , one of my aides. This man was yelling out so much and was not calming down and I was undecided whether to call the police which either could have went both ways at the time..making him more resistant and uncontrollable or much calmer.....so we just left him by himself in his room to calm down.....but since then...I was actually laughed at by my Unit manager and a senior day RN..///because it wasn't THEM..they thought I was fabricating and they thought getting hit , pinched, spit at , grabbed , squeezed, and hit by resident is a joke then its time for me to get out of this business...I have done my time....but this is the first I have ever been hurt and scared to death for myself by a male resident. He was very strong and all nurses shouldn't say to themselves OH how strong can a 90 years old be? believe me they are!! He was originally in a room by himself because of past verbal and physical abuses of his roomates...but we have construction going on and they started to switch his rooms with other male residents ...who both were A&O but have complained about him being verbally abusive and hitting them in their rooms...so.....now I hear they are finally going to transfer him to another unit.....it took almost 3 weeks for them to do this!! hurting me and abusing 2 other male residents....and I DID report this to the State of Virginia..but haven't heard a word about it yet!!!! Thank you for all your input on this matter..I was terrifically upset over this and its affecting me a lot since then.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jun 21, 2018

If the state of Virginia is like Massachusetts, they won't do anything about a staff ( or several staff) member being hit by a resident. If this guy was hitting his roommates and no report of resident to resident altercation was made, they WOULD do something.