Published
Were you using a gait belt when this happened?
From your description, changing her to a full mechancial lift sounds like a bit of an over-reaction. I could see making her a two-person assist for toileting so one person could help her balance while another helped with clothing management and hygiene.
FutureCota
15 Posts
I took a patient to the restroom and I was wiping her when she fell on me. She was a fall risk and had difficulty walking, but that is normal for her. My chart said she was a one person transfer with a gait belt and walker and I had her use her walker correctly so we got to the restroom with no problems.
But, as I was wiping her, she fell to the side and I couldn't get to her in time to ease the fall. It was that fast. There were no injuries, but she was in pain. I stayed with her until other CNAs came and got the nurse.
The nurse declared that the resident could no longer walk on her own and was now a full mechanical lift. I was visibly upset and my supervisor told me not to worry after I filled my incident report and go home (I was toileting her in the last five minutes of my shift), but still...
I worry that maybe I had her stand up for too long and should have had her rest more while toileting her. Or maybe I could have done something different. Another CNA told me that she was always wobbly and that she pressed her hand on the small of her back when she noticed her struggling in order to keep her standing straight. Should I have done that?