Problems with/in Long-Term Care Facilities

you have none of your own? what reading (books & journals as opposed to online fora) have you checked already? have you gone to two or three local snfs to ask there? yes, there are bound to be people who will talk to you, and they know better than anyone. ask for the staff educator, social worker, and/or director of nursing; make an appointment if you really want to be professional.

this is how you start, not by asking us to do your homework from the git-go. hint: this is also how your faculty will assess how good you are at problem-solving and research. you'll have to cite your sources in this paper, and "umm, it was grntea on an that told me that" will not get you any points for academic rigor, even for an opinion paper.

Well yeah I knew that but the only ones I have are abuse and neglect and if people gave me some ideas then i would research about them.

as i said, go there and ask people who really know. if all you know is "abuse and neglect" then you really don't know much, because those are such cliches. not to say that they don't happen, but they are not endemic and there are lots of other issues that the nurses who work there will know about. that's research. cutting and pasting or parroting what other people write isn't. maybe you'll even be inspired.

I'm not in NS school yet, but just by reading through the threads on AN, I can suggest a few: patient to staff(CNA, LPN, RN) ratio, medication errors, understanding policies, what is appropriate training for staff. Once you get some ideas, then call some facilities in your area and see if you can talk to someone about them.

Like GrnTea said, use your problem-solving skills. Think outside the box. If you are stuck, just get a piece of paper and start jotting down any issue you can think of...it may help to get your thoughts organized. Or you can search AN threads and get an idea of what nurses vent about and take it from there. It's not hard, and don't think too deep into it.

okay thanks that's really helpful :):):)

There is a sub-forum on this site specifically for LTC/Geriatric nurses.

Funding, some of the conditions of the facilities we ask that our elders live in are horrible. Staff ratio would also be better if there was more funding. As it stands now in my view it is only going to get worse.

We have more elderly, the rate of autism is climbing rapidly and these children are growing just as fast (what happens to them when they are 30-50 and their caregivers pass away or can no longer care for them), people are living longer but at what medical cost. We have 30 year old men and women who are "living" yet are total care pts. We sometimes "save" someone only to have them live out the rest of their live as a vegetable. Family members are less able to care for their loved ones at home because of a number of things including money, the amount of time and skills need to care for them, I can go on and on.

We need more money. And guess what our nation is broke. Where does this leave us?

It is pretty bleak. We really need to get together and do something for those who can no longer do it for themselves. One day it might be you or I who are in need of this care and the way it looks it is only going to be worse.

OK I'm stepping off my soap box.

Do some reading on this site. There are loads of threads discussing the topic. Try something really out of the box. Talk to an actual resident of an LTC. In fact talk to several residents of different LTC's. It will give you a perspective other than the one of someone who works there.

Thanks alot :) :)

*caregiver/staff ratio

*inadequate staff training

*odor control issues

*medicare/medicaid budget cuts

*implementing stimulating activities for Alz/dementia pts

*mass herding policies that serve to convenience staff instead of pts (i.e. all pts must get up and in the dining room by a certain time so that one caregiver can sit between pts and feed one with the left hand and one with the right hand)

*I could go on and on

You're a CNA ??????? (per your pro)

Problems in an LTC?? We don't have any problems.

Top heavy staff.

Guilty families.

Narcotic dependence.

Infection Control.

Staff development.

Residents who don't have clothes and resources.

Doctors who won't call back for timely orders.

Outdated policies.

Nutrition risks of elderly.

My personal favorite: Being held responsible for things you have no control over.

Moving target of CMMS.

My state's (NC) survey team funds it's self. Meaning that if they don't levy fines their department loses money. (Think how that's going to work)

Obama Care.

Outdated equipment.

Need I go on?