momcat107

my intuition is still alive and well. I have been taking care of this lady Ruth,for the last 9 months,and for the past week or so she had been declining,but slowly ( end stage cardiac) A while back I had promised her grandaughter that if I saw changes,or had any concerns,to call her. Friday night I kept getting this gut instinct feeling to call her,so I did. There was nothing I could put my finger on,she just wasnt right. Saturday am the grandaughter came over and spent the day with her. when I went back that evening about 6pm,I told the granddaughter she had better get the rest of the family.Everyone was there by 8pm,Ruth was alert and talking to everyone,I was beginning to doubt my sanity.about 9 she falls asleep. At 915 I check on her and she had passed away. The way she wanted to at home with her family around her. thank you 6th sense.

many years ago,I was a brand new CNA,and I was doing homecare.My patient was a 90 plus yr old dying of rectal ca.On my third day there I knock on the door and the husband answers the door and says to me " I dont think Anna wants a bath today,she has her' monthly.' even as a newbie green CNA,I knew 90 yr olds dont get monthlies .but they do bleed out. Very calmly I access the situation,she was no longer alive,so i called the appropiate people.....I have never seen so much blood or poo in my life.....:barf01:

Are you sure you dont ride along with me? I do homecare for hospice and I have come out of a home and had three cows licking my car. I have had far too many close encounter with,deer,foxes,raccoon you name it. I hit and killed a wild turkey. I have had countless calls when the weather is at its worst,That momma wont wake up.So you brave the elements,almost wrap your car around a tree,and when you get to the house you find momma will never wake up again,and rigor has begun to set in. or you arrive at home for the first time,knock on the door,and you hear I am coming,then thud.LOL on the floor behind the door. you call EMS,and end up having to break a window to get in....need I go on...

I had an ob gyn by the name of Dr Holeman.

Hi there,I have been issued a challenging patientand I am reaching out for some tips and tricks to help this gentleman . I am a hospice home health aide,and I do home care. My newest pt is 93 yrs old , has bladder ca,and Alheimers. He is quite excitable,and has a tendency to hit,kick,and bite.Very little in the way of family support.Little old wife,totally overwhelmed,and one 60 ish dtr who thinks daddy will get better....he is on albsolutely no medicine,because the dtr believes that with Alzheimers you feel no pain.....

The only thing I remember for sure was when I was 14,I was supposed to go babysitting,and for some reason I felt my gut instinct telling me to stay home,so I got one of my friends to babysit where I was supposed to.So I am upstairs reading and all of a sudden I heard my parents fighting loudly.all of a suuden I heard a thump and my father calling my name.My mother was on the floor unconscious. She had had a minor stroke. called 911 .This was 27 yrs ago and she is still alive and kicking to this day. I just listen to my gut instinct.

My intuition and experience has saved the day many a time,but is not always appreciated. I work for hospice doing home care,and so many times I have called the on call nurse,and told them something wasnt right. My nurses have now come to appreciate what I call FYI phone calls. Several of the nurses call me Dr Robyn,because of this instinct. I have a 99% accuracy when it comes to diagnosing UTI s before the urine test. I have always had this intuition and I have learned to listen to it. I am not a psychic in the sense of seeing the future,but I sense when things arent right or will happen. Not a true 6 th sense but like and extra 1/2 sense.

Thanks for the replies! If your patient is actively dying and gets what can only be called death breath a drop or two of peppermint oil behind each ear and maybe a drop or two on the front of the hospital gown,will make things nicer for the family. Stubborn earwax problems?CVS has come out with a peroxide gel that works wonders. My husband swears by it...put a q tip full in each ear wait 15-20 min and the wax falls right out. If your pt is incontinent and you need to clear up some diaper rash,bag balm works wonders.If your patient complains of a lot of stomach gas,first look at how they are drinking. If they are using a straw they are swallowing a lot of air. if a straw is the only option shorten the straw.....

I am a hospice home care aide and I love my work. I have many tips and tricks that I have picked up throughout the years. I would love to share what I can,and would love other folks to share theirs.:balloons: Many times a tumor will emit a rather nasty smell,if smells bother you put a small amount of vicks vapor rub under each nostril,viola! you smell vicks and noones the wiser.Vicks vapor rub is also great to combat nail fungus.apply to affected nail once daily. More to come....have to go to work now.....

As CNA for 25 years,last 10 with Hospice I have seen and lived through the treatment CNAs are given.If a nurse calls out sick they call an agency for staff relief. If a aide or two call out,you work short.The last unit I worked on was a 60 bed. On the 3-11 shift if fully staffed you had 6 aides.ha haha. IN the yr and a half I was there,I saw full staff twice.State inspectors were there.You hoped for 5,most evening we would be happy with 3 3-11 ers,and a 3-7 to get us through dinner.Most of the nurses I worked with sat on their buts,ignoring PT call lights ect.As long as they stayed out of my way. One night I get paged to the front desk,this BAAAAd nurse Trudy needs a favor.Could I run out to her car and get the bag on the front seat? I said sure (unbenounced) to me,it was pouring out.of course her car was at the far end of the lot. I fially get to her car get the look inside to make sure I had the right bag,it was the only bag.I am hurrying back because i am soaking wet and cold and I slip and fall and the bag opens up.All this for a freaking bag of chips.:angryfire..that was the last favor I ever did.... :trout: this is one of the reasons I work homecare...

:smackingfThis week I celebrate 10 yrs working for ...hospice.:balloons:My job title is home health aide...but we are so much more.The nurses I work with are the absolute best,and always stand behind the aides.I often shoulder more than my share,because I care about my patients.Lately I have noticed a strange occurance and I have brought it up to my supervisors,because of the potential of risk.To qualify for our hospice homecare,there has to be a responsible person to be the ultimate caregiver. In the last month, I had an elderly woman end stage lung/brain ca.Her primary caregiver was her elderly husband who was trying very hard to care for her,but due to macular degeneration and an old cva ,he couldnt turn her or give her even predrawn meds...an elderly bedbound woman end stage copd,pagets disease,dementia , and extremly obese.Primary caregiver is a 50 ish Dtr who is very high strung,very unaccepting of moms diagnosis and things can only be done her way.keeps moms bedroom so hot I have almost passed out. She is so afraid mom will catch a cold if the window is open.Its July ITS 85 degrees...Next we have a 72 yr old lovely intelligent gentleman who has lung liver bone and brain. His primary caregiver is his lovely wife. who unfortatly has Alzheimers. Late stage one/early two.very bad sundowners.He took a fall and she wouldnt/couldnt bring him the phone. The clincher was this weekend I did a last minute visit,Lymphoma,bone ,lung ,brain. Sent home to die, Primary caregiver? His wife who has end stage parkinsons who is unable to speak or move. Whatsssup? Anyone having similiar issues? Thanks for letting me sound off.I now have our social workers on speed dial as well as my supervisor. 90 % of the time I love my job.The other 10% .......

I need to share this one...This Saturday i was called to home for a patient in distress. I am a home hospice nurses aide...pt was 89,end stage lymphoma and was suffering from a bad case of terminal anxiety. tried ativan,seemed to make it worse.....the nurse on call suggested haladol,but then it hit me...he was having some pain and he couldnt let us know so I got the ok for morphine sulphate...bingo...he settled right down . OnSunday I went back and he was well into his journey home. I was finishing up his bath, he opened up his eyes,took my hand and said Thank you..as clear as a bell. about a hour later he slipped away very peacefully. Made me feel proud to be a hospice aide.

what is failure to thrive? They are using it now in old people.I always thought it was for babies. Now it is a hospice diagnosis. I got a fact sheet with this as a diagnosis....LOL ,92,lives alone,FTT,NIDDM.A/0x3.

Sorry to hear about your not so good experience.A lot of people work hospice because its a job.I work hospice because it is my calling.Your mom should have never been gotten up.My rule is the patient sets the rules.Often the family will say why dont you give mr x a shower? And if mr x is able to have a shower,ok,but if he doesnt feel up for it or I have a safety concern,then a bed bath is fine.I am glad to hear she was fired.

Just stopped by to say hi. I am Robyn,I am in my 25 th year as a CNA! I have cross trained as Phlebotomist,Ekg tech,but my true love is patient care.I have worked agencies,nursing homes,hospital,rehab units,DMR. 9 years ago I found my niche in the world Hospice Home care. I love the work I do.It can be sad,and frustrating,but if I can make someones last days more comfortable,then I am doing my job.And I feel good.:wink2:

Hello out there.My name is Robyn and I have been a C.N.A. for 25 years.I recieved my first CNA training at 16.In my many years I have cross trained in Phlebotomy,EKG monitering,amongst other things.I am the happiest being a CNA ! I have worked hospitals,nursing homes,group homes,both elderly and DMR. 9 years ago I found what it is that makes me feel complete,makes me feel like I am actually appreciated. I am doing Hospice home Care and I love it.Yes it is hard when they go,but if your actions made them feel better,it was worth it.The nurses I work with are great,(and believe me,I have worked with some doozies). Our typical visit is two hours. For one patient!!!!! How cool is that? Well, just wanted to say hi.

I was working in a nursing home and I got pulled to another unit.I go into this pts room to do her VS and I got a real nasty smell coming from her body.Not the usual smell,ie pee or poop. Smelled like something was dead,and had been for a long time.Suddenly she sneezed and reached under her jonny coat and came out with a handful of kleenex,some of which had some bloody drainage on it. Now I am curious,and I as her mrs so+so can I take a quick look? She said sure honey,takes off her jonny coat and on one side you have a normal looking 80 yr old breast.On the other side there is what I could only call a crater. Apparently she has had breast cancer,left untreated had eaten away all the tissue and left this huge hole where her breast had been.She decided to use it for storage. That day she had in there,mounds of tissue, her dentures (wrapped in toilet paper) a med cup,and a plastic spoon...... :barf01:

This HHA wears a combination We are only required to wear scrubs if we are going into a facility. I usually start off my day wearing scrubs During the week,since I have a Mon to Fri in an assisted living facility On the weekend,I have all home care so I wear street clothes. I personally find that families are more relaxed when you are in street clothes. I think as long as you dress respectably ie no short shorts and halter tops!!!. I too have been told for safety reasons to wear street clothes. In my car I always carry an extra set of scrubs and a set of street clothes. You never know what your day may hold.....

I am proud to work in hospice home care,I celebrate my 9 year anniversary next week. For many years I bounced around,nursing homes, hospitals,DMR,agencies. Never really happy.I moved from AZ to CT,and with my licence in transition,I had the address of an agency, but when I walked into the building,I saw the Hospice office. and the rest,as they say is history. I love the people I take care of,and the staff I work with.As with any job there are days.....And I also have a different perspective than most,Almost 5 years ago my wonderful father in law was dying of lung cancer.With the help and support of hospice my father in law died at home with his family around him and he had no pain. So 95% of the time I am the caregiver,but I also know what it is like to be a family member.Many times I have been offered inpatient work,but I prefer my home care cases. So I would like to hear from other hospice home care people. I have a cute little quote I use but it says it all. " you really mustnt have a life when you get excited over BMs and they arent yours!

How about a caffeine/nicotine IV to go along with the catheter and leg bag,and I always wanted electronic rollerskates.Camoflage uniforms,and large paddle for Drs,who wait till end of shift to change orders.

jde,while we are on the subject,I was taking care of a lovely old lady who had a colostomy. As luck would have it her son brought home from work a very nasty virus,the diarrea and vomiting type.So this poor old lady was having her bag changed for like the third time,and I had just put the stoma paste on and attached the bag,all of a sudden she moaned and a huge blast of gas sent the colostomy bag flying across the room and it stuck to the wall.,she was mortified and I almost peed my self laughing. Incoming crap bag! Duck!

I have tons of nasty ones,but the one that sticks out in my mind is I was working a double shift in a hospital,7am till 11pm. I was bone tired and doing my last rounds I found one of my elderly demented old men covered head to toe in feces.No problem,hauled him into the shower,stripped the bed,remade it,but I kept smelling poop and I noticed it seemed like he was chewing something. Got him to open his mouth and he had a mouth full of feces....It took everything I had not to toss my cookies.....