Bbo.W

It seems unfair to me to make sweeping statements like "I would never......" (fill in the blank). None of us have a crystal ball, and to judge a family for their choices is unprofessional. Part of the art of nursing is to educate families and patients and to support their choices.

I worked at a LTC that had an awful problem w/ call-offs. It was not unusual to have 40 residents each, and it was a dementia unit. Some of the residents were continent but most were not. I found that not every resident was wet at every round, and that helped. But the job took such a toll on me that I quit. On the subject of why our ratios are not regulated, I think it is because the elderly and disabled are devalued in a way that children are not. It breaks my heart. If appropriate ratios were adopted, the facilities would go out of business. It would hurt the bottom line.

I had a similar assignment and it was rough. I had 32 residents on a locked ward w/ no nurse. Yeah, lots of falls. One thing that I found that helped was to let your midnight wanderers stay up. Put them all together in one room, try to give them snacks or activities (lol's like to fold washcloths) and try to keep them busy when you round. It is not safe though, and a shame that our elders are treated that way. I had to get out.

Uggggg, cna bs. I hated that. My only advice is to remember to be professional at all times, and to help out other newbies. Never take shortcuts if it is about safety of your residents. And drink plenty of water!!!!! Those hot rooms dry you out!

Many facilities have dedicated memory care units. Look into that. Also contact your local Alzheimer's organisation and ask about facilities that care for that population. Definitely mention your hospice and family care experience, my family xare experience is what got me my first job!!!!! Also in your interview, tell the hr person about your passion to provide care for dementia residents. It takes a certain temperament to care for this population. Bless you!!!!

I had a few residents talk about the "little boys under my bed", one lady even insisted I leave food for them. I worked with dementia patients so I always humored them but I thought it was strange because the residents only reported the boys in a certain room.....anyway, I always tried to enter their reality. It worked well for everyone involved.

Okay, there are lazy cna's, lazy nurses and lazy supervisors. ...we all get that. But I think the spirit of this thread was a rant and in fun. With that being said, I once worked under a nurse 7p-7a that would pass her meds then go into a resident's room, turn on the resident's tv, and take a 2 hour lunch break that included a nap. She was very hostile and angry if interrupted (if, for instance, a resident fell or was actively dying and needed medication). Now I do think she had some home issues and didn't sleep well, but still...a 90 minute nap? On the clock? Every shift? Not okay at all!

Some residents at the facility I worked at had orders for prn ativan or haldol. When our residents had new onset agressive behavior they were also tested for uti....a uti does strange things in an elder's brain! Good luck, it sounds as if you are in a difficult situation. When working in memory care I was hit, kicked, punched, scratched, spit on, and thrown across a room. I was always very caring and kind, and was careful, but our wing turned into a geri-psych wing and I had to get out after a broken rib.

Wow, that RN needs to work somewhere other than healthcare!!!! Even when residents have extremely impaired, word-salad communication , they still understand intent when a kind caring tone is used. I worked with a nurse once who had a similar attitude and she ended up getting fired for neglect. That made total sens to me because if she didn't even speak respectfully, she obviously was not caring for the residents. I was so glad when she was gone!!!!! She actually referred to the residents in memory care as crazies....in front of them. Yuck

C-Diff and babies.....no!!!!!!

Sooooo.....I reported verbal abuse, swearing by another cna towards a resident that could not report....all it got for me was the evil eye from fellow cna's and management was impatient with me....is it okay for a cna to cuss a resident out? No. Does it happen? Yup. Sad state of affairs for our wise aged population.

Is it lying if they don't remember 5 minutes later? ???? No. So give them a good night, tuck them in, and earnestly promise to send X family member around to see them in the morning. Reorientation is cruel.

Ummmmm...yuck, first of all....if cna's aren't toileting residents and c-diff or any other yucky germ is present, wewr gloves. Better yet, if you are in a facility where 2 briefs are normal, call the state. Would you like to sit in pee all day? No? Then call state and get that place shut down. That is a disgrace, to treat our elderly that way. Please report!!!!!!

Truly horrific....that poor soul

DNR's for Alzheimer's patients are immoral. Ditto for feeding tubes and life support. ...what are we feeding and supporting at that point? My grandmother had several strokes, dementia, feeding tubes, the whole 9 yards....you know what happened? She was miserable and cursed us all out, repeatedly. She had said, in no uncertain terms, that when God called her, to let her go. Too bad the POA didn't get the memo. I still have nightmares about her suffering. RIP Grandma....please

We always care for people in His time, not ours...well done!!!!

When I first started working in ltc, I was so frustrated by the absent families. I was upset because when my grandma was in ltc, after us caring for her at home in shifts for several years, we just continued on with our organized system. Everyone lived close by and she was visited in the morning and evening every day. Eventually dementia robbed her of our faces, but she would sometimes have a moment of lucidity. With that history I could not understand the families who did not visit more. After awhile I began to see why that happened. We had a well-oiled machine running that we continued. We had always been a close family, grandma babysat us as children and we all (all 24 of us!!!!!) ate together on Sundays and holidays. We had an advantage for these reasons. Not all families have this dynamic!!!!!! So I dropped my judgement of the families and resolved that I was now lucky enough to have a building full of new family members to love on :-) I did care for them as I had cared for grandma. How lucky, to have such a great job! Sorry for the novel, on to the OP's request. For your lady that enjoys the books about Spain, maybe some music that she would recognise? Music is so important to most people in terms of emotional response. And for your scientific lady, what if you brought your books and had her explain anything that you need help with? You could also ask them for recipes of their favorite foods and cook the foods for them. Good luck and have fun!

Started at 9/hr

Unfortunately, the sheer volume of residents per CNA causes this issue......that and a lack of organization and planning. When you give someone a shower, you will need soap :-) Resolve to give better care to your residents when you start working!!!!! "A soft word turneth away wrath", even with dementia patients.

Hello, I am so sorry that you got yelled at!!!!! That is such an awful feeling. As for your question regarding temps spiking in children, as a mother of 4 I can tell you that it can happen fast. My husband jokes that I have a thermometer in my wrist and on my lips :-) That being said, if Mom says the baby is too hot, check again!!!!!!! With a real themometer! The disposable ones are not as accurate IMO. Any time a patient (young or especially old) is crying or extremely agitated, something is wrong, and they may not be able to tell us....that is why vital signs, examination of ears, throat and urine is so important!!!! I would never record someone else's vitals, it is not good practice. Good luck and learn from this! It is not ever helpful to be yelled at, and your nurse was probably stressed, just don't let it happen again! Trust the baby's Mom, we know when something isn't right!

I have had a few advances from residents-my wedding band got me out of both of them :-) However, I reported both situations, and they were documented. I would advise that you report them. Beth

Those are all great, and very good advice! May I add: The CNA who is always gossiping about everyone is *NOT* your friend. Anyway, who has time to worry about what anyone else is doing? I'm busy! Some of your co-workers will be mean. Period. There is no way to make them like you. They are just mean. Move on. If you have a patient with dementia (or a whole hallway of them :-) ) and they are sundowning, feed them, toilet/change them, and/or find something for them to do. If they are fall risks, keep them close to you! Nobody, particularly your charge nurse, wants a fall! Even if you are super busy and you feel like your head is about to explode, remember that your residents are in the "winter" of their lives...try to give them a sunny day! A smile goes a long way :-) Blessings, Beth

It is! Earplugs help! La-da-da-da-dah!

As a CNA, I have worked with both nurses that help and those that don't...I promise that we respect the nurses that help much more :-) Also, at my facility all lifts are to be operated w/ 2 people, and with only 2 CNA's to put 45 people to bed, our nurses help!!!!!!!! And we thank them for it. Luckily, all of the nurses that work on my shift and hall used to be aides, so they are willing and able to help, we don't take advantage, though!

Codes are scary-a code really puts all that training to use and you never know how you'll react until it happens. It sounds like you did a good job, especially in caring for the family...they will remember your care and concern for their loved one forever. Big hugs to you, and hoping your next shift goes smoothly :-)