AndiMac81

Oh, and something we've implemented for a few residents that aren't quite that far into the dementia stages, are simple note books. In those note books, we keep on their bed side tables, we write down exactly what has happened that day. Example: 7am: Sally helped me get dressed and brush my teeth, ate breakfast. 9am: BillyBob gave me my morning pills 10am: went to activities with Lucy and had coffee 12pm: got ready for lunch, ate lunch and took my pills from nurse Billy Bob. Again, this doesn't help some residents. The ones that this does help, we encourage ALL staff, right down to housekeeping, enter a note in their book, even if it's a Hello from Cindy, cleaned your room and emptied your trash. Families are encouraged to write in these books also. This helps them to remember that they aren't alone, and they do have family that visits them. It helps comfort the ones that are constantly fidgety because they have that "oh my, I forgot to do this, I forgot to do that" feeling. Like I said, this works only for the ones in the very beginning stages, which may have already passed if she's asking for her parents.

There's a million things you can try, and a million things that won't work for one, but always do the trick for the next one. Welcome to memory care. í ½í¸ I never tell a resident their loved one's gone. As someone stated, it's all going to depend on each individual resident. It's cruel to make someone relive and restart the grieving process. I've gone as far as removing photos of a woman's dead husband her not so bright daughter left in her room of her sitting in her wheelchair next to the casket, and even went as far as muting the ringer on my personal cell and let them leave me messages from the facility phone. You do what works for them. I have a few very food oriented residents that will do cart wheels for snacks, assisting them to walk outside, check out the flowers and fall colors, music from their era is a huge hit for some. Talking about their family, occupation, children ... distraction distraction distraction ... I've offered some women to do their nails, help them pick out clothes for the next day ... But generally, attempting to reorient an Alzheimer's/dementia resident is a bust. Some times it frustrates them because they can't remember, it can cause more anxiety than they started with. One mental health facility I worked at allowed pet visitors, as long as all paperwork was on file and in compliance with DPH, etc. I used to take my pug to work with me. You wouldn't believe the smiles and decrease in anxiety over something as simple as a snorting fat pug waddling up and down the hall behind me. It takes months to learn each resident and what works for each one. You have to remember also, you may ALWAYS be a new face to them.

Sorry you have to deal with this. I try to remain aware of my male co-workers and keep myself aware to how I treat them.

This depends on my mood and who's asking. If it's my husband, good day, bad day. If I'm feeling froggy, "I changed a really neat wound dressing with this really is color of green in it, buy it has just a touch of yellow too. And then I only got peed on once today. I wiped poop of a couple walls and used a blood spill kit twice." It's amusing to me, after being married for so long, when he tells me to shut up. 😂 If it's someone I don't know well, but they know if my horrible sense of humor ... "I'm a nurse. It sucked." I don't go in to details with lay people, unless it's the above statement or something of that effect. Most of the time they have no clue what we, as medical professionals are talking about, not do they care. My husband does HVAC, and I eventually tune him out because I have no idea what he's talking about and honestly, not being able to get that pipe loose, has zero comparison to what I do in a 12 hour shift. I usually want to roll my eyes at him, but refrain. Even after being together for 12 years, he still has no clue he's married to a nurse, or what hell I go through every night, even when explained.

If you have degrees, your possibilities in the nursing field is next to limitless. There's a million things you can do with degrees. Have you considered teaching? School nursing? Home health? Hospice? Management positions? Office positions that require little physician involvement like MDS? I feel what you're saying, I think every nurse at one point has said forget it, McDonald's is hiring. But, I have to agree with many of the others that have stated, you're too emotionally attached. You, as a nurse with degrees, are never trapped. Try being "only" an LPN. I've been called by one place of employment a "glorified aide."

Just curious, as I couldn't find any recent on call posts. We are put on call, scheduled, one weekend a month, and work the floor one weekend a month, in a skilled long term facility. We get no on call pay until we actually step inside the building, and then we only receive an extra $3/hr. My question is, is this common practice now, and how in the medical field can it be legal not to pay us for being on call to begin with, since we are limited as to what we're doing in our free time? Sorry, but I'm still a spring chicken, for years, we've had friends over every weekend and play cards and knock a few back. Or watch the game on Sunday and knock a few back. Hate to sound so unprofessional, but like I said, I'm human and still like to have some sort of social life. This IS hindering what I can and can't do with my free time. I/We as medical professionals, can't drink alcohol and then be called in. Why am I not paid for being on call to begin with? I'm in Ohio, in a skilled long term care facility. This is a new policy they decided to toss out there. It's mandatory for all full time employees. One weekend a month on call, one weekend a month on the floor. If refusing to come in, you're considered no call-no show and given 6 attendance points, which is the limit of points in our attendance policy and is equal to termination. I'm about 30 seconds to dropping down to PRN just so I don't have to do on call and weekends.