Pros vs. Cons of Geriatrics?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I am a nurse student right now. I am thinking about getting into geriactrics when I am out of school and I'd like to hear the pros and cons of geriactrics. All my family want me to go into it but lets face it what do they know...I want nurses who are actually working in geriactrics to give me the straight up truth about it.

Reason why I am thinking of geriatrics is kind of personal reasons. I saw how much my grandmother's last few years of her life was spent and it broke my heart. Nobody wants to "deal" with old people and I think they get alot of crap/abuse for it. But the other thing that scares me is how some can be extermly rude and mean too. I had both sets of grandparents...the very nice and the very cruel. Any info/opinions would be great thanks!

Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.
Some older folk can be quite bitter. I have done LTC for much of my career, and have seen it all (at least I think so!) All you can do is treat them kindly, and realize some people just don't "age" well.

This is so true! I have known some who were quite delightful and who could tell interesting and often humorous stories about events in their lives. Others have apparently had nothing good happen to them, ever.

I remember talking with one gentleman about his mother, in her 90's at the time. She did not have dementia, either. He made the comment: "She has no good memories." Sadly, it was true. She had a nice home, two loving sons, wonderful grandchildren and great-grandchildren, friends, and an attentive church family, but life had never been good. She was about to worry her son into a heart attack; he hired around the clock attendants for her to keep her in her home, but nothing he did satisfied her.

I finally pointed out to him that he was doing his very best for her and that he was taking good care of her, and that he was not responsible for her happiness and that there was nothing he could do about that. I like to think that I helped him a little, at least.

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Specializes in Long-term care.
Julie: You do know, don't you, that you can call the state and they are obligated to come out and investigate? I believe that you can do this anonymously.

I was not aware that one could do that anonomously, in fact I had heard the opposite but I will definitely look into it. I remember last year an employee called state reguarding abuse by a co-worker and (of course, dept. heads denied knowing anything) that alleged abuser had already quit to work at another facility. Anyway, the CNA who called state was fired and at a subsequent inservice we were told that anyone who calls state for "retaliation" would be fired immediately. I guess they consider valid concerns "retaliation". That's what the DON told state.

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OK.....another 2 cents of mine. We EACH have the power to change things by our selves. WE can each make a difference. Yes, I know there are some Supervisors we "can't stand", but that is the case in ALL walks of life.

This subject can get heated, and you all have been good about keeping it level; keep up the good work.

Suebird :p

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Specializes in EC, IMU, LTAC.

It seems like there's really no money in geriatrics. I mean, the LVNs at my old facility were there because they made slightly more than they would at hospitals (a transparent incentive that was still cheaper than hiring more nurses or any RNs). People are always saying that geriatric medicine is where the money is at with the aging baby boomers. I have a hard time believing that, as I could only really see pharmaceutical companies and facility administrators making the $$$.

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sorry never mind:trout:

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I tried to qoute you but I didn't know how. But I am responding to what you just said about the woman found in the same position a day later and the man found in the same incontinance a week later. Who are you trying to report it to? and why aren't they doing anything about it, that all definately sounds like elder abuse to me, you know mandatory reporting.

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Specializes in Long-term care.
I tried to qoute you but I didn't know how, but I am responding to what the last person said about the woman found in the same position a day later and the man found in the same incontinance a week later.That very much sounds like neglect to me, :angryfire you know elder abuse and mandatory reporting. What would happen if you reported this?

I did report this to my charge nurse and, to the weekend RN, my charnge nurse just shook her head as if to say, "that's awful" then went about passing her meds. The weekend RN told me she'd "leave the adon a note" which is her response to everything. I was never asked about either incidence by the ADON, do I take it as they are looking into it and taking care of the situation?

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um I don't know, I might ask they if they are investigating it, and if not depending on their protocol for suspected abuse you would think that not only would they have to take care of it, but they should. If the proper authority finds out I would think there would be an outside investigation so it would be in their best intrest if they did. I don't know, mabey look into the your state statues on reporting to the proper authority. I live in Oregon and I think it is if your direct supervisior doesn't do anything then you take it above her head to the DON, but I would say if they don't do anything it is still by law your reponsibilty and your license to stake. Good luck, I am so sorry you sre in that situation.

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Excellent insight. I was deciding whether I should do LTC or hospital after graduation. What you replied really makes sense. If possible, hospital it is. Thank you.

I really recommend getting some med-surg and possibly cardiac experience before you work LTC.

This is because more and more surgical interventions are being done on an increasingly elder population. They get their joints replaced, they have TPA for strokes, they have heart attacks, bypasses, GI bleeds, colon resections, chemo and radiation. These are interventions that even twenty years ago, were unheard of for certain age groups.

They're pretty routine now.

LTC staff generally do not have a lot of clinical hospital experience. As a result, the subtle symptoms that elders present with can be easily missed.

Some of those subtle symptoms include behavior changes like confusion, combativeness, malaise, anorexia, lethargy. The "cruelty" you mention could have been caused by pain, depression, Alzheimer's, or a host of other conditions--some of which may be treatable.

Believe me, there's nothing cooler than having a 98 yo confused patient perk right up, become alert & oriented X3, and go home after having an electrolyte imbalance restored.

Nowadays, elders who come to the nursing homes have so many comorbidities that it really does them a disservice to not have a good clinical background before working in LTC.

Just my :twocents:

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Excellent insight. I was deciding whether I should do LTC or hospital after graduation. What you replied really makes sense. If possible, hospital it is. Thank you.

I agree with Angie - it's important to have clinical experience that you won't get in LTC. BUT don't expect that things will necessarily be better at an acute care setting.

You will run into the same jerks and uncaring mgt. at a hospital. Maybe more so.

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Specializes in med-surg, LTC, dialysis.
Well, I commend anyone for wanting to help our elderly. But to be honest, working in a nursing home is no longer where I want to be. It's not because of the resident's, or so much the workload as it is the pure apathetic attitude of my higher-ups.

Frankly, it's all about the dollar do administration. As little staff as you can get by with, and they don't want to ruffle their feathers by correcting them when they know they are being neglectful/wrong. For example, I work double weekend shifts and Saturday night before I left, I placed one of my bedbound res. on her left side facing the door. I came back at 6:30 AM and immediately checked on her, sure enough, exactly like I left her. I asked if she'd been turned all night, her response was a sad "no". This res. is fully cognitive with a bottom that looks like ground beef now.

It doesn't even do any good to report this, noone really cares. I've left so many notes and made so many complaints to the CN, ADON, DON, and nothing ever changes. Patients left on wet sheets all night with only their incont. pad changed, leaving nasty dentures in all night long with a pound of food underneath, finding one gentleman in the SAME clothing I put on (I marked the depends with a sharpee) one week after I Showered and dressed him, full of old and new BM.

Who do you go to about these things when noone there cares? Nothing ever changes.

WOW!!! "Julie from Dallas", as I read your response, I was wondering if we work in the same facility! (But there are no Julie's where I work). I'm here in central MO working for a LTC facility, and we've got the EXACT same problems! It's scary!

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Working in LTC is very hard, fast paced and extremely stressful at times. But when I leave work, I know I made a difference in lives that most people (including doc's) don't care about anymore.

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