A resident who clearly belongs in psych and new to our facility punched and kicked me. I was responding to an aide who called for assistance because they felt threatened. Later in the day, the doctor I'd notified was with a scheduled visit, and the resident attacked her. For this it was an emergency out to hospital. I'm often the only nurse on duty, with management nurses who are sometimes available. I'm finding more and more psych-related issues with residents, and with over 35 residents to pass meds for, I'm overwhelmed. How do other facilities handle residents who are a threat to staff and other residents? All I could do was beg my direct supervisor to please not let this particular resident back. I told her I can't handle all this, that I'll need help if this resident returns. The thing is, my time for the 60 or so residents I've got to consider is being sucked up by a couple of residents with their hallucinations, delusional thinking, etc. I'm in assisted living, by the way, and I love where I work, but I feel I need help with handling so many issues.
We have a pt that has been on our floor for over 8 months now.. We are not LTC or a psych floor.. I work a 36 bed renal unit at a large hospital.. This pt was placed on our floor just because we had a bed. She refuses meds, vitals, unwrapped food, ADLs etc.. She is a psych pt with dementia..
Psych facilities wont take her because they say she is "not a psych pt she has dementia", LTC wont take her because they say she is does not fit their criteria she is "psych".. So for almost a year she has been on our floor.. I wonder if she will ever leave.
Before I was in ICU, I worked telemetry. We had a guy for 3 months, same situation, brought in because he attacked a pizza delivery guy while naked and screaming at the time. So crazy yet so strong he gnawed -- yup, gnawed -- thru a set of 4 point leathers (how he managed the contortions to do that, I still don't know), came out of his room naked and screaming. Just what you want on a floor of cardiac patients, isn't it. Schizophrenic and it took 8 people to hold him still long enough for lithium level blood draws, couldn't keep an IV in him, just dangerously insane. Too crazy for anyone to take, but because we couldn't get a good history and prove he was a resident of the state, we couldn't send him to the state hospital, either. It took months just to get a confirmed ID. We finally got a LTC to come look him over, and the patient proceeded to attack the intake coordinator. He went to jail. Reagan decided to close the state hospitals and put these people back in the community; well, the communities didn't build facilities for people like this.
A resident who clearly belongs in psych and new to our facility punched and kicked me. I was responding to an aide who called for assistance because they felt threatened. Later in the day, the doctor I'd notified was with a scheduled visit, and the resident attacked her. For this it was an emergency out to hospital. I'm often the only nurse on duty, with management nurses who are sometimes available. I'm finding more and more psych-related issues with residents, and with over 35 residents to pass meds for, I'm overwhelmed. How do other facilities handle residents who are a threat to staff and other residents? All I could do was beg my direct supervisor to please not let this particular resident back. I told her I can't handle all this, that I'll need help if this resident returns. The thing is, my time for the 60 or so residents I've got to consider is being sucked up by a couple of residents with their hallucinations, delusional thinking, etc. I'm in assisted living, by the way, and I love where I work, but I feel I need help with handling so many issues.
i work in a restraint free facility and if you feel threatened by a resident all you can do is lock them in their room (which off course, they can open), other than that you have to just leave them alone. in case they are attacking/trying to attack another resident, then you can bear hug them. all we do is call the cops and send them to the psych ward.
I work in a LTC behavioral floor and everybody is on psyche meds and some are even on Haldol IM. A resident already dared to start grabbing my hands and pushed me. Another time on my first few days of working by myself, I hang my stethoscope around my neck and believe me this resident grab and chock me that I even have to call my nurse aides.. And to think Im just a new nurse. The reason why is because she does nt know me and seen my face for first times. The resident don't even trust me giving the meds. Certainly I understand your situation and how u feel. At the end, do what you think is right. Protect yourself, other residents, the staff and also that difficult resident.
Nurses need to start calling the police and filing assault charges on these people every time something like this happens.
I quote this because nobody else seemed to address the underlying problem. There was lots of posts about problems in lack of psych beds,and while true; NOBODY is addressing the problems of the poor nurse on the front line.
WHAT can we do? I don't want to be, or expect to be, or will put up with, abuse by ANYONE, and I DON"T care that they are crazy. My life, well being and earning potential are on the line.
Being a nurse does NOT mean that I am a target, or an outlet for someone's frustrations. My license to practice does not include hazard pay, nor does it say I must put up with unsafe conditions.
I absolutely agree with nerdtonurse. During the Reagan administration it was deemed cruel to keep people in psychiatric facilities and thousands of them were turned out into the street where they remain to this day, or in halfway houses. LTC placement for violent psychiatric patients is not safe for nursing staff or helpless nursing home patients.
When I was doing my cna internship at a nursing home the students on my wing were allowed to just go to any patient that was there,and
I went in one patient room and she was wearing only a hospital gown open in the back on a chilly day,so I wanted to try to help her and she needed to be changed so I went over to her kneeled down like we were taught to do so we are not talking down to the patients, and out of nowhere she just swipes my face with her long nails, i was bleeding on my lip pretty bad, I stood up pretty fast while she tried to scratch me again. No one, including my teachers or the people who worked there told me to stay away from this patient until AFTER she scratched me,they said no body goes near her because she hits, scratches and throws her food tray or anything else she can get her hands on. I think some of these patients need alot more care then a typical nursing home can provide, the people who take care of them should'nt have to worry about getting attacked while trying to do their job.
DeeAngel
830 Posts
Nurses need to start calling the police and filing assault charges on these people every time something like this happens.