Question?

[Spidey's mom]

As a nurse, if you were visiting a loved one in a LTC center and while walking down the hall, saw the following sign posted prominently on the side of the food cart while the CNA's were in front of the cart passing trays, what would your first thought be?

*************************************************

DO NOT EAT FOOD OFF THE RESIDENT'S TRAY!

Do not return food trays to the kitchen with the following:

BLOOD

VOMIT

RESIDENT'S CLOTHING OR BIBS

*************************************************

As a CNA or Nurse working in that facility, how would you feel?

Thanks.

steph

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

Originally posted by sjoe

The simple fact that such a sign is displayed shows very clearly the incompetence, absence of leadership ability, ignorance of simple public relations awareness, and lack of respect for both patients and employees on the part of management. What else needs to be said?

Big fat ditto.

Nor can I accept the fact that mgt. ALLOWS this sign to even be posted !!! What are the patients and visitors thinking..??.. if I were a visitor, I'd sure be headed straight to the office to have the sign removed, and NOW. How disgusting to even post such a thing.

[BadBird, BSN, RN]

There was a nurses aid where I once worked who always ate off the trays, once a patient vomited on the tray and before anyone could say anything she ate a carrot off of the tray, she about turned 5 shads of green when she learned the patient threw up on the tray first, hopefully she learned her lesson. If I saw that sign I would be offended if I was staff since I would never even think of doing such a thing. If I was a visitor I would wonder if the patients were receiving their meals. It is just plain tacky for management to place a sign like that it view of visitors.

[francine79]

I know this is gross, but I worked in a nursing home once where the dishwasher would take food off the trays that hadn't been eaten and eat it. So if I saw that sign... I guess I'd be thankful that the resident got first dibs!

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

Originally posted by mjlrn97

What bothers me about this (other than the wording) is the fact that somebody had to have done those very things in order for management to post such a sign.

Bothers me too!

Perhaps an inservice is in order....AND GET RID OF THE TACKY SIGN! Visitors should not see that sign!

[NurseJacqui]

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

[SmilingBluEyes]

sjoe has it right as far as I concerned. I am so sorry I opened this thread while eating wild rice for lunch. Makes me wanna yack. HOW VERY DIGUSTING. What are we subjecting our elderly and LTC nurses to?

[SmilingBluEyes]

Not to mention the POOR KITCHEN STAFF....how gross.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I've been busy doing the "big clean" getting ready for my husband's birthday dinner. Everyone just left and the kitchen is clean and here I am.

Now on to the subject . . I did take the sign down and walked it down to the charge nurse and asked her all the questions you all have posed. It seems that "some CNA's" have been taking food off of trays and that the kitchen has complained about trays being sent back with, well, you know. However, I think that all the CNA's should not be punished or actually degraded by having a sign like that posted on the food cart. Post it in the break room if you must but I actually think a little inservice and/or just focusing on the ones making the mistakes would be better. And the sign is just crass . . . and family members should not have to see something like that. So when I got home I decided to post the situation here and I got exactly what I knew I would - great insights.

As I left she was going to put it back up . . . . we'll see what happens.

Thanks again for affirming in my mind that I made the right choice to remove the sign and complain.

steph

[angelbear]

When I worked LTC NH we did have a problem with one of the STNA's actually eating food off of the residents trays before the resident even got the tray. The STNA was first given a warning and then when it continued she was terminated for neglect. I totally agree with that. She not only neglected by not giving the resident there full tray which is usually specific for that res needs but she also subjected them to her germs. I think this was the right way to handle it. It was not the doing of all the STNA's. Therefore not all the STNA's should have been derided for it and families fear for the care of their loved ones enough without management adding to there concerns so publicly.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

That is disgusting, and should be cause for termination IMO if the visitors had to see staff eating the food, or blood/vomit on trays brought from the room, or if residents didn't receive a full tray as it was prepared for them. The sign was in very poor taste, but if I was a family member I'd be thankful for their stupidity since it would give me an indication of what was going on behind the scenes.

[Brownms46]

Originally posted by Tiki_Torch

My sentiments exactly sjoe!!!

If I saw that sign my first reaction would be disbelief which would immediately turn into disgust.

The sign needs to be removed and the people passing trays need to take some mandatory classes, after which they will be held accountable for their actions.

I totally agree!

[Brownms46]

Originally posted by stevielynn

Thanks everyone for your comments. I've been busy doing the "big clean" getting ready for my husband's birthday dinner. Everyone just left and the kitchen is clean and here I am.

Now on to the subject . . I did take the sign down and walked it down to the charge nurse and asked her all the questions you all have posed. It seems that "some CNA's" have been taking food off of trays and that the kitchen has complained about trays being sent back with, well, you know. However, I think that all the CNA's should not be punished or actually degraded by having a sign like that posted on the food cart. Post it in the break room if you must but I actually think a little inservice and/or just focusing on the ones making the mistakes would be better. And the sign is just crass . . . and family members should not have to see something like that. So when I got home I decided to post the situation here and I got exactly what I knew I would - great insights.

As I left she was going to put it back up . . . . we'll see what happens.

Thanks again for affirming in my mind that I made the right choice to remove the sign and complain.

steph

BRAVO for your actions steph! You did the right thing, and that nurse was a wuss!