Resident False Accusations??? help

DavidSquire · Aug 21, 2013

pleeeaseeee leave comments!!

chrisrn24 · Aug 21, 2013

Weird...I've never heard several residents making accusations at once. Are you sure someone isn't actually being abusive? Or did the residents all

Team up at once to say that?

DavidSquire · Aug 21, 2013

no there is one male who actually got a male can fired while the male was performing peri care. there is another female resident who has tried the same thing. and now im just paranoid

DavidSquire · Aug 21, 2013

I meant to say CNA not CAN ha

lhflanurseNP, APRN · Aug 21, 2013

2 incidents is nothing to really be concerned about. The most important thing is being professional in the delivery of care to your patient. It is important to inform them of your intentions..."I'm going to wash your back", "I'm going to wash your genital area". Don't use words like peri-area...they don't know what that means.

Forest76 · Aug 21, 2013

2 incidents is nothing to really be concerned about. The most important thing is being professional in the delivery of care to your patient. It is important to inform them of your intentions..."I'm going to wash your back", "I'm going to wash your genital area". Don't use words like peri-area...they don't know what that means.

This is great advice. Definitely communicate your actions/intentions as you take care of the patient.

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Aug 21, 2013

Just bring a witness in for the residents that have been accusatory. You don't have to do it for everyone. In my facility if someone makes an accusation they will actually care plan for them to have 2 CNAs all the time.

In my experience the people that are alert enough to make an accusation like that in the first place tend to also be able-bodied enough to wash their own junk. If you can hand them the washcloth and tell them to do it, by all means, do that. If, for instance, one arm is paralyzed and the other has to hold on to the walker, then get a witness or make plans with the other aide for them to be doing care on their roommate at the same time so they can keep an ear out.

DavidSquire · Aug 21, 2013

thank you all for the help and advice. I will definitely keep it all in mind

lightout · Aug 23, 2013

IMO the most important part of resident care is to verbalize everything you do. The second most important thing is where and what they think your looking at when doing your job. I do my best to explain what your doing and to try to look at there face as much as possible. If you need to look at what your doing than look, but as soon as your able look back at there face and use your peripheral vision.

I find male residents want to be cleaned with the least amount of touching as possible. The less time you spend doing there peri care the more comfortable they will be. For a male resident that is on a bed I find it best to go in with a wet wipe in each hand and be done in 20 to 30 seconds than to use one hand and take a minute or more.

With a female resident I often use the excuse that I missed a spot when I go in for the last wipe.

If your unsure on how to handle the situation then it might be time to sit down with your manager and talk about it for a few minutes. They might have ideas on a different approach to use or it might be time to say no males or no females can work with that resident.

mintygirl · Aug 24, 2013

Ok so ive been hearing stories about residents FALSELY accusing CNAs of sexual harassment at the nursing home I work at. I am now literally terrified to do peri care on anyone because im afriaid im gonna get accused of being a freak. If this happens I will lose my job and I know everyone will start to look at me differently, even if I really was just trying to clean them (girlfriend, family members etc.) and im soooo scared. I cant ask another CNA to come watch me do peri care every single time I have to do it. What do I do??? Like today I had to do peri care on a resident and I was going in for a second wipe and he told me "that's enough" and it terrified me and now im afraid he thinks I was being a perv or something when I was only trying to get him clean??? I need tips on how to avoid ruining my life because of false accusations. And if I do get accused, will I get arrested on the spot or what? I almost want to quit being a CNA because of this no joke

Take the time to introduce yourself, "Hello my name is ___ and I'm your CNA today." And then ask them if it would be okay to care for them down there or if they would prefer a female. And explain what you are going to do with that PT.

A lot of times it feels invasive for them because you are just going in and just washing their genitals without much dialogue so they might not know what is the norm. even as a female to female pt I still tell them until they are extremely comfortable with me.

Your first instinct is to build up communication and a reputation, but if overall you have a pt that complains a lot, then call your charge nurse in and have them with you as you do peri care or if the pt requests "nothing more" keep in mind that its a pt word over yours, so it helps if you cover all your grounds. Don't wait until you are being reported and no they wont arrest you on the spot like some criminal and book you.

Typically what they do is take you off the run or put you on suspension while they do an investigation. Also chart everything and have your charge nurse sign off on your charts PLUS the area where you charted with their initials because no charge nurse is going to stand behind you.

At the end of the day if the pt is not comfortable with you and you are not with them, then talk to the charge nurse. If the charge nurse does nothing, talk to the RN, then the manager/supervisor, keep going up the chain of command until something is done about it.