Roaches At work

Karou · May 12, 2015

Yes. Unless they know there is a problem they can't do anything about it. Let your DON know.

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · May 12, 2015

of course

unfortunately because of nature of a lot of SNF, patients, moving around in wheelchair, tidbits from meals, wrapped in tissue, crumbs being drops......even the cleanest can be a challenge, it is ongoing efforts with enviromental and maintaince.....yest please tell the DON or adminis.

mvm2 · May 12, 2015

My question is what reasons do you have to share with us where you would not be telling the DON that there are roaches.

I can't think of one intelligant and logical reason why you would not tell your DON

I can't help but think of this post. Don't feed the trolls

amoLucia · May 12, 2015

Most every nursing station usually has a "bug book'. Record there. Let hskpg/maint know. They'll prob have to get the 'bug people'/contracted exterminating service in early because of the change of weather.

I've never worked a LTC place that didn't have roach problems. They freq come in with food deliveries for dietary services. Families have been known to carry them in also. And many residents just 'squirrel away' food items that just attract the bugs - prob the biggest reason that erradication is so tough. Is so hard for facilities to keep ahead of the residents.

Did you ever smell that 'rotting garbage' smell in some rooms? If you check drawers, I'll bet you find brown bananas, rock-hard bread, melted butter grease, open jellies, solid milk cartons, and other past-edible things. The hard-boiled shell eggs are my fav! What a smorsgasbord!!! (sp). Also, some residents are just pack-rat hoarders, and that also attracts the critters with great places to hide.

Does your place have a 'closed container' policy for residents? Like to keep food things, everything must be in a Tupperware or a lidded tin can? Might be a project for Activities Dept.

You got to let someone know! But even the best of places have problems. Just bring in the minimum-est personal stuff as you can.

As an aside - one morning, I opened my newspaper from the patio. THERE WAS A ROACH IN IT!! Must have been in the newspaper delivery van. Yuk!

Angeljho, MSN, NP · May 12, 2015

Roaches? Try huge water bugs AND mice. A mouse once ran across the nurses' desk and hid behind the fax machine. I had the CNO, housekeeping, and the infection control nurse on the phone ASAP.

amoLucia · May 13, 2015

Roaches? Try huge water bugs AND mice. A mouse once ran across the nurses' desk and hid behind the fax machine. I had the CNO, housekeeping, and the infection control nurse on the phone ASAP.

Had a dementia pt that was confused but the confusion seemed to be increasing as we thought the pt was hallucinating about 'crawly things over there'. Turns out he was really seeing scurrying mice by his closet. Staff had just not yet seen the critters - but the pt had.

At one place, an ancient turn-of the century AL-type facility, we had bats. We were supposed to use a 'BAT STICK' (kinda like a yard stick ruler on a handle) to run after the bat and whack at it. Oh yeah! I kid you not, Robin. Wham! Thwack! Splat!

I dare not tell you about the wildest critters I've shared a facility with. To do so, everybody would know where it was.

Bugs are just nasty buggers. And roaches are just nothing to get riled up about. UNLESS you start finding them on the kitchen trays or in pt wounds. Or if you can put a saddle on them or start naming them ...

joanna73, BSN, RN · May 13, 2015

Roaches lay thousands of microscopic eggs. Inform your DON and maintenance ASAP.

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · May 13, 2015

I would mention it, but I would absolutely NOT bring any bags or other items that they can hide in and be brought into your own home!

Are you sure its roaches and not bed bugs?

Annie

sistrmoon, BSN, RN · May 13, 2015

We had mice at our place. They were darting around the hallways. We reported it.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · May 13, 2015

We've had to shut down entire units because of roaches. It's always a patient who brings them in. We report them immediately.

Closing down 10-20 rooms to kill bugs is a serious thing. Not to mention the bad press if the other patients find out.

Shany1312 · May 14, 2015

My question is what reasons do you have to share with us where you would not be telling the DON that there are roaches.
I can't think of one intelligant and logical reason why you would not tell your DON
I can't help but think of this post. Don't feed the trolls

Mvm2, I am far from a troll.

Your mind most definitely wonders in different ways than mine or you're just an over-thinker. Disturbing.

In anyway, I wanted to keep this post as SHORT and TO THE POINT as possible. No need to go into depth about the work situation, ins and outs of my place of employment, or WHY I would even bring this up as a question. There is reason enough, clearly.

Cheers.