Ok, so... Apparently a hospice nurse who sees a resident at a nursing home I work at told the wife that a weighted blanket would help prevent the man from getting contractures. Mind you, he's had a CVA and is up in a wheelchair and can propel himself around, albeit he is limited with that.
At our facility, restraints are prohibited/against policy. We are a nursing home. So his wife called the state and they agreed... the blanket is a restraint. The state called and spoke with our administrator and they agreed that we needed a meeting with the family and our medical director and we were to discuss this.
The blanket, in the mean time, was removed from the room and kept at the nurse's station. Meanwhile, the wife ignored the state, and us... and had a random doctor call us to give us an order to use the blanket "prn." No can do. The hospice nurse who told the wife to get the blanket (on what basis?!?!? and show me the studies on this blanket miracle!!!!!) got an order to use the blanket. It's still against our policy! So then the wife threatened to call the police and the news station unless we gave the blanket to the resident.
People are so out out of hand these days, I swear. If they don't want to follow our regulations and policies, why don't they take them home? God love these residents... but sometimes the families make you wonder why in the heck you chose this profession. If you want to disregard our policies, leave. I'm sorry.
What say you?????