So...do you believe this?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I have always heard that when you work in LTC, your resident's tend to "die in threes." Well, I must say...from my experiences IT'S TRUE! It blows my mind. When we unfortunately lose a resident, we automatically know that two more will follow, and it never fails. What's weird, is it's never the ones that we "expect." It's always the case where one of our stable resident's suddenly declines, and then passes. I have even seen times where we lose three, then lose a 4th one, only to have two more follow. Does anyone else experience this? I'm not exactly a "myth" person, but this is quite intriguing to me.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Quite apart from LTC, the saying has always been that death comes in threes. I have seen it happen over and over.

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Specializes in mental health, aged care/disability care.

This happens to us too, and the last few times it has been similar to your experience - it wasn't the ones that we had expected to go.

Cue Twilight Zone music ... :D

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Specializes in Critical Care/Coronary Care Unit,.

I don't work LTC, but I have seen death in threes in my personal life.

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Specializes in LTC.

I also work in LTC and we have had 3 pass and then about 3 weeks later...2 more.. It is interesting how these things happen.... and one was very unexpected for me! It is hard.

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Specializes in Med/Surg and ANCC RN-BC.

I absolutely believe in the 3s. It can happen to me when I know something horribly goes wrong with someone I know and it then happens to 2 other people. Also it has happened were I lost 3 people within 3 months. it's so crazy.

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I have always heard that when you work in LTC, your resident's tend to "die in threes." Well, I must say...from my experiences IT'S TRUE! It blows my mind. When we unfortunately lose a resident, we automatically know that two more will follow, and it never fails. What's weird, is it's never the ones that we "expect." It's always the case where one of our stable resident's suddenly declines, and then passes. I have even seen times where we lose three, then lose a 4th one, only to have two more follow. Does anyone else experience this? I'm not exactly a "myth" person, but this is quite intriguing to me.

Things happen in 3s because we count to three. It's kinda like how something you've lost is always in the last place you look for it- ya don't keep looking after you've found it.

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The most I have witnessed is 9. All in sets of 3 and at least one of each set of 3's was very unexpected. Over the last three months we have had 9 deaths where I work.

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Specializes in Home Care.

My mother always told me that bad things happen in threes.

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Things happen in 3s because we count to three. It's kinda like how something you've lost is always in the last place you look for it- ya don't keep looking after you've found it.

I would agree, but when I say "threes" I mean in clusters of threes; like within a short amount of time. For instance, we will have three pass, and then go months without another death. One dies, and then two more follow within a matter of days. And again, we go a long stretch without another death, and the cycle continues.

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Specializes in student; help!.

And just the last two days:

Greg Giraldo

Tony Curtis

Johnny Mathis

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In less than 4 mths: My close friend (only 30; cancer), my Gran (79 - fell and broke her hip & had complications afterwards), and two weeks ago, my 20yr old cousin (ATV accident).

It has always seemed to happen in threes for me. After my Gran died I just knew someone else was going to pass. =(

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