The Night My Patient Turned Into A Painter

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Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..

I was busily rushing to get my work done after the evening meal on the first floor. All seemed quiet except for the occasional yell for help from a resident. When I approached his room, he was covered in diarrhea. I changed his bedding and cleaned him up, settling him in for the night. I was assigned to an entire unit of residents with various stages of dementia. They all had chipped beef on toast for supper. I have no idea if some of them just got a reaction to the meal or if it was a virus they were catching. Anyway, the head nurse arrived early on the third shift, so she went down the unit I was working on and discovered my man who was painted brown with feces from head to toe once again He even painted his bed. She was livid:madface:, and told our head nurse about it. She in turn told us the night nurse was accusing us of not doing our work. :nurse: told her I did a complete linen change and bath on him immediately after he ate his meal due to the brown mess he made then. So although I stayed late, I bathed him once again, and performed a complete linen and gown change. What a busy shift that was. PHEW!