In my first few years of working, one of the first things I encountered were patients who were comatose,
or comletely helpless and there was a rule that they had to be turned every two hours.
I remember one co-worker who would always ask me, "Have you turned L?" I always answered, "Yes."
Later on, I worked in places where they did not seem concerned about the ones who could not move.
Sometimes, they were left for as much as five hours. One time, I even ran into some debate about
a comatose patient who I thougnt should be turned. She was on my group, I went in to change and turn her
and someone who was not a supervisor immediately stopped me and she was adament about it.
Turning them at regular times seemed almost unheard of.
I also noticed when I first worked in this place, the charge nurse seemed a little surprised and
indifferent when I told her, "I'm going to turn Hazel." She just seemed to shrug.
Some authorities think they should be turned every four hours. They talk about them getting,
"settled in." In one specific nursing home I worked in, it seemed to confuse the others when I would go in
to turn mine and I felt like an odd ball.
I don't know how they can be so indifferent this way and they don't get in trouble for it.
I would ask them about it but did not get much of an answer. The DoN knew that this was going on. I heard some excuse about not wasting diapers, but this is not valid.
