I was shocked that aides would actually admit to doing this.
The CNA's at my job, told me last night, as some of them also do some work in home health, that when they go into a person's home that the resident will encourage the aide to "sit down, put your feet up, take a nap, honey!"
And they say they do it!! They say that they do whatever the resident wants them to do and if the resident wants them to sit down and take a nap, then they're doing what the resident wants.
I told them I didn't think that was what the Home Health agency is expecting.
I said I think you're supposed to be helping that resident with some of those household chores or hygiene needs, not sitting down and taking a nap while you're getting paid.
They said, "Well you can get their sweeping, mopping, making a bed done in 30 minutes and then sit down and take a nap for the rest of the 4 hours you are there. If that's what they want you to do, is sit down and take a nap then you're doing what they told you to do."
I was just floored. I couldn't believe that they would actually go into a person's home, someone they don't know, and sit down and take a nap on the job.
I've worked both and with home health the aides didn't have time to sit and talk or take a nap. They were in and out as fast as they could and on to the next house.
Private duty is a whole other animal. Most of the shifts are 12 hrs.. I know of many 24 hr private duty cases where the nurses do more than nap, they shut out the lights and go to bed at night, often at the insistence of the patient and family. One woman told me she couldn't sleep with lights on and there was absolutely no sense in shutting off all the lights and expecting the nurse to sit and stare at the wall all night. The family fixed a room for the nurses with a writing desk and a bed. This is not a few isolated cases, this is widespread. There are even patients and families who welcome nurses to bring their child with them.
That said, home care is not like the nursing home. Many of these people would indeed be in nursing homes if it wasn't for the nurses who stay with them. Medicaid in this state made an effort to eliminate private duty but then stopped when it was learned there was not enough room in the nursing homes to support all the patients receiving private duty. Furthermore, it was determined that for a nonskilled patient it is actually more cost effective to keep them at home.
There are much worse things going on in the world of private duty nursing than nurses and aides sleeping on the job. When I was a visiting nurse I also did supervisory visits on private duty aides and nurses. There was one case that was 7a-7p Mon-Fri. I went out there on a Tuesday and there was no nurse there. The little old lady told me the nurse was down in her back and couldn't come but was calling to check on her through the day.
I assumed there was no one there because they could not find a replacement.
I came back the next day and the nurse was still not there. The deal started to seem fishy. A week later, I looked back at the records and there was a nurse's narrative written out for both days, complete with an I/O sheet and a TIME SHEET documenting the nurse was there both days for the full amount of time. After I peeled myself from the ceiling I reported this nurse to the main company.
Also, in many private duty cases, the aides and nurses are labled "independent contractors" and this means that the nurse or aide essentially works for the patient and family, NOT the agency.
I've never worked in Home Health, myself, but I would bet a dollar to a do-nut that they would not approve and would have told the workers that sleeping is a No No.
I think we need to be careful about how we pass judgement on others, especially when we are not in their situation. There is often more to the picture than meets the eye. Not always, but often.
The average person thinks they are better than the average person. It's human nature to hold everyone else to the highest standards but leave ourselves plenty of allowance. It's easy to look at a situation from afar and say what a useless wretch, FIRE THEM NOW!
When I find myself thinking things like that, I make myself stop and play devil's advocate for awhile. Often, I will change my mind, sometimes it strengthen's my own opinion and convictions.
I do practice what I preach. That is why I try not to preach.
I think we need to be careful about how we pass judgement on others, especially when we are not in their situation. There is often more to the picture than meets the eye. Not always, but often.
The average person thinks they are better than the average person. It's human nature to hold everyone else to the highest standards but leave ourselves plenty of allowance. It's easy to look at a situation from afar and say what a useless wretch, FIRE THEM NOW!
When I find myself thinking things like that, I make myself stop and play devil's advocate for awhile. Often, I will change my mind, sometimes it strengthen's my own opinion and convictions.
I do practice what I preach. That is why I try not to preach.
Wow. What a put down here.
I don't know how to respond to you since I am the OP.
That is why I try not to preach.
But seems you couldn't resist the urge here, doesn't it?
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I do believe that Child Protective Services should be contacted, especially after the mother is told and nothing happens. Most times, the home health aides are not as regulated; meaning certified as CNAs are (at least in my area, some are not). This woman is keeping the lunch money to herself, hosing down the child like an animal, and there are witnesses (meaning you). Please report it. We have children and loved ones. We would not want this to happen to our family, especially in the home.
Quite awhile back I remember seeing on the local news a story about a neighbor who videotaped the hosing down of a developmentally disabled adult who was being "cared" for by a neighbor. This person turned the caregiver in and the videotape was used as evidence, in, I believe, a criminal trial. Anytime one suspects abuse or witnesses abuse, they should report it. Whether or not an investigation insues, or finds the suspicions to be valid, reporting is a requirement and no one should feel like they shouldn't get involved. Often, many are aware of a situation, but no one will do anything. Then a tragedy occurs, and the public acts surprised.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I can only imagine how a client would feel being so blatently mistreated in their own home and feeling unable to control it. Especially if they live with other family members. I know that nursing on any level is demanding and people are unreasonable. There is a fine line between taking short cuts, and convincing patients to comply with things, but to hose down a person, keep them confined in the home in certain areas (such as closets, basements, etc...) is way out of line.
In most cases, these same abusers hollar if they feel that either themselves or a family member has been mistreated, in even minor imagined infractions that have a legitimate explanation. Some people are so hypocritical.
While I don't see a problem with sitting down and chatting with the patient, or watching television with them, or just keeping them company in general when all of the other work is done, I cannot FATHOM anyone actually believing that napping on the job is okay.
I guess that's just the nature of some people, though. Unfortunately.
But you have to realize that if the patient or family says do something like take a nap, then in their eyes it is okay..In home health, the family and the patient are the supervisors...Management is not there..
Management may not be there but they are only a phone call away. If one of my aides was told by a pt. to "go to sleep" and did not want to, they certainly wouldn't have to!
Home health aides are not required to do something that makes them uncomfortable just because a pt./family says so!
Jo Dirt
3,270 Posts
Are we talking home health or private duty?
I've worked both and with home health the aides didn't have time to sit and talk or take a nap. They were in and out as fast as they could and on to the next house.
Private duty is a whole other animal. Most of the shifts are 12 hrs.. I know of many 24 hr private duty cases where the nurses do more than nap, they shut out the lights and go to bed at night, often at the insistence of the patient and family. One woman told me she couldn't sleep with lights on and there was absolutely no sense in shutting off all the lights and expecting the nurse to sit and stare at the wall all night. The family fixed a room for the nurses with a writing desk and a bed. This is not a few isolated cases, this is widespread. There are even patients and families who welcome nurses to bring their child with them.
That said, home care is not like the nursing home. Many of these people would indeed be in nursing homes if it wasn't for the nurses who stay with them. Medicaid in this state made an effort to eliminate private duty but then stopped when it was learned there was not enough room in the nursing homes to support all the patients receiving private duty. Furthermore, it was determined that for a nonskilled patient it is actually more cost effective to keep them at home.
There are much worse things going on in the world of private duty nursing than nurses and aides sleeping on the job. When I was a visiting nurse I also did supervisory visits on private duty aides and nurses. There was one case that was 7a-7p Mon-Fri. I went out there on a Tuesday and there was no nurse there. The little old lady told me the nurse was down in her back and couldn't come but was calling to check on her through the day.
I assumed there was no one there because they could not find a replacement.
I came back the next day and the nurse was still not there. The deal started to seem fishy. A week later, I looked back at the records and there was a nurse's narrative written out for both days, complete with an I/O sheet and a TIME SHEET documenting the nurse was there both days for the full amount of time. After I peeled myself from the ceiling I reported this nurse to the main company.
SHE STILL WORKS FOR THIS COMPANY!!!