Protection From the 'Helpers'

So here I sit, in a dark room with a light-up pen (very handy – and it says Harry Potter across it! :D ) Trying very hard not to wake my client as tears run down my face and my chest hurts trying to hold back the laughter. (Thanks, Skinny, for the great blog/link.)

But now to the point – or more to the rant – You may be wondering why I'm sitting in the dark (no, I'm not one of those people). I'm actually in a client's room at a nursing home/rehab center waiting for him to need assistance with anything. You say you thought that's what the facilities' staff was for? Ha! Not here!

I've been doing 3 12 hr shifts a week for the past 3 weeks and so far, have seen only 2 CNAs who treat the residents with any amount of respect. And 2 RNs who are downright rude. All others fall somewhere in the middle of not caring.

Basically, I've discovered (and I REALLY wondered my 1^st night) I've been hired as personal care for this gentleman – who is the sweetest guy – and sort of a guard protecting him from them! Sad, isn't it? And more so, what about all the other residents who don't have a personal guard? AND why should that even be an issue?!

I've already warned my mother of plans for an elderly-rescue shelter. I'm going to take in all the old and abused people and take care of them. Really, they can run around the backyard; it's fenced in and big. It'll be great! ;D

In the meantime, if you're going to use one of these places...even if it's where the hospital sends them (which is what this one is!), check them out! Question everything! And I don't just mean go on a guided tour or open house. Drop by at odd times. If you know someone (and maybe if you don't) you should try to visit as often as possible anyway.

Watch how the other residents are acting and how they're being treated. Abuse isn't always as obvious as being hit.

There are so many rules and laws in place to help protect, and yet, I see this kind of thing constantly because:

1. It's the family doing it or agreeing to what's being done “for the good” ...no, asshole, it's just less work for you & cheaper (my other client -who was still very independent- was just put in a home by her son).
2. It's not technically abuse – she's “just making sure they can hear me”. No, you're some sort of crazy who assumes old = deaf. (Which is what I've come up against with one of the RNs here. She screams at all the patients, though really nice to me & her other co-workers). When I told her the gentleman had no hearing problems, the above was what she told me. And I've listened to her up and down the halls doing the same to all the others.
3. The staff is understaffed and doing the best that they can. Are you really? I certainly understand understaffed (I worked at a home where I was the only person on the floor for 8 hours every night!) But maybe when a call light goes off, one of the 3 of you chatting at the nurses' station could just at least glance up for a moment – I swear it won't break up the important conversation about who's saying what to the boss behind your back.

            Also, I know that the RN is the only one who can pass meds., and you have to get her when my guy is in need of painkillers. But that also means getting up to tell her, not waiting for the next time she passes by. And to you, RN, I expect you to actually give him something before taking your smoke break (though I appreciate the irony) so maybe he gets his meds. within the hour he asked for them. Not an hour and 5 minutes later!

A lot of times nothing can be done, until the family steps up. Even the inspections have 24 hour notice to clean things up. And when called, the inspectors can only look into the specific claims.

So again, check, check, double check and follow up on these places. And if something seems odd, question it. Don't assume there's some great big agency constantly on the lookout. Because there is – but it's not that great.