Anyone in Health Care, I Need Your Knowledge!

EnzoLeya

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I've recently put in my two weeks at a job I started this summer. When I applied I was told this was an assisted living center. The rules at assisted living are: you can't be a two person assist, you can't be incontent, you pretty much just need someone there to keep an eye on you and make sure you get dressed in the morning and take your meds. That's even what my job told me!!!! Well after my training things start getting really weird, I was doing things I didn't think I was supposed to do. When I talked to my boss this is what she told me "you should be happy all of our residents aren't like her!"

This is what I was doing without a lisence of any kind:
Dressing them
Showering them
Cleaning up their bm
Cleaning bm off their...you know
2 person assists on 2 people there
and the worst thing in my opinion....passing meds!!!!

I know absolutely nothing about passing meds and was never trained except for someone "training me" how to punch the pills out of the bubble pack.

This upset me a lot, but then this started happening:

One lady was having weird heart problems and she fell 3 times in an 8 hour period. We are supposed to call our nurse, who is on call, we never have a nurse after 4pm. And she is supposed to come in and help get her off the floor because we don't know if she is hurt or not. Well, the lady fell and had to have a concussion and a broken arm because that's what she fell on. There was a BIG goose egg on her forehead and her arm swelled up within minutes. Our nurse, also my boss, told me there was nothing she could do and we would just have to let her keep falling because we aren't staffed or have the equipment to stop her from falling. This really mad me sick. Which, by the way her daughter came in a few days later and her arm was broke.

Also, just last week a lady fell again and the boss came in and said "who left her a lone!!!!!" I told her I did because I didn't know that we were supposed to stay with her and it was to the best of my knowledge an assisted living center. She huffed and told the lady we were going to get her up. The lady was in tears because she had fallen on a hard floor, she said her hips hurt terribly and also her head. The nurse just picked her up off the floor and told her she would be ok and just needed to sit down. Then the nurse said "thank goodness her daughter wasn't here" and she never told us to call the daughter, like we are supposed to. Needless to say the daughter found out about 30 minutes later when she came in and we had to tell her the truth even though the nurse didn't want us to.

That was the last straw for me and it is really sicking to me. Many of us have already gone to the guy who is in charge of the whole building, but he has done nothing about this stuff.


**** I feel that something needs to be done and I want to know what a person with no lisence or formal training is allowed to do in an assisted living center. Or where I can find out. *****
 

katachtig

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I'm thinking that is something is covered by state regulation. You could probably check with the state agencies to find out who can do what in these facilities. I agree with you that the patients shouldn't be neglected that way.
 

lookingglass

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Call the state board that is supposed to over see nursing homes in your area. Tell them what you went though. It doesn't seem legal, but then again each state is very different.
 

ethereal

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Thats messed up, thats all I gotta say. I cant believe you had to witness that! Id be so upset. The lady broke her arm and nobody did anything about it until days later?
 

pat

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Yes, you need to report this, and no, you most definitely should not be passing meds!!! I would get out of this job asap as they are putting in you a horrible position, and possibly including you in their liability for their inappropriate, and two other terms I'd like to use but won't on a public board, care. Let's just say I sure could see lawsuits.

When you are a nurse you are responsible legally for med errors - doesn't matter if the doc makes a mistake. I'm not sure what the culpability is for a non-medically trained person making a med mistake....it simply should not be put on your shoulders to be doing this. Your instincts are correct, this isn't right, you should not be doing it, and I wouldn't do it.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by Ethereal

What does "passing meds" mean?
passing out meds to patients. Sorry "passing meds" is a phrase from when I was the med nurse early in my nursing career (I'm a retired RN).
 

pat

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Please go to this website:
http://www.state.ia.us/elderaffairs/...ombudsman.html

If you do not want to report this to an ombudsman in your state, scroll down to lower on the page where it tells you how an employee (or other person) can report their concerns to the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.

If I sound hot, I am. I worked in home health care and at a nursing home while working my way through nursing school. While more than an assisted living center, working in a nursing home exposed me to some of the care you are doing. No patient should be treated in the ways you are describing, and no employee should be put in the awful position you are being put in.

Please protect yourself, and them, by reporting this and getting out of there.
 

jellybella

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

No patient should be treated in the ways you are describing, and no employee should be put in the awful position you are being put in.

Please protect yourself, and them, by reporting this and getting out of there.
that's a baaad situation. They are going to get sued eventually and you may end up hurting someone because they are making you do things that you are not trained to do.
 

lorie d.

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I work at a nursing home. And I agree with everyone else here. You are in a very bad and dangerous situation. Report that facility to the state IMMEDIATELY!!!!!! And you are doing the smart thing by putting in your two weeks and getting out... Good luck!!!!!
 
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EnzoLeya

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Thanks everyone for the information! I just couldn't understand how they were getting away with half of these things. I have emailed a woman who is in charge of legal affairs for the elderly and I'm waiting for a reply from her. I am also going to check out that website. Thank you so much Pat and Alix!
 
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EnzoLeya

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Please go to this website:
http://www.state.ia.us/elderaffairs/...ombudsman.html

If you do not want to report this to an ombudsman in your state, scroll down to lower on the page where it tells you how an employee (or other person) can report their concerns to the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.

If I sound hot, I am. I worked in home health care and at a nursing home while working my way through nursing school. While more than an assisted living center, working in a nursing home exposed me to some of the care you are doing. No patient should be treated in the ways you are describing, and no employee should be put in the awful position you are being put in.

Please protect yourself, and them, by reporting this and getting out of there.
You will like this little bit of information that I forgot to add. I went to check on one resident and she had a blood sugar of 40 and looked terrible, 3 hours before her blood sugar was 72. I called the nurse and said "I'm a bit worried about this number, it seems pretty low to me." She told me the resident would be fine and just tell her to drink some juice. I told the nurse that I thought I should call the resident's family to let them know. She told me to do whatever. I called the family and within 10 minutes an ambulance was there. She's a worthless nurse in my opinion.



I just sent the DEA a letter, we'll see what happens from here. My work won't know what to do, they pride themselves for having a great facility and trash talk other local elderly centers for doing bad.
 

katachtig

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Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

I just sent the DEA a letter, we'll see what happens from here. My work won't know what to do, they pride themselves for having a great facility and trash talk other local elderly centers for doing bad.
Hopefully, they will clean house and get their facility back to treating their clients with dignity and concern.
 

mom2raven

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I am not in health care but I have a sister with a disability so I often feel surounded by health care. I would agree with everyone else and report the place.
Good luck.
 

pat

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Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

You will like this little bit of information that I forgot to add. I went to check on one resident and she had a blood sugar of 40 and looked terrible, 3 hours before her blood sugar was 72. I called the nurse and said "I'm a bit worried about this number, it seems pretty low to me." She told me the resident would be fine and just tell her to drink some juice. I told the nurse that I thought I should call the resident's family to let them know. She told me to do whatever. I called the family and within 10 minutes an ambulance was there. She's a worthless nurse in my opinion.



I just sent the DEA a letter, we'll see what happens from here. My work won't know what to do, they pride themselves for having a great facility and trash talk other local elderly centers for doing bad.
Please keep us posted, I really want to hear how this turns out, because what you have described is far from good care.
 

carolpetunia

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That's unconscionable! You are completely right, and I'm so glad you're blowing the whistle! I'm not sure the DEA is the best (or only) authority you should contact, but it's a start.

If I were you, I would start finding another job. You don't want any part of this place -- if they haven't killed someone already, it's only a matter of time.
 

shorty14788

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What they are doing is elder abuse. Neglect is a type of abuse. A blood glucose of 40 is dangerously low. Once it reaches the 30s brain damage can begin to occur. Contact the state. Its in your best interest and the patients. The last thing you want is to have someone come after you for something that aweful place has done to a patient.

I hope to bring that place crashing down!!! Keep us updated!
 
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