FED UP!!!
By sunshine51
@francie51 (13)
United States
March 21, 2017 1:05am CST
I am so fed up with the way our elders are treated in the nursing homes. I know that there are some good nurses and some good CNA's but they seem like a dying breed. I personally worked for several months in a nursing home so I can speak from experience. I also worked in the healthcare field for 12 years, so I know how things are supposed to be done.
One of my pet peeves, I'm sorry to say are the smokers who have to take a smoke break every five minutes and leave one CNA trying to answer all the call lights. I don't smoke and when I went to work at our local nursing home, I told the people that I worked with that I didn't smoke and didn't mind if they took a smoke break every now and then. NOT every five minutes.
We recently had a resident at one of our facilities choke to death on peaches. And the housekeeper was the one to find her. Guess where the nurses and CNAs were. Yep, all OUTSIDE smoking. It was not a pretty scene. But they got to keep their jobs while this poor lady paid the ultimate price for their negligence.
Please don't get me wrong. I have nothing at all against smokers. My spouse smokes and he has for many years. I just hate that people use that as an excuse to not do their jobs. I have a soft spot for elderly people anyway, I always have.
I feel very sorry that they have worked all their lives to end up having to leave their homes and live in a facility, that should be catering to their every need, but treats them like they are just another problem to be handled for the day.
Someday, we will all be there. Some of us faster than others. And someday we will be having to depend on the caregivers to take care of our basic needs. It is so humilitating to many of them to have to depend on others. And some of the horror stories that I know personally, have reported personally, and pray to God never happen to others, are still unfortunately going on in these facilities still today,
I just pray that there will be many more caring souls to work there when I arrive. It takes a compassionate person with a lot of empathy to work there, and it should never be just about the paycheck,
Okay. Rant over for today.
5 people like this
7 responses
@flpoolbum (2978)
• United States
21 Mar 17
@Francie51 ~First of all, welcome to MyLot. I can relate to what you have said. I have seen it happen far to often. It's not just smoker's, some of them are just plain lazy. My wife was in an assisted living facility in Plainfield, Indiana. She was talking on the phone to our niece (her sister's daughter). Our niece could tell that my wife's blood sugar was dropping. It was in the evening, so the front office was closed. My niece used another phone to call the nurse's station-no one answered. She finally called 911. The 911 responders got to my wife before the facilities nurse did. Needless to say, we took her out of that facility.
1 person likes this
@francie51 (13)
• United States
21 Mar 17
That is so horrible. I hate it when they don't take care of the residents. I've seen it from both sides. I had to put my father in one for a little while after a major stroke, and I later worked in one. I saw so many things that just made me sick. Some of the people in those facilities have no one that ever comes to see them and make sure they're taken care of. I am so glad that your niece was able to get help and kudos for taking her out of that facility. And I always tell people to report things like that, Because it will never get any better if they don't face repercussions for their negligence. Thank you very much for the welcome. It nice to talk to people and make new friends.
@flpoolbum (2978)
• United States
21 Mar 17
@francie51 ~Problem were reported to the administration of the facility and the corporate office. Nothing changed.
@francie51 (13)
• United States
22 Mar 17
So sad. We called and reported through the Attorney General here, and the sent an investigator. I am sure it was through the state.
@melissa1024 (2456)
• Beckley, West Virginia
21 Mar 17
Before becoming unable to work due to health issues, I did home health care. I was a home health aide. I loved doing this work because it kept the elderly and disabled out of nursing homes. I had several bed fast patients whom were very grateful for the program. I am not against nursing facilities but I have heard so many stories of neglect and abuse about them. it is sickening. Something needs done. I was a smoker when I worked but I made sure my patient was taken care of first before I went to smoke. In a 8 or 9 hour shift I maybe only smoked about 3 or 4 times if that because it was one on one and that's all I had time for, so I know in a nursing home you'd have more patients at one time so how would you be able to care for them properly and still smoke several times?
These CNA's and nurses in this facility you are speaking of need to learn to take turns smoking and take fewer smoke breaks and take better care of their patients. By the way welcome to Mylot I hope you enjoy it here.
@francie51 (13)
• United States
22 Mar 17
Thank you so much for the welcome Melissa. I agree totally with what you said, And we did have some that were like that. They would only take a smoke break after they got their patients settled and then they would make sure someone was going to be there when they went outside, But there is always some in every crowd that makes it look bad for everyone.
1 person likes this
@melissa1024 (2456)
• Beckley, West Virginia
22 Mar 17
@francie51 You're welcome. Yes, their is some that makes it look bad on everyone and ruin it for everyone unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it but as we are doing here venting our frustrations out. LOL!
@workathomefan (8957)
• Prairieville, Louisiana
21 Mar 17
I heard about nursing home abuse on tv.I volunteered at one several weeks at my day program and elders were treated nice.
@francie51 (13)
• United States
22 Mar 17
That is good to hear. Maybe you worked at a good one. Sadly, there are not many of those left anymore.
@Katinquieti (31)
• United Kingdom
21 Mar 17
I know your problem in England there's been over 20 cases where cares have actually beaten the elderly! That's why my family look after my nan from home and she refuses to go to one
@JudyEv (340019)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Mar 17
That is a very sad thing to have happened. Certainly breaks for smoking should be minimal.
