VJH is in the news again, and it's not good

[Queen K]

Omigod Fritz, we see denial almost every day too.

Look people, if the RN is telling you that mom or dad, or both, is in decline based on the reports the homecare workers are giving on a daily basis, and that RN tells you to get your families name on a waitlist for a residential care home then, damn it,

DO IT.

Do whatever the RN is telling you and do the paper work it takes. Don't wait for mom and dad, or both, to get to crisis mode. Just because you put a name, or names, on a wait list does not mean that they are packing thier bags in a month. It could easily take months and months before any beds by priorty are available. Did ya catch the "by priority" bit? It's no longer a numbers game where you get to number one on the list and get the next bed. Each and every bed has competition all over the Valley and those in charge of filling those beds have to look at a whole list of criteria to fill them. But that doesn't mean you have the luxery of waiting to list your loved ones until the last minute.

You have to see the facilities, have your family see them and accept the idea of moving into a place. And they aren't all equal. Some facilities are newer than others, and some have TWO year wait lists. Get your loved one's names on facilities that are best suited to them, because guess what, if they become in crisis mode, they may have a long stay in a hospital, or get a bed in a place that they may not have wanted. Or is far from the main visiting family.

And the RN does not make these recommendations out of thin air. They are based on experience and reports. Like what you ask?

1. Feces found everywhere, inappropiate clean up. Denial that incontinent products are needed, or need to be changed.
2. Dirty clothes, denial they need changed.
3. Inappropiate usage of small appliances. We had on lady putting two slices of bread in one toaster slice, triggering alarms.
4. Inability to manoever their own walkers. Denial they need one.
5. Confusion about meals, inability to eat, or unwillingness to eat.

Those are the top 5, never mind all the other stuff. So what do families do? Accuse us of not caring, or short their loved ones of products. Sorry, But Easter and Christmas visits are not enough. And don't sail into town once a year and accuse homecare of not being there. Who do you think is finding their glasses, picking up dropped stuff, cleaning up the bathroom, tidying up stuff, making reports, sending them back to "change that blouse", or discreetly doing a dozen other things?

[Verminator]

^^ Oh come on now Queenie, be realistic. You know as well as I do that that's way too much work for most people. It's a lot easier for them to deny, deny, deny and then when reality finally hits home, they just take dear old Mom or Dad to the nearest ER and leave them there. It's called dumping and I've known people to do it without leaving even a name, much less their 'beloved' relative's medical history.

I can relate to the incidents cited by Fritz, these kinds of things happen on a regular basis. I know because I've witnessed them myself countless times. After working with the public most of my life, I've concluded that the saying well known to people like myself is true - the public really is an _______. (insert popular slang for 'anal orifice')

[Queen K]

I actually know someone who did that on the advice of the mom's doctor. Nice eh?

I know it's work to go from facility to facility to work out which one's got what for mom/dad. Ya gotta get in the car and drive around, meet with a liason or whatever the term is, see what you need to see, and ask questions. It's not much different from comparing independant living residences because not all of the facilities are equal. Some have better smoke pits, some have an old disengaged car outside in the enclosed courtyard for the elderly to sit in, look under the hood etc., some have fish tanks, resident cats, dogs and/or birds. Some don't.

Some have entertainment all the time, all have activity coordinators. Happy Hours or not. Know what? It does take work.

Why not just wait til mom or dad is naked in the hallway of the independant living residence for all to see because they've completely lost their sense of appropiateness just a few days after the RN called to say, "you need to tour facilities as I told you do so ten months ago."

[Verminator]

I actually know someone who did that on the advice of the mom's doctor. Nice eh?

I know it's work to go from facility to facility to work out which one's got what for mom/dad. Ya gotta get in the car and drive around, meet with a liason or whatever the term is, see what you need to see, and ask questions. It's not much different from comparing independant living residences because not all of the facilities are equal. Some have better smoke pits, some have an old disengaged car outside in the enclosed courtyard for the elderly to sit in, look under the hood etc., some have fish tanks, resident cats, dogs and/or birds. Some don't.

Some have entertainment all the time, all have activity coordinators. Happy Hours or not. Know what? It does take work.

Why not just wait til mom or dad is naked in the hallway of the independant living residence for all to see because they've completely lost their sense of appropiateness just a few days after the RN called to say, "you need to tour facilities as I told you do so ten months ago."

Better watch it, Queenie. All that compassion and thoughtfulness might just start a trend. (would be nice, but I'm not gonna bet on it....)

[Fritzthecat]

I am amazed at some peoples attitudes towards people who work long term care. I tell you, working in the hospital is a hell of a lot less work and easier but somehow I've been doing long term care for about 18 months!
"When I can drop Mom off?" This person picked our facility out of the phone book and expected us to admit her on site.
There was the person who didn't have one visit, or phone during the holidays. Just over a month later, they were dead. I held their hand as they passed because nobody else could be bothered to show up.
There was the family that upon learning of their family members death said, "Well we'd better not have to pay for the rest of the month!"
It is amazing the lack of care, love, support the elderly get when they need it most. It breaks my heart to see this EVERY FRIGGEN DAY. I have to, as these peoples nurse, try my best to fill in the gaps left by their family. If I can get a resident to talk with me and maybe laugh a bit, I feel like I've done something worthwhile. Then, if I get 5 minutes, as I sit to do some charting, and maybe use the bathroom, I hear some asshat in the hallway pass my nursing station say "I wish I got to sit around all day at work."

[Queen K]

"When can I drop..." Oh ya, exactly what I'm talking about. Mention a facility for safe and effective 24/7 care and they think they're packing up tomorrow.

Not.

What kills me is how many people think an independant living home is going to magically transform itself into 24/7 just because mom/dad needs it. No. No and No. They are not licensed for that, yes you need a referral to IH for Intake to see what the homecare can do for mom/dad, NO NO NO, they are not 24/7 either. And can't be. Max visits is 4, although I know one who stretched it to 5 for safety. Homecare Nursing comes into the picture if need be. Everyone does what they can.

But the name must go on a waitlist for a longterm care bed.

[grammafreddy]

I truly do hope I die before I get that far along. I might even help my demise come to pass if I knew I was being put into LTC.

[Queen K]

I believe we all think the same thing GF, I know I do. I'm glad my dad died from home to KGH and did not linger on for years in a life he would have hated. He would have been more code Whites than even PW could have handled.

[grammafreddy]

I heard an interesting thing the other day (maybe I even read it here) ... most doctors, if diagnosed with cancer, will refuse treatment (chemo, radiation) and will choose to just live out what's left to them with pain management only. I can understand that, too.

What's code white?

[Roadster]

I heard an interesting thing the other day (maybe I even read it here) ... most doctors, if diagnosed with cancer, will refuse treatment (chemo, radiation) and will choose to just live out what's left to them with pain management only. I can understand that, too.

What's code white?

I heard that too even a few years ago, it's a fix but there are lots of other things that come along with it. Some even tho they wouldn't tell you or I are going to natural chemo treatments.

[km100503]

"What's code white?"


Code white is violent patient

[Queen K]

Km, you in the healthcare profession too?

[dogspoiler]

Better than a code Brown.

[km100503]

Yes Queen K, I am also in the healthcare profession

[Verminator]

"What's code white?"


Code white is violent patient

Actually, Code White can be a violent visitor as well, or even a violent/out-of-control staff member. I once had to call a Code White in the morgue because a person who came in to say goodbye to the body of her deceased relative went ballistic on me.