jacobstein1960 Asked August 2019
Loyalty to the nursing home or the patients?
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Having said that, I’ll work as a janitor before I stand by and watch innocent helpless people be endangered. I would not have said anything unless I was angry enough to quit.
AMEN to that.
Even after being raided by the health department at 8:00 am last Wednesday, the specific wheelchairs which I included in my complaint are still in use as before, unrepaired.
Do I need to take hostages or something to get through to these people?
If I was complaining about understaffing, I get it, there’s no money. But a wheelchair? If they cannot afford to provide each patient with a safe properly functioning chair then shut the place down.
They will likely let you go, because you have had them visited by the authorities; they are not the "good guys in the white hats", for certain.
Most states are "at will" employers. And they are free to fire anyone any time for any reason, or for no reason whatsoever. They often will give no reason so that they don't run up against those few anti-discrimination laws in existance. So there is no protection for you, and no protection for your patients. You "might" want to visit a lawyer just to have this on record as unfair dismissal when it happens (and unless you quite first). Because you are at present likely under the title of "whistleblower" on wrong doing and on unsafe conditions under OSHA (who you might want to contact) for danger to employees, and under state regulatory for extended care.
I think if nothing else, and there may BE, very sadly, nothing else to be done for you, for patients and for families, this DOES tell people what to watch for when loved ones enter care. IE ask questions, including how often is your equipment inspected; what is your procedure when equipment is faulty, and etc.
You clearly CARE about safety issues. Hope you will move on up to a place where you can help folks through your care.
If moving a resident is dangerous, both to you and the resident, you are entitled to have the correct number of staff to assist in moving the resident safely. Your manager should have that policy in action. Which should include enough staff on hand to cater for care needs.
Broken chairs, whether brake, footrest .. if unsuitable for use- should have a designated place they are taken to for repairs and should not be used. Your manager should have that policy in action. There should be a report log which details what the problem is when it occurred/ was noticed and whether fixed or replaced. There should be adequate wheel chairs available to cater for one or two with defects- though as you’ve found- this rarely happens.
I got a Red Cross wheelchair and walker due to the poor standards of the ones at the home, they were more interested in celebrating an occasion than dealing with the fact dad’s walker was damaged so he couldn’t mobilise.
i have met a number of nursing home workers who left due to standards they disagreed with. It includes one who contacted me in tears after walking out because, according to her manager, the paperwork was more important than a resident who had fallen.
I’ve witnessed many shocking things in my role as a carer over the years including refusal to elevate a fractured ankle as “their doctor” had not seen and recommended it. Resulting in a pulmonary embolism where clot travelled from leg to lung and it was only the dedication by A&E doctors who resuscitated him twice before stabilising him.
Taking medication from those capable of managing - and by the time due to release they had become institutionalised and reliant on others to do things for them making it more dangerous for their safe return back home.
Whlst most nursing homes expect the bulk the bulk of their residents to be permanent here are occasions they are not and the above should be catered for.
You might make life life hard for yourself by ensuring your manager is kept duly informed even if others aren’t doing their job correctly and doing the same, but at least you have a strong morale and are fighting for what’s right
The coroner had to rebuke the nursing home re falls and inaction over a broken hip despite my repeated demands for medical aid.
My best in your efforts
How long would you wait?
I would have done it that way, however I had heard that complaints by relatives didn’t produce results.
And just by the way I AM a very serious threat to anyone who I see is putting innocent lives needlessly in danger.
The nursing home is understaffed. However I realize so is almost everywhere else. More staffing may be financially impossible.
But what’s the excuse for letting equipment dangerously go to pieces? This isn’t something which is difficult to notice and it’s been like this for months presumably.
I think someone here needs to get on the ball or get a new job.
I worked as a nurse. It was my observation over a 40 year career that people tended to complain over lunch without taking the complaints to where they could be addressed. Or people took the complaints over the heads of people who could have and would have addressed them. In all truth, there should be some sort of equipment check being done now, and you could suggest it. I am saying you, as someone who actually DOES care, could be invaluable, and were I an administrator, seeing someone who cares I would promote you and use your expertise.
As we all know you either have a GOOD one or a BAD one here. If you are seeing a whole lot of problems and complaints you may already know which you have. Wishing you the best. Hope you will update us on what is done.
You are so utterly correct about the staffing. California, under Schwartzenegger as Gov. set staffing number limits. It was one of the best and finest things I EVER saw done in hospitals. It limited the number of patients we could be assigned in hospitals. Sadly, not in extended care facilities. Good luck. And yes, ALWAYS keep a work diary. I would recommend that for any job. They are used in court. They are considered excellent testimony in court. Having been in court more than a few times to testify I can vouch for that--at least in my state.
Do know, too, you cannot protect these folks in your quite obviously caring care, if he fires you. And they can do that on a whim if their are not decent. Hope you update us on any outcome.
"I understand I am new here, and am sorry others didn't bring this to your attention, but we have a dangerous problem with our wheelchairs. Some of them are broken and we have had a few mishaps. I am hearing from families they have experienced problems with W/Cs. I would be more than happy to check all our chairs if you give me the day for it, or if I can do that overtime; I would put a small sticker on those I found to be functioning well. I know you may have your own remedy, could you just give me a heads up when this is addressed, because I am afraid for our staff and patients."
He can fire you after that if he wants, but he could also be happy to remedy something he may never have been told about.
After THAT (and of course you keep a work diary, right? Anyone working in such a job should) you will be free and clear to report this. Licensing is big, and you can lose one quite easily. You need your boss to see you as HELP and as PREVENTATIVE to problems. Not as a threat. Right now you are new on the job. You cannot know if you are working for a jerk who doesn't care, or for someone great. Keep gossip out of it. If you discuss with other workers all these things it is problematic.
Were I your boss I would expect you to come to me. The ASL place my brother is all the folks have moved up from within, and because of their SKILL. If I were your boss and you came to me with that idea you would have my heart and my eye and you would be on the fast track up. Just sayin..............
If I was a surgical nurse and noticed a certain surgeon arrived to surgery somewhat intoxicated and complaints by relatives had gone nowhere should I go to management and hope no one gets killed?
According to the manager of the nursing nursing home the appropriate thing to do is to report problems to him and if after six months I see no action is taken, then resign.
What made me go straight to the department of health is that I was told by another patient’s wife that her complaints went unanswered and I know the staff is much more afraid of relatives than they are of me.
Additionally I felt that this was a life threatening issue which had to dealt with immediately. These are PEOPLE not bottles of soda in which case if a few get broken, who cares.
The chairs belong to the nursing home.
One of the responsibilities of one of the staff members is repairing equipment. These brakes have been this way for months if not years. Where is he? Someone has to be hospitalized until he does something? How about looking around and seeing what’s broken?
Will it be more helpful for admin if you keep a diary of incidents and try to fix the equipment yourself too, before your resignation?
If this job pays FABULOUS wages, has OUTSTANDING benefits, offers
merit pay for exceptional loyalty, and you LOVE your work environment, by
all means soldier on.
IF NOT, take a course or two to freshen up your resume and recharge your references, and start doing a job search.
Edited to add, I’m SUPER BIG for “chain of command”, but in this case it seems there are breaks in the chain
Who owns the wheelchair? If it belongs to the family then it is their responsibility to keep it in good repair, if it belongs to the facility then there should be a process in place to report maintenance needs. You should have refused the unsafe transfer due to equipment failure. After speaking to his wife you should have assisted the family with how to properly report a problem - talking to you and other aides isn't it.
I'm coming back to add - My answer is based on the assumption that you are a new employee and have no reason to assume that your concerns would go unaddressed. I did a lot of stupid things when I was a young worker that I never should have attempted, it is a sign of maturity that you can admit you can't do something and you ask for help.
Does your employer have an employee manual in which it explains any sort of protocol for reporting broken equipment? If not, then I would request a protocol in writing from your manager that is distributed to all the staff. Any communications you have with with manager or admin should be through email so that you have a record of what was said and when. Then, after a "reasonable" period of time, i would send a follow-up email stating that the equipment has not been fixed and a dangerous and illegal situation is being created. Don't be accusatory or emotional or threatening, just informative. But you should also state that you will need to seek further action outside of the facility if the the unsafe situation for both the staff and residents is not cleared up asap. There may also be some sort of ombudsman organization that this can be reported to but I'm not familiar with it, This will protect the residents and your job. Good luck and God bless for having a moral compass.