Lash out verbally at nursing home employees
Posted by Kim on May 3rd, 2007 / 
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Interesting. Is this an example of resident rights vs. staff rights? The woman was allegedly left in soiled briefs, without her 02, with bedsores all over her…also, bruises were found.
Where is the line drawn? When a resident with dementia “refuses” care or yells and screams, becomes violent and calls us names, how do we handle this? Do we just do it anyway? Do we try to redirect and try again, a little later? And do we do the care knowing we might get hurt? What lessons can be learned here?
HOUMA, La. — A lawsuit alleges that a nursing home patient with dementia was neglected to the point of abuse because she cursed the staff using racial epithets.Sonny Baye, of Schriever, is seeking $600,000 in damages from Heritage Manor in Houma, where his mother, Marie Baye, lived for five years. She died on Christmas 2004, two weeks after she was moved to a nursing home in Lafourche Parish.
The nursing home’s written response denies all allegations and asks a state district judge to dismiss the lawsuit.
Baye said his mother’s treatment was acceptable until the last 18 months of her life, when Alzheimer’s disease and dementia made her lash out verbally at nursing home employees.
Baye said his mother developed bruises, large bedsores on various parts of time, bloody wounds and difficulty breathing. The suit claims her undergarments were often unchanged for long periods, and she was often left without the oxygen tank she needed.
The lawsuit said managers assured Baye that his complaints would be investigated, but his mother’s condition just got worse.
Baye said his suit was not filed until March because he had to wait for a state board to rule on whether his mother’s treatment was malpractice. The board ruled in favor of the nursing home, forcing Baye to go to court.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:31 am
My question would be why would anyone who has made the choice to work with “sick” people feel they have a right to “lash out at the individual when behaviors occur? Part of being in health care whether as a nurse or CNA or unlicensed paraprofessional is separating oneself from the behaviors that may be demonstrated by patients. If one can’t do that separation maybe a change of careers is in order. A patient with behavior issues whether related to a psychiatric condition or some other condition like dementia or debilitating medical concerns are not responsibile for many of the outbursts they have and even if they may be aware as caregivers (being paid to offer a service) we are expected to maintain a therapeutic approach and environment for care.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:41 am
I agree with you, Carolynn, as long as those approaches allow for the very issue of harm to staff and the prevention thereof.
May 20th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Carolynn it’s pretty hard to remain professional when you’re getting hit, kicked, punched and otherwise harmed, physically on the job. Most aides are not prepared for this part of this work, as spoken of here before via comments from others. There isn’t enough mental health professionals in this work who can assist us with the special needs and demands, and challenges we face on a daily basis. People with Alzheimer’s Disease often do hurt staff, and sometimes it can really bad harm done. WE know this. Nurses know this. Yet it continues. WE chose to come back to work and deal with it all. To get slapped with a lawsuit is just another reason some will drop nursing as a career.