Tempers
I have a hard time when people get angry at me. I can feel my body shutting down. My throat closes off, I can't think, and all I want to do is run. Although this is my first response, I have to quickly alter that reaction for my own safety and well-being, as well as for those around me. When patients get angry at caregivers, (which is a VERY common occurrence) we have to be ready for anything. I have been hit several times with different objects, had things thrown at me, let your imagination wander. Usually patients are frustrated when medication isn't functioning properly, whether they haven't had it or it isn't working, and staff feel the heat of the anger pretty quickly, and it burns pretty bad.
I had a patient this week at one of my facilities that was in agonizing pain, and I called the nurse to administer Percocet to her. I watched the patient intake the medication, and then went in about two hours later, and she complained of a headache. Again, I called for the nurse and watched her give the patient two Tylenol. Thirty minutes later this patient called me into her room screaming at the top of her lungs in anger. I asked what was wrong, to which she responded that the nurse hadn't given her medication all day, and she was hurting and wanted to see the nurse now. As I calmly tried to explain that she had had all she could, she screamed at me louder. This patient had punched an aide the week before, so I stepped out of reach and left the room. I am a CNA, not a slave, not a punching bag. I deserve respect, and if a patient is behaving in that manner, I have no obligation to stay in there. I left and informed the nurse. She told me to warn all employees to stay out of her room for the rest of the night-she is independent and can take care of herself.
I did so, and she kept hitting her call light. The nurse gave me permission to override her call light, and she would just turn it right back on. About an hour and a half later, she came out screaming so loud at staff that patients at both ends of the building were woken up by her screaming. The police were called, and they calmed her down. Thank goodness for our men in uniform :)
Another time we had patient in horrid pain, she was dying of breast cancer and was on at least four kinds of high powered narcotics for pain. She came out to our front desk asking for a narcotic early, which of course, we can't do. I was the CNA at the time, with the med tech being a very sweet, large and muscly Polynesian girl. This patient, when told no, started screaming. As the med tech tried to calm her down, she took her arm and swiped it across the front counter, throwing everything onto the floor. Glass broke, pens and binders went flying, and then when she got no reaction, started reaching behind the front desk, grabbing a hole punch and went to throw it. The med tech grabbed it and pulled it out of her hand as I quickly cleared the counter of everything on it so she wouldn't have anything to throw. The med tech then told her she wouldn't receive anything by doing that and escorted her back to her room. I remember standing there petrified, wondering what we would do.
What can you do? Patients that behave in that manner leave us no other choice-we can't restrain them, we cannot even risk touching them for fear of later being accused of abuse. Thankfully the police are always ready to come in and help when we need them. :)
I had a patient this week at one of my facilities that was in agonizing pain, and I called the nurse to administer Percocet to her. I watched the patient intake the medication, and then went in about two hours later, and she complained of a headache. Again, I called for the nurse and watched her give the patient two Tylenol. Thirty minutes later this patient called me into her room screaming at the top of her lungs in anger. I asked what was wrong, to which she responded that the nurse hadn't given her medication all day, and she was hurting and wanted to see the nurse now. As I calmly tried to explain that she had had all she could, she screamed at me louder. This patient had punched an aide the week before, so I stepped out of reach and left the room. I am a CNA, not a slave, not a punching bag. I deserve respect, and if a patient is behaving in that manner, I have no obligation to stay in there. I left and informed the nurse. She told me to warn all employees to stay out of her room for the rest of the night-she is independent and can take care of herself.
I did so, and she kept hitting her call light. The nurse gave me permission to override her call light, and she would just turn it right back on. About an hour and a half later, she came out screaming so loud at staff that patients at both ends of the building were woken up by her screaming. The police were called, and they calmed her down. Thank goodness for our men in uniform :)
Another time we had patient in horrid pain, she was dying of breast cancer and was on at least four kinds of high powered narcotics for pain. She came out to our front desk asking for a narcotic early, which of course, we can't do. I was the CNA at the time, with the med tech being a very sweet, large and muscly Polynesian girl. This patient, when told no, started screaming. As the med tech tried to calm her down, she took her arm and swiped it across the front counter, throwing everything onto the floor. Glass broke, pens and binders went flying, and then when she got no reaction, started reaching behind the front desk, grabbing a hole punch and went to throw it. The med tech grabbed it and pulled it out of her hand as I quickly cleared the counter of everything on it so she wouldn't have anything to throw. The med tech then told her she wouldn't receive anything by doing that and escorted her back to her room. I remember standing there petrified, wondering what we would do.
What can you do? Patients that behave in that manner leave us no other choice-we can't restrain them, we cannot even risk touching them for fear of later being accused of abuse. Thankfully the police are always ready to come in and help when we need them. :)
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