Killing at nursing home raises broader concerns

[nursinghumor]

I'd really like to believe this is an isolated incident, one resident fatally attacking another. However, it is becoming more and more common. Specially as Alzheimer's and other types of dementia type populations are increasing.

Do you step in to break it up, hope there is enough help around to diffuse them both? It's a difficult decision (maybe easier because I'm a guy) what the best course of action is.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com


Killing at nursing home raises broader concerns, October 6, 2004:"Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the nursing home during routine rounds to check on John Tamkun, 88, and his roommate, Thomas Mullen, 82. But before the night was over, Mullen was dead, bludgeoned with the footboard of a bed, and Tamkun faced manslaughter charges. The slaying Sept. 26 and the arrest of Tamkun, a retired cabinetmaker who suffers from dementia, have cast a spotlight on a growing problem at nursing homes across the country: violence among residents."
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wi...iolen1006oct06,0,1277687.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[cassioo]

there was a case here last year where a man pushed a women down in a nursing home and she later died and it went to court saying the staff didn't supervise well enough

[Randy, RN]

WOW, THAT is scary!

[ns lpn]

How terrible it must have been for the staff and other residents in that home. These concerns used to be more in mental health but I guess anyone with dementia falls into that category. In most cases its increased staffing or isolation for extreamly violent cases that seems to work -but with staff shortages as they are and i can't imagine isolation in LTC where residents tend to be socially challanged anyways....wish i had some good solutions.

We often use geri-chairs for residents when they get violent but in the middle of the night how would you know,
most ltc has skeleton crew at night and you just can't be everywhere at once. Its terrible that people point to the staff of these facilities it should be at management or problems with health care in general. No one i know would wish that on anyone.
km

[LeahNTexas]

This is terrible, but for years I have avoided patients with dementia/Alzheimer's. I just didn't know how to deal with them. It's unfortunate that this had to happen, and of course they always point the finger at the staff!

[nursinghumor]

[ QUOTE ]
cassioo said:
there was a case here last year where a man pushed a women down in a nursing home and she later died and it went to court saying the staff didn't supervise well enough

[/ QUOTE ]

You can only be in so many places at one time. If you're short-staffed and busy in another room, of course something like that can happen.

If it does go to court, and you are asked if you were short, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Say you were short, you'll be fired by your employer. Say you were not short, they'll ask you how you could safely care for so many patients.

It's not a good situation to be in.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[nursrcrachet]

I work with dementia/alzheimers residents everyday...work on the specialty unit for these types of residents...it is hard and scary at times...but I can't help but wonder how something like this can happen and not a single person could hear anything....what about floats in the nursings facility? I do also agree that management should also take some of the blame for this situation..... but if it is anything like my facility where management seems to only want to be involved in "good situations", then of course the nursing staff would get the full blame. Also, like someone else said, if you say you were short, then you get fired, and if you don't, then you have to be able to explain why it happened and how. Tough situation and tragic...wish I could figure out a solution too.

[nurstinkerbelle]

Hi! I'm new. Doesn't FL have staff/patient ratios in place? I've worked in Psyche and know how scary it can be. What we used to do is in report we would document acuity vs 'heads in beds' to make sure staffing was appropriate. If mgt would not staff to acuity, our documentation was there to back us up in case of a problem. There is no good solution in a litiginous, pass the buck society, though.