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hummin2 Asked June 2022

What do I do about my husband's questionable care at his nursing facility?

Spouse is in a Nursing Facility that is not close by. Went to see spouse in the NF to find him in a room with a roommate. Th room was so hot, and the visitors had to wear masks, which is hardly tolerable. When I went into the room, he only had a sheet over him as well as the roommate. I asked why so hot, and the reply was because the roommate is always cold. I said I cannot believe how hot it is and no air flowing in the room, much less my spouse is not complaining about it to anyone. No one has reported my spouse strips all clothes off and he does not walk on his own. I do not think he even goes out of his room. What is the purpose of all of this? I have never been in a nursing facility in patient's rooms like that much less only having sheets over them. I get it may be easier to care for the residents but what the heck. Please share your opinions for I have no idea what to do if anything. TIA.

JoAnn29 Jun 2022
My Mom was transferred to a 4 bed room from a 2 bed room. Her bed was directly in front of the air conditioner. I told the SW that would not work for my Mom because she really does not like a/c and gets cold easily. Next day Mom was in front of the air so I went and talked to the SW. I first asked why the room was so cold and told because of the woman near the door. So put her next to the window. Wouldn't do it. Compromise was making sure the flaps went up instead of across. Mom was in the common room most of the day so I told them to make sure she had socks on her feet and covered well.

I would ask that DH be sent to another room. That its ridiculous that he is in a room that hot. They can't cater to just one resident. Both are paying their share to live there. If the man is cold then dress him accordingly and cover him accordingly. If DH is able to leave the room, he should be taken to the common area. There are special chairs even for those who are bedbound.

Isthisrealyreal Jun 2022
If you can't get any satisfaction from the admin about covering up the roommate and cooling the room down, ask your husband's doctor to write a script for a comfortable temperature to keep his electrolytes in balance.

Unfortunately, you will need to advocate for the care the facility is being paid for. This is very common in some facilities.

It is completely unacceptable that the room is being kept overly hot. No air circulating is a recipe for illness for everyone.

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lealonnie1 Jun 2022
You need to speak to the administrator of the nursing facility about your questions and concerns. We on the forum cannot possibly begin to understand the why's of what's going on over there, same as you cannot. You have no idea if your spouse is dressed daily by the caregivers, or if he remains in bed all day......so that is something to take up with THEM. Your spouse may be stripping his clothing off b/c he's hot, which is another matter to bring up to the administration's attention: the room should not be kept SO hot that only one roommate is comfortable. It should be kept at a comfortable temperature for BOTH of them! Otherwise, ask that your spouse be assigned a new roommate. That is within your rights to request. It's also within your rights to demand (in a nice way, of course) answers to all of your questions and concerns. And it's also a good idea to visit frequently so you can be an advocate for your spouse and to make sure he's getting the kind of care you'd like to see him get. With dementia/ALZ at play, he may not be able to properly speak for himself, which is why he needs an advocate to speak FOR him.

Wearing a mask while visiting is a rule that the NF enforces, so not something the heat would change the status of.

Wishing you the best of luck getting to the bottom of this situation asap.

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