My sister and I care for our older sister (5 yrs). We hired an agency to help provide in-home care for about 4-5 hrs/day. My older sister has had 3 strokes and is physically able to manage, but since she fractured her left arm years ago. It never healed properly so she can't use the left hand/arm (can't open jars or hold any weight). She is a diabetic and cant properly understand the numbers on her insulin pens so needs help with that. Both my sister and I have been managing the agency communications, medications, doctors appointments for the past 5 years. I dispense all the meds. The agency's job (caregivers) is to see that she takes thyroid, and to change out the needles and reset the insulin pens to the proper dose. The agency's nurse has now decided to monitor some of the meds like thyroid and has been interfering with various doctors' recommendations causing havoc because there are disagreements between doctors as to which thyroid meds are appropriate but my sister is indeed happy with each doctor despite their disagreements. This nurse is forcing issues and bothering the doctors and us just because she has the power to do so. HELP! I don't know where to turn - we have removed thyroid from the caregivers tasks but removing her from having caregivers double checking the insulin pens is impossible. We have gone thru so many agencies in past 5 years because there are so few caregivers so cant move again. Is there some licensing bureau I could check this nurse up or some way to get her off this case. I'd surely appreciate help. Thank you so much. Raissa
I would encourage you to have her primary doctor write a letter to the agency owner addressing the conflict of their orders.
Best of luck. So many people nowadays think they are the smartest person in the room, no matter who's in the room with them.
The Nurse, she should not be fooling with the endocrinologists orders. She does not have the ability to make decisions concerning meds. The aides, unless certified, cannot dispense meds. They are not medically trained. They can remind a client to take their meds and give them the pill planner or bottle but they cannot hand them to the client. Nor can they give injections.
Do you need this nurse for anything, like giving a shot? I would talk to the owner/administrator of the agency and either request the nurse no longer come or that she stick to just what she is there for. That she is not needed to get involved with sisters doctors concerning the medications she is given. I would make sure your not paying for this nurse.
This Nurse does not have the POWER. Get that out of your head right now. She is an employee from an agency your sister is paying for. She is coming into your sisters home. Your sister has the say in how her health is handled. Your sister can ask her to leave. Your sister can ask her to please stop calling her doctors. The Nurse can suggest that maybe Sister should have her meds re-evaluated by her endocrinologist because she feels something should be changed. Sister can allow her to talk to her doctor. Really, wonder how the Nurse can talk to the doctors without verbal or written permission from your sister?
Did your Sister assign POA to you or anyone? If not, I would get it done. Just one person for both financial and Medical, and make it Immediate. There can be a back up if the primary passes or cannot carry on their duties. The POA should be the one who lives closest and does the most. As an Immediate POA, you can step in and take over for sister. If she is still cognitive, she can still make decisions but you can step in and deal better with this stuff for her.
I worked as a secretary for Visiting Nurses. After a nurse stepped over the line with a Client, we were all brought into a meeting and told...when you enter someones house remember its their home. You are there to carry out a doctors order, thats it. You can stay and talk for a while because u may be the only person they see that day, but thats it. I don't remember what this nurse said but the Client did not appreciate it and asked for a different nurse.
Tell the owner or franchise owner that caregivers or nurses do not do meds at your house and do not call doctors.
"According to State law once you sign onto an agency you sign over some rights particularly if the client needs ANY med help:"
The nurse maybe a mandated reporter. I can see the med help. Maybe nurse feels the dose is not correct or maybe should be dropped. Maybe Sis signed something giving the Nurse the right to call the doctors, but she is stepping over the line I think.
IMO, no the Nurse should not have access. If she does, how would she get the password? I don't think doctors office could give her access without a HIPPA form signed by your sister allowing access. Does sister use the portal, or just you? Change the password.
I think you have an over zealous Nurse who is overstepping boundries. Just let sister know she has rights and can use the word NO. The law also says you can't make a patient or client do what they don't want to. Remember, this agency is being hired by sister and coming into her home.
I am sorry and wish you much luck.
so now that too has to be handled. Its just a mess.