I work at this facility and the nurse and supervisor had me wake a resident up at 3am to shower him. I worked the 11pm-7am shift. I've been heard of it but I also know state laws change.
When my Husband was in rehab if I found out that he was being awakened at 3 am to have someone give him a shower I would have a fit. I am wondering if it is this particular resident or if this is also the schedule for other residents as well. Was this a 1 time thing, like this person had an early Dr. appointment. Do they routinely have people showered at that time. Or heaven forbid was this a form of "punishment" for this person?
I would first ask, out of curiosity, why do I need to wake a resident up at 3am in the morning? Maybe being half a sleep the resident is easier to deal with. I will tell you if me, I would not like it. Its hard for me to fall asleep and I am a light sleeper, so please don'tvwake me up. It does seem weird.
Why do they ask you to shower someone in the middle of the night? Have they given you a reason for this request? Are all of the night shift employees expected to give showers to the residents? Are the day shift employees tremendously overworked?
What would happen if you said that you didn’t want to do this? Would you be fired?
Would you mind telling us how you feel about this practice? Can you also share with us what your residents do when they are awakened in the middle of the night?
I can’t imagine that residents would be agreeable in this situation. They probably think you’re crazy to be telling them that it’s shower time!
I am trying to get a clear picture of what life is like in this facility in general.
Have you thought about working at another facility where bathing at night isn’t the norm? It makes me wonder if this practice is going on in other facilities.
I wouldn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to shower. The only time I did that was when I was going through menopause and had severe night sweats and was drenched. I took a cool shower and went back to bed.
That is completely unacceptable. Though these days nursing homes and other care facilities can get away with pretty much anything and they answer to no one.
I'd ask your state's Ombudsman if this sort of abuse is industry standards for nursing homes and memory care facilities.
Waking someone up in the middle of the night and forcing them into a shower is what the Nazis, Vietcong, Khmer Rouge, and the North Koreans did to prisoners of war.
I think if this practice is important enough to me mentioned in the Geneva Convention about P.O.W. rules, then it should also apply to poor elderly people in nurising homes and memory care facilities.
You have been a CNA for 17 years? Have you never given a bath or shower on the night shift before? If so, I as a retired RN am a bit surprised.
I was an RN who did primary care. Toward the end of my career I worked the night shift. I OFTEN bathed patients at night, and the day shift was SO GRATEFUL because they dealt with it all, three meals, the MD, the PT and OT and tests and EVERYTHING. If a patient was restless or wakeful, and was amenable to bathing, that is what we did.
So I would say that there must be a reason for this request. Do ask what that reason is and let us know the answer.
I rather doubt the OP would have brought this to us if the resident was covered in feces and need to be cleaned up or for any other reasonable reason, it's more apt to be because day shift didn't get time to finish their scheduled work due to absences and perpetually low staffing levels. These facilities like to pretend that this is a HOME not an institution so if you wouldn't accept this in your home then you shouldn't accept it there either.
Nope. Ever been in a hospital when the nurse wakes you up to give you sleeping pills or do some other nonsense? Not to mention seniors with cognitive problems already have broken sleep patterns. It would probably scare or disorient them. I would consider it cruel.
I am wondering if it is this particular resident or if this is also the schedule for other residents as well.
Was this a 1 time thing, like this person had an early Dr. appointment.
Do they routinely have people showered at that time.
Or heaven forbid was this a form of "punishment" for this person?
The only time it would be Ok to wake them for a shower at 3am is if you found them in bed head to toe in feces , or vomit etc.
What would happen if you said that you didn’t want to do this? Would you be fired?
Would you mind telling us how you feel about this practice? Can you also share with us what your residents do when they are awakened in the middle of the night?
I can’t imagine that residents would be agreeable in this situation. They probably think you’re crazy to be telling them that it’s shower time!
I am trying to get a clear picture of what life is like in this facility in general.
Have you thought about working at another facility where bathing at night isn’t the norm? It makes me wonder if this practice is going on in other facilities.
I wouldn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to shower. The only time I did that was when I was going through menopause and had severe night sweats and was drenched. I took a cool shower and went back to bed.
Maybe the resident is wakeful, unsettled or has severe incontinence at night?
But waking someone who is asleep at 3am is awful!
I would be calmly asking my supervisor the reason why.
I'd ask your state's Ombudsman if this sort of abuse is industry standards for nursing homes and memory care facilities.
Waking someone up in the middle of the night and forcing them into a shower is what the Nazis, Vietcong, Khmer Rouge, and the North Koreans did to prisoners of war.
I think if this practice is important enough to me mentioned in the Geneva Convention about P.O.W. rules, then it should also apply to poor elderly people in nurising homes and memory care facilities.
Please tell your state's Ombudsman.
Have you never given a bath or shower on the night shift before? If so, I as a retired RN am a bit surprised.
I was an RN who did primary care. Toward the end of my career I worked the night shift. I OFTEN bathed patients at night, and the day shift was SO GRATEFUL because they dealt with it all, three meals, the MD, the PT and OT and tests and EVERYTHING. If a patient was restless or wakeful, and was amenable to bathing, that is what we did.
So I would say that there must be a reason for this request.
Do ask what that reason is and let us know the answer.
I pity the person who tries to wake me up at 3am for a shower.