I would consider this abuse. You need to complain to her physician, the DNS at the nursing home, the social services staff at the hospital and finally, the state agency t that oversees nursing homes. Start with the DNS (director of nursing services) at the nursing home and find out exactly why this was done. If it was an emergency then I might understand but if it's a regular blood draw then it's inexcusable.
Her MD has to give doctor's orders for her to have the finger poke for a PT/INR blood test. Hospitals usually don't have a PT/INR machine that does this because they would rather charge insurance companies a fortune for a venipuncture blood draw. Scream at her MD to scream at the hospital to order this equipment! There is no need for her to suffer like that. If the hospital won't purchase the equipment then threaten to sue them for assault and battery during a venipuncture. These PT/INR machines take just a drop of blood from the finger and only a minute to get the results that can be called asap to a doctor to get a coumadin order change as needed. I know all this because I'm an RN. If a patient refuses a venipuncture they can hemorrhage to death so that's why some nurses think they are doing the patient a favor even though they resist the needle. But these well-meaning nurses have no idea that a little painless machine exists!! They also don't know that a patient can refuse to take coumadin and venipunctures at the risk of their own demise....and that's OK. It's their free will even though their judgment is way off. The family usually makes the final decision for them and hopefully they have "legal guardianship", not worthless power-of-attorney. Hope this helps!
OK.. this nursing home needs to be reported. Please read through what RN posted and talk to someone in charge about your mother's care. If you or your brother are NOT the healthcare proxy for your mother, make sure one of you are! If you have issues with the nursing home, get an OMSBUDSMAN involved to help you! Something is not right.
wiggiann , that nursing home sounds like living in a nightmare . isnt there another nursing home around ? my town has like 5 of them . dont be afraid to report it cuz once they find out theyve been reported believe me they will straiughten up and be a nice person to ur mother . cuz its costing them thier job , when they see you they will be nice. believe me i know , been there and done that while my dad was in rehab , they dont want to mess with me . thats my dad and treat him with respect or they;ll be hearing it loud and clear . sounds like to me theyre trying to use ur mother as a rat lab . ordered all the test that is not needed , its a nightmare from what im reading . put her in another home plz .
Mother had a blood clot last year and after it was dissolved the doctor kept giving her coumadin. She has very small veins and the nurse at the hospital told me that mother had tiny veins which collapse and she needed a fine needle when she had a blood test done. She gets these blood tests a lot and the tops of her hands are always black and blue. The tests are painful done in the hand and more so becuse of mother's tiny and collapsible veins. The nursing home should have butterfly needles there which cause less pain, but the tests take longer with the butterfly needle, so they just let the elderly resdient's suffer.
MiaMadre, A good friend of mine takes coumadin and she has the same Kind of clotting measure. She said it was a finger stick and she calls her number in. If there is a problem, her doctor calls her back. I don't know if they are exensive, maybe that is why the nursing home doesn't use them. I feel so bad for my mother, I love her and it hurt me so much seeing her being hurt so and listening to her cries and begging them to stop. She is defenseless and her own daughter, (me) couldn't make them stop from hurting her. This whole thing has made me ill that I told my brother I was never going back to the nursing home. I can't cope with that ever happening again. My brother said, you should be there when they give her an enama, it takes five of them to hold her down. Mother's never been constipated and no one ever asks me when she has a bowel movement in the evening when I am there and she has many of them before I put her down for the night. Mother 's aways been the type of person that in the morning she has a cup of coffee and about ten minutes later, she has to run to the bathroom and everything she has eaten the day before comes right out. Mother doesn't drink coffee anymore, but her stool is always soft. This latest news from my brother is almost too much for me. Mother has been in the nursing home for a year now and my brother has never missed a day being there for several hours and he feeds her lunch and then puts her on the toilet and down for a nap. Then, I come in the late afternoon and feed her supper and put her nightgown on and put her on the toilet and then to bed. So many times I can't find an aide to help me lift mother and she cannot help push herself up much anymore and it is getting harder and harder for me to do. I have arthritis in my back and knees, but my back is what hurts me when I'm trying to move her around. My brother said he can hardly lift her anymore himself when he is there and they are always short handed at the nursing home. thanks so much for your help. May God Bless You.
Do not be afraid to report what happened stsrt with the head nurse or manager if that is what they call them now they need to know what happened so they can make changes-just do it in a calm way and you might want to write down what you want to say and maybe you and your brother can do it together-this has to be brought to their attention
I agree with starting with her doctor. And as far as the nursing home is concerned, I also wouldn't be too concerned about upsetting the apple cart. It's all about money, and they want yours. I have to have blood taken out of my hand since my veins roll in my arm. It's so much easier to do, and at Kaiser they are really proficient at it. I do know what you're talking about when you say the 'butterfly' thing. I don't like it though.
Thanks everyone for your help. It is so appreciated. Mother has been taken off the coumadin and put on a different medication which requires no blood draws. Hooray! It's a shame she had to endure so many painful tests for almost a year though. I was mistaken about the nursing home using a buttefly needle the next time she does have a blood t est. My daugther had mentioned that to me, but now she can't remember where she heard it. I phoned the department of public heath and the lady was waiting to hear from me before she began action on my complaint. However, when I found out mother's medication had been changed and this one didn't require blood tests, I phoned her and cancelled my complaint. I also found out who the ombudsman is for our area and his name and phone number. I imagine they are like an advocate for people in nursing homes. thanks again to everyone,
Hope this helps!
sounds like to me theyre trying to use ur mother as a rat lab . ordered all the test that is not needed , its a nightmare from what im reading .
put her in another home plz .
The tests are painful done in the hand and more so becuse of mother's tiny and collapsible veins. The nursing home should have butterfly needles there which cause less pain, but the tests take longer with the butterfly needle, so they just let the elderly resdient's suffer.
Kind of clotting measure. She said it was a finger stick and she calls her number in. If there is a problem, her doctor calls her back. I don't know if they are exensive, maybe that is why the nursing home doesn't use them.
I feel so bad for my mother, I love her and it hurt me so much seeing her being hurt so and listening to her cries and begging them to stop. She is defenseless and her own daughter, (me) couldn't make them stop from hurting her. This whole thing has made me ill that I told my brother I was never going back to the nursing home. I can't cope with that ever happening again. My brother said, you should be there when they give her an enama, it takes five of them to hold her down. Mother's never been constipated and no one ever asks me when she has a bowel movement in the evening when I am there and she has many of them
before I put her down for the night. Mother 's aways been the type of person that in the morning she has a cup of coffee and about ten minutes later, she has to run to the bathroom and everything she has eaten the day before comes right out. Mother doesn't drink coffee anymore, but her stool is always soft. This latest news from my brother is almost too much for me. Mother has been in the nursing home for a year now and my brother has never missed a day being there for several hours and he feeds her lunch and then puts her on the toilet and down
for a nap. Then, I come in the late afternoon and feed her supper and
put her nightgown on and put her on the toilet and then to bed. So many times I can't find an aide to help me lift mother and she cannot help push herself up much anymore and it is getting harder and harder for me to do.
I have arthritis in my back and knees, but my back is what hurts me when I'm trying to move her around. My brother said he can hardly lift her anymore himself when he is there and they are always short handed
at the nursing home. thanks so much for your help. May God Bless You.
My daugther had mentioned that to me, but now she can't remember where she heard it. I phoned the department of public heath and the lady was waiting to hear from me before she began action on my complaint.
However, when I found out mother's medication had been changed and this one didn't require blood tests, I phoned her and cancelled my complaint. I also found out who the ombudsman is for our area and his name and phone number. I imagine they are like an advocate for people in nursing homes. thanks again to everyone,
Wiggyann
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