I’m a CNA with 8 years of experience. I’ve worked in Hospitals, Long-term care, Assisted Living, and now home care while in school. I have a client that has end-stage lewy body dementia and completely incontinent. Clients niece 58 and her boyfriend 49 lives in his home. I visit for four hours daily to perform care since the client incapacitated and incoherent. Over the last three months they’ve lived in the home, they do not perform any care once I leave. The client is saturated in uterine and feces each morning I arrive. Recently, client began receiving hospice care. An RN comes out weekly for a basic checkup. Clients niece shares nothing but lies to me and the hospice company. Telling us she cares for him in my absence, however, she does nothing but abuse his finances, drink, eat, sleep, and smoke marijuana all in the home. Today I learned the client was prescribed Ativan and Morphine for agitation and pain which began two months ago. I’ve seen every medication in the home except for those two prescriptions. I asked the niece about them because they would help me so much with his care. Less fighting, agitation, pain, and combativeness. She responded with “No we don’t have any of that stuff, he doesn’t get that kind of medication.” Yet, the niece and boyfriend walk around looking stoned, nodding off, and at times, hyperactive. It’s clear, they are using the drugs to get high. I’ve been in contact with hospice for weeks about the neglect and abuse. They do nothing! Today, I called again, this time about the missing medications. The nurse replied “we are not the police, there’s nothing we can do.” I don’t know what to do anymore. There has to be something done about this. The client is going through so much and not even receiving his medication. I have documented, photos of neglect, and audio recordings of many conversations with the family. What now?
Call APS. The client will probably be transferred to a NH on hospice if no other family to care for him. This is elder abuse. If they are using his medication, thats illegal and they could be arrested.
If you feel it is not safe for you to continue to work there after you report them to APS then you give notice. And you inform APS when you are making the report that you are afraid for your safety because of the report and you will end your employment and that places your client at a greater risk.
If it is as bad as you indicate he will be removed from the home so there is no need for you to return.
If you do not report them you are enabling the abuse, honestly that makes you just as guilty as they are.
If you are aware of abuse and do nothing, you are as guilty as they are.
I hope that you have documented that you have also reported the abuse, neglect and the possible drug misuse.
As a CNA, I am assuming you are certified, you are a MANDATED REPORTER of abuse and neglect. I would hope that they went over this when you were taking your course. And if you have worked in facilities and hospitals I would hope that they also told you about reporting.
If you are with an agency you can report this to your supervisor.
I do know that the Hospice I used does have a protocol on how meds are delivered if there has been medication abuse in the household.