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I got a sticky mess...


KatieDid

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Katiedid,

I have been a nurse since 1993 and have witnessed the kinds of things your are talking about many times. Like you, I am extremely empathetic to the emotions of the patients. A distressed day to a patient can mean a distressed day to me. Why is that so? Because we have been on the receiving end and know, without a doubt, that someone is being hurt. Temporary or not, it's abuse.

I remind you of the patient's bill of rights. You know what they are, your patients had to receive a copy as did their family members on admission. Your bosses are also aware of this document.

The instances where a right can be denied is in the interest of safety or personal choice. In the case of dementia, a family member can determine that the situation is O.K. (personal choice) but must be carefully documented.

The truth is that, legally, your facility is legally bound to provide patient rights to everyone. Knowing that patient A regularly verbally abuses patient B (who has dementia), the company is required to do all that it can to prevent that. Even if it means maintaining a safe separation.

I don't know what you feel safe doing, but I would start by reporting the problem all the up the ladder, straight to the state inspection board if that's what it takes to keep the safe environment that our patients depend upon. Your name is never disclosed on state reports.

Additionally, I have to say as a person with major anxiety issues: Healthcare may be too much stress for your mental health. Those of us who take on the burdens of the patients have more depression and anxiety than those who don't. It may be beneficial to work in another environment, rehab or skilled/sub-acute are good environments for us because the patients get to go home and we get to feel that sense of satisfaction.

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Guest ASchwartz

Hi Katiedid,

Just a technical point but I may be wrong:

I do not believe that your therapist is a mandated reporter because your therapist is hearing about the abuse where you work "second hand." What I mean is that you told your therapist what you saw and, for you therapist, it is "hearsay." Hearsay" evidence is not admissable.

In addition, if I understand correctly, you work in an institution for adults? I do not believe that comes under the laws regarding mandated reporting because they are not children.

What about the idea that Sharrpa has that you find a job in a better place?

Allan

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Hi Katiedid,

Just a technical point but I may be wrong:

I do not believe that your therapist is a mandated reporter because your therapist is hearing about the abuse where you work "second hand." What I mean is that you told your therapist what you saw and, for you therapist, it is "hearsay." Hearsay" evidence is not admissable.

In addition, if I understand correctly, you work in an institution for adults? I do not believe that comes under the laws regarding mandated reporting because they are not children.

What about the idea that Sharrpa has that you find a job in a better place?

Allan

I'll have to inform my job of this at my anual review when I have to update my mandate reporter oath.

As for the hearsay opinion...

So I could tell her I had plans to kill x amount of people and that's just hearsay too?

I don't work with adults - I work with dependant adults. That makes them the same as children.

Is it really good practice to encourage people to dump their lives every time they hit a bump?

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Guest ASchwartz

Katiedid,

Why the "sarcasm?" I noticed it on another forum when I responded to you about SameE. Evidently, I have made you angry about something. Perhaps you could clarify.

As far as the types of adults you are discussing, I have worked with them myself. I am well aware of their dependent state of being.

I also believe you are confusing my message. I am not implying that You are receiving hearsay. I am stating that your Therapist, to whom you report the abuse, is receiving hearsay. For your therapist, the information is hearsay. It is one thing if I see abuse and another if someone tells me they saw the abuse. Hearsay is not admissable in court. Is there something I am missing about this?

Allan :confused:

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Katiedid,

I don't know if you are reading this or not, but misunderstandings can certainly happen here on the internet. Often if you find yourself particularly sensitive about something, there are likely reasons behind that which have more to do with something other than what has actually taken place. And I'm not trying to irritate you further by any means. This is a place of support and it's okay to express negative emotions (as long as you're respectful about doing it). Do you want to talk about your feelings more? No one is judging you. We're just trying to understand your experience.

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Hi Katie,

I was the first response to your thread here. Upon reading your response to my post, I was taken aback immediately and after careful consideration, I deleted my post. I felt, somewhat like Allan did, that I may have said something fairly offensive to get the reaction I read and decided that the best thing I could do was to not further engage you if I was somehow a source of further agitation to you. Given your situation, I thought it best to not be a part of this thread if my contributions were not helpful, or possibly even hurtful.

I don't say this to be caustic and mean spirited, but to highlight what seems to be an emerging pattern of response to those of us interested in providing support, encouragement and a listening ear for you. Katie, I'm wondering if you're in great pain or feeling slighted someohow and that this may be why we're seeing this side of you. Nonetheless, IrmaJean is right, we are not hear to judge you, or argue or debate a point, and sometimes this medium can create or result in misunderstandings, so it's always good to ask before we assume the worst.

My hope is that you'll come back and write in, we're hear as a support group and occasionally we have great wisdom and insight too. But occasionally we have misunderstandings and we work thru them.

David

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  • 3 weeks later...

I can understand where Katie is coming from, being a Home Carer myself for 9yrs. I covered the old as well as the aged with learning disabilities.

Why should she have to give up her job especially, seen as she enjoys it.

I am not clued up fully on this thread as the first two have been deleted but... what I can gather, this has something to do with vulnerable adults right!

Sorry, ignore what I'm babbling on about!

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