Posted on 07/27/2013 10:15:35 PM PDT by South40
This should have been a staff issue. An ounce of common sense and some basic psychology goes a long ways in calming an irate patient even one who is mad. I've seen an 85 year old woman about 4'8" give an entire floor of 8 persons a run for their money. You distract then act. Or you wait a couple of minutes and talk to them. The tone of your voice means everything too. You want a calm response then use a calm voice. I used to play Fetch for our walk offs where I worked. Most of them headed for a bust street so you had to think fast to get them to respond to you thinking it was their idea and you have something for them. Running and grabbing is a bad idea. They panic or they will respond defensively.
I have some questions about it though. Where did the knife come from being the first? Unoccupied kitchen is supposed to be locked. Any patient considered a risk for contraband you do checks of their room for lighters, weapons, etc.
The man could have possibly been having an adverse medication reaction, or could have been so medicated up he didn't feel pain. It's the staffs job to assess risk, mental state, etc and plan accordingly.
We did have the police respond to our facility one time. An elderly patient with a phone in her room called 9/11 and said there was people having a party in her room and a man was outside dancing naked. She then barricaded herself in her room LOL. The cops asked where Mrs. So and So's room was and we said on the second floor. The cops then laughed and explained why they were there.
Stories like this one make me shudder to think about contacting a cop about ANYTHING.
Was the 95 year old man a Veteran?
Agreed. This seems well within the range of things staff would expect to have to deal with. If there’s a wrongful death suit, the facility may well be on the hook for some degree of negligence.
And, even more important, they didn't profile anyone.
I get what you’re saying, but I have known some very old people who could do you real harm with a good blade. Farm stock. Strong to the last moment. It comes down to the specific facts of the case. Possibly training issues too. A taser is theoretically a way to preserve life, but it may have too much power for a person that old, and a police officer is not a doctor, and asking him to make what amounts to a medical judgment on the spot is problematic at best.
it’s almost like it’s the 90s all over again
oh hey... wait a minute...
All true, which again in my mind points to deficient judgment, not necessarily malicious intent. You tend to do in live situations exactly what you trained for. If they didn’t train for this kind of scenario, it’s an opportunity for big mistakes to happen. I used to work for a nuke. Simulator training covered everything and then some. You hope some scenarios never happen, but if they do, it going to come out better if you’ve had a chance to think about it beforehand.
Sign of the Copocalypse
A resident in the assisted living apartments was known for having a temper and we were kinda stepping easy around him. It seems he at some point managed to acquire a shotgun I think it was and kept it in his apartment. My boss caught wind of it and while the guy was eating lunch in the dining room he retrieved the weapon without incident. He aftterward talked to the resident and told him he had the weapon & it was being turned over to his family for safe keeping. Sure beat having a more hostile confrontation in the future. Problem solved.
Some may see this as a rights violation till you stop and consider this. These are persons who signed a retirement - death health care contract. Their judgement in some cases is becoming impaired and they are their for their safety and well being of their own free will. They paid huge bucks to live there. He was close as far as health goes including mental state to being in the nursing home.
Highly illegal: it would violate the Patient Bill of Rights provision that allows him to refuse medication. /sarc
OTOH, if he was holed up in a house, shooting now & then, they would besiege him for 3 or 4 days, while periodically sending in pizza. I don't doubt they could have waited him out very easily; at 95, he'd sit down and go to sleep fairly soon; instead, it evolves into a power & authority trip.
Keeping a better trained staff on hand makes more sense. To keep a better trained staff they would need to pay better. Most nursing homes pay very poorly except for the LPN's, RN's, and Administrators. As a result there's less stress and just as much money for the CNA's {the ones doing most of the care} to be made at MickeyD's.
It takes a good amount of tallent and compassion to do that job. It also takes lots of patience. The more experienced the worker the less the chance for things like this to happen. My wife was a CNA in a nursing home before she became disabled. They had a few patients they had to watch like a hawk. Some could get violent, some thought she was someone else, some were the most gentle persons you'd ever want to meet till night time hit and the nightime meds were given. Drugs like Trazodone can give quite opposite of the desired effects.
Keeping a better trained staff on hand makes more sense. To keep a better trained staff they would need to pay better. Most nursing homes pay very poorly except for the LPN's, RN's, and Administrators. As a result there's less stress and just as much money for the CNA's {the ones doing most of the care} to be made at MickeyD's.
It takes a good amount of tallent and compassion to do that job. It also takes lots of patience. The more experienced the worker the less the chance for things like this to happen. My wife was a CNA in a nursing home before she became disabled. They had a few patients they had to watch like a hawk. Some could get violent, some thought she was someone else, some were the most gentle persons you'd ever want to meet till night time hit and the nightime meds were given. Drugs like Trazodone can give quite opposite of the desired effects.
...they're now recruiting from the "ME" generation...
Police obviously need WAY more training - we should DEMAND it!
Re your post 33, I think you might have been a tad too subtle.
I work in a nursing home and I can’t imagine how a resident could get a 12 inch butcher knife.
Out of the Kitchen or was smuggled in.
Don’t know what kind of nursing home it is but if residents feel like they did butcher knives for protection, something’s wrong.
Have you ever read POW stores from various wars, or criminal escape stories from prisons?
While you are pulling an 8 hour shift, some guys are living there full time, year after year, after year, after year.
We have a couple of WWII vets but no POWs that I’m aware of.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.