What Would You Do If?
One of your Residents puts on his/her call light
every 10-15 minutes and complains about being lonely,
needs to urinate, needs to have pillow adjusted,
needs pulled up in bed, needs a drink of water, on and on.
After about 15 trips into his/her room and you are getting
frustrated, you start to leave and he/she says he/she is having
chest pains and S.O.B. What would you do?
a. Stop and take their vitals.
b. Sluff it off as complaining again.
c. Call the doctor
d. Tell your nurse in charge immediately.
The answer is (d)
First, tell your nurse in charge immediately.
Chances are, all the things he/she wanted
was leading up to an illness.
Residents suffering major illnesses
often have feelings of loneliness,
insecurity, frequent urination,
uncomfortableness, fear, and pain.
They tend to put on their light a lot,
because they fear something happening to them.
They know there is something wrong.
Yet, on the other side of the coin
the Resident may be suffering from
another embedded illness,
that could have similiar effects.
Such as: Depression, or Attention Seeking Behaviors.
Not all symptoms means something serious,
not all symptoms should be ignored,
But for all symptoms there is a reason.
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