I'm looking for productive suggestions on what I do about finding my mom with serious facial/neck scrapes and bruising and nobody will tell me what happened, Mom doesn't have access to her clothes and had new/ anti-slip socks on so I know somebody knows something, I saw her and have pics from 12 earlier. We've seen her Dr. to check her jaw because from the bruising you can see that wherever she fell, her jaw took the impact.
I understand that the CG's at moms MCF can't watch them 24/7 and accidents happen but I want to know if this is being documented. I have asked for the notes for my mom's care for the last week; I was told that it wasn't a hospital and they don't take notes like that. I explained that there must be some documentation on a daily basis of incidentals with patients, Medicine taken, whether they're eating, problems with incontinence (if not normal), when they're bathed etc.... Am I asking for too much? What do I do? I just want to know what happened to my mom, I'm starting to feel like they're hiding something. So many other things weren't taken care of that should of been in just that 1 day. I'm frustrated and quickly losing trust in them. If anybody has any input, I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
Yes, they are required to document injuries, meds and such. This is a clear sign that something is very wrong.
When you contact your area on aging tell them that you need help asap because your mom has sustained substantial injuries and it appears that the facility is hiding something, whatever that is whether lack of care, aggressive treatment from caregivers or??? Be sure and tell them that you were told that they don't document anything.
You should start looking for a new facility, this is the kind of issues that will get a facility shut down.
I am sorry that your mom is being treated like she doesn't matter.
We have a paid advocate who checks in on Mom occasionally along with our visits - so she has someone onsite visiting her 5-7 days a week, 2-4 hours each time. She also has a therapist to talk with each Monday morning. She doesn’t seem to remember most of these actual visits, but we do notice that her demeanor seems best when she has regular visits & we stay on somewhat of a schedule for her.
We do get calls when she falls, but there have been A couple of occasions when we find a new bruise that no one can explain. (New unexplained slip proof socks were on her feet once too.)
I wish this could be easier for our loved ones AND for those of us trying desperately to navigate through this with them. It’s so hard for both sides to accept that it won’t be getting any better or any easier - until it’s behind us.
They were also extremely proactive about managing her space, arranging for physical and occupational therapy, and being sure her shoes and walker were being used consistently and correctly during the time when she was falling.
(Tapping wood) she hasn’t fallen in quite some time, I believe thanks to the many initiatives her MCU came up with.
I’d be “water on stone” on your mother’s situation, if I were you, asking if you could do anything to prevent another fall, providing alternative ways of communicating with you if she were to fall again, even perhaps another person who could be notified, any recommendations for balance therapy or any other sort of therapy that might be worth trying.
If you’re not content after what you consider a reasonable period of time, I guess your only choice is to start a search for someplace else.
No optimal choices really, but safety first hope her face heels well and soon.
I'd be worried this is code for "in my opinion you should get your mom out of here ASAP". Staff can't come right out and tell you that there are ongoing problems that are affecting the quality of care (at least not while they are on the job), the perpetual staff shortages could point to larger issues.
I am really surprised that the facility didn't give you a call, as when both my parents finally went into assistant living, I was the contact person, and every fall I was notified. I appreciated the calls, but I knew there wasn't a whole lot the facility could do to limit these falls as that was now the norm with my parents.
And there will be times when the Staff wouldn't know how a person had gotten bruised. I know for myself [a senior] I will find black/blue/green marks on myself not having a clue where they came from.... must have bumped into something and didn't think twice about it.
Oh, I found those non-skid socks are not good for seniors. I threw all of mine out years ago, because I noticed if I was walking on carpet and transferred to a wood surface or tile surface, the socks would come to a complete halt making me feel like I was being thrown forward. At that time I was still young enough to catch my balance.
Sounds like it's time to look for another MC home for your mom :(
I like what the other posters suggest - go with your gut on this. My mom's in a NH and there have been problems that go unexplained. I stay with it because it's close and I can be actively involved, and the positives outweigh the negatives. Admin and staff turnover can create havoc, so I try to be fair.
But your mom's case is different; they didn't call you, they deny any knowledge and won't provide documentation (was she examined immediately for injuries?), and they are weirdly hostile when you ask questions that any concerned person would ask. Maybe a talk with the ombudsman is needed.
Hope mom heals up nicely - I'll send some healing vibes her way :)
I would talk to the Director of Nursing if u haven't already. Tell her you have been given the impression no incident report was written. You need to know what happened to Mom. Also, that you weren't called. See what she says and if getting the run around tell her ur are calling the Ombudsman. That you have been told State law requires an incident report be written and ur called. Be firm, but get the point across.
This could very well be a jerk Executive Director that people are not willing to work for. Be sure and do a time line and state that you were happy with the care and the caregivers, be sure and explain how you have spoken to the administration and what you see has transpired. It is okay to state that you feel like you are being listened to in the moment but feel like nothing is being done to address the problems as they persist.
I think you are right, moving mom should be a last resort, but facilities can and are closed down for violations, these issues are the kind that can result in a shutdown. So have a plan B, just in case.
Hugs, not like this whole thing isn't hard enough we have to deal with greed that interferes with the ability to hire and retain good caregivers. You can do this!
Ordinarily I would not recommend this, but it does seem that they are hiding something. Your mother's injuries could have been caused by a worker, another patient, or simply by tripping over something that can easily be removed for her future safety. No matter what the cause, you want to know.
Look on Amazon for nanny cam and hidden camera.
Another thought: If your mother is on medications for high blood pressure, her dosage might need to be adjusted downward. Nursing homes just keep on pumping in whatever drugs the doctor ordered, but the situation can change, making not as much medicine necessary. Although my "patient" had lost a good bit of weight, he was still taking the same dosage of coreg as before. One day his blood pressure plummeted to 79/ 56 and he almost passed out and fell when he walked. When the facility told me that they couldn't change his dosage without doctor's orders, and no doctor was available for several days, I called his regular doctor myself and had him send a new prescription.
I was a teacher and yes. mishaps occur, accidents, scuffles on the playground, etc. It was the teacher’s responsibility to record each situation in detail in an incident report.
I can’t see how the staff at a facility would be any different. Any attorney will tell you that incidents must be recorded, first of all family members have a right to know, secondly, if you don’t you are leaving the door wide open for lawsuits.
What to do? I would ask why a report wouldn’t be made?
I would place a camera in her room if your state law allows it. My state allows cameras in a facility but there are certain stipulations involved.
I would state that I would like to know exactly what happened to mom and that I wasn’t satisfied with their response to my inquiry.
Go to the highest level and keep talking. If you still don’t get a response you might shake them up by having an elder attorney write a letter advising them to report what occurred.
This is disturbing to hear. I am so very sorry about your mom’s incident and that they have not given you the information that you deserve to have. You deserve to feel secure about your mom’s living arrangements.
Best wishes to you and your mom.
What?!
Long term care ombudsman, now.
I am with between four and ten different clients on a working day. In every one of those people's houses are our special folders - you quickly learn to spot them across a crowded kitchen, like you can smell 'em. In these folders are our care plans, plus Daily Notes sheets. Every visit must be logged: time of arrival, time of leaving, means of access. Every activity, recording what the client did and what you did. Every concern must not only be logged in the folder but reported back to the office and loaded into the main system. As far as is possible: if it happens, document it.
I'm not bragging - this is NORMAL. And a residential facility is trying to tell you that with their clients handily in the building 24/7, they don't keep care journals? WHAT???
I just can't believe it, on reflection. Who told you this? Have you taken it higher up the food chain?
I believe Knowledge is power to all lives but especially so for the lives and quality of life of our Loved Ones burdened with these devastating Memory illnesses like AD.
https://ahca.myflorida.com/MCHQ/Field_Ops/CAU.shtml
Make a formal complaint and copy it to the Memory Care Unit.