# how dumb can you be?



## doc5242 (Aug 6, 2006)

we got called to a nursing home for a Pt that was refusing to eat, we showed up on scene and I asked the charge nurse what was going on, she said " mr. XXXX refuses to eat, I had the Aide bath him, and dress him,, and try to feed him for the past 3 meals and he is refusing to eat" so we went back to the room and there was a nurses aide in the room shoving some appleasuce down his throat,......saying " see.. he just wont eat" .. The poor guy was black and green from levidity.. and the only reason he was upright in the wheel chair was from rigimortis.. so he had to be Assuming room temp. for quite awhile. 

how dumb can you be not to realize that a Pt is DEAD. and still shower and try to feed them for 12 hours... 

when I get that old I would be better off in a box somwhere floating down the river than end up in a nursing home in my city


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## cmitchell93270 (Aug 6, 2006)

Amen, we get called out to care homes almost all the time and for stupid things. But that right there tops the cake, did you slap'em upsde te melon?? Am wounderingho they bathed him if his ridgor?


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## gradygirl (Aug 6, 2006)

That is so sad and really quite gross. Common sense truly isn't, huh?


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## MariaCatEMT (Aug 6, 2006)

doc5242 said:
			
		

> we got called to a nursing home for a Pt that was refusing to eat, we showed up on scene and I asked the charge nurse what was going on, she said " mr. XXXX refuses to eat, I had the Aide bath him, and dress him,, and try to feed him for the past 3 meals and he is refusing to eat" so we went back to the room and there was a nurses aide in the room shoving some appleasuce down his throat,......saying " see.. he just wont eat" .. The poor guy was black and green from levidity.. and the only reason he was upright in the wheel chair was from rigimortis.. so he had to be Assuming room temp. for quite awhile.
> 
> how dumb can you be not to realize that a Pt is DEAD. and still shower and try to feed them for 12 hours...
> 
> when I get that old I would be better off in a box somwhere floating down the river than end up in a nursing home in my city



*OMG! My response wavers between laughter and tears here. I'd love to hear their response when you told them.....he was dead. How can an RN miss that? Or the aide? I...don't...get...it <scratches head>*


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## Stevo (Aug 6, 2006)

_Nurses aid;_
Mr. XXX isn't eating..

_Head Nurse;_
well go feed him anywaty

_Nurses Aid_
I think Mr. XXX might be dead?

_Head Nurse_
Hey, do you want a paycheck this week? medicare only pays us for the living, go feed Mr. XXX

_Nurses aid_
yes nurse cratchet

~S~


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## Ridryder911 (Aug 6, 2006)

doc5242 said:
			
		

> we got called to a nursing home for a Pt that was refusing to eat, we showed up on scene and I asked the charge nurse what was going on, she said " mr. XXXX refuses to eat, I had the Aide bath him, and dress him,, and try to feed him for the past 3 meals and he is refusing to eat" so we went back to the room and there was a nurses aide in the room shoving some appleasuce down his throat,......saying " see.. he just wont eat" .. The poor guy was black and green from levidity.. and the only reason he was upright in the wheel chair was from rigimortis.. so he had to be Assuming room temp. for quite awhile.
> how dumb can you be not to realize that a Pt is DEAD. and still shower and try to feed them for 12 hours...
> 
> when I get that old I would be better off in a box somwhere floating down the river than end up in a nursing home in my city



Humorous, but a couple of things... never assume what you might have to endure in life, a nursing home might the best for you at the time.. albeit, many of us definitely, would rather the latter, we have not reached those shoes yet. It is easy to say what you want when not in that compromising situation. 

Second, levity and rigor mortis would change after the length of time you described, even in room temperature. Although, I have had many ill trained  medical staff, (Nurses aides to EMT's) attempt to inform me patients are alive with petrifaction of the body. 

R/r 911


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## Guardian (Aug 7, 2006)

doc5242 said:
			
		

> we got called to a nursing home for a Pt that was refusing to eat, we showed up on scene and I asked the charge nurse what was going on, she said " mr. XXXX refuses to eat, I had the Aide bath him, and dress him,, and try to feed him for the past 3 meals and he is refusing to eat" so we went back to the room and there was a nurses aide in the room shoving some appleasuce down his throat,......saying " see.. he just wont eat" .. The poor guy was black and green from levidity.. and the only reason he was upright in the wheel chair was from rigimortis.. so he had to be Assuming room temp. for quite awhile.
> 
> how dumb can you be not to realize that a Pt is DEAD. and still shower and try to feed them for 12 hours...
> 
> when I get that old I would be better off in a box somwhere floating down the river than end up in a nursing home in my city




wow, good story


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## c-spine (Aug 7, 2006)

my jaw seriously dropped. 

At least the coroner wont have to bathe the patient... seems like the nurses did a good job of it... x.x;


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## brentoli (Aug 7, 2006)

92 YOF .... Chief complaint trouble breathing. In a nursing home.

On arrival find out pt has CHF, is supine, cyanosis, and a nurse has her on 3LPM via non-rebreather.  Explain that one to me. Oh and when you try to kick the O2 up... "BUT THE DOCTOR SAID 3!!!"


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## Tincanfireman (Aug 7, 2006)

Happens to us all the time; if a "SNF" ("skilled" nursing facility) calls in anything respiratory related, I usually run the response code 3 regardless of how benign they make it sound on the phone.  We had one not long ago that was called in as "she's just wheezing a little bit and the Dr. thinks she might have a cold" and found a poor lady who was identical to what Brentoli described above.  She lived; thanks to aggressive care, a lot of O2, and a bucketfull of Diesel fuel to get her to the hospital she was D/Ced the next day.  On a side note, I usually don't even bother trying to explain proper oxygen therapy to the staff; I just put them onto my cylinder and get out of Dodge.


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## ffemt8978 (Aug 7, 2006)

brentoli said:
			
		

> 92 YOF .... Chief complaint trouble breathing. In a nursing home.
> 
> On arrival find out pt has CHF, is supine, cyanosis, and a nurse has her on 3LPM via non-rebreather.  Explain that one to me. Oh and when you try to kick the O2 up... "BUT THE DOCTOR SAID 3!!!"



My response is usually, "My ambulance, my protocols.  Now if the doc wants to ride in with us and keep care of the patient, fine."


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## Tincanfireman (Aug 7, 2006)

ffemt8978 said:
			
		

> My response is usually, "My ambulance, my protocols. Now if the doc wants to ride in with us and keep care of the patient, fine."


 
Duly entered into Things I'm Gonna Remember notebook...lol. Good One


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