Police taze Alzhaimer's Pt

[mycrofft]

As a hypothetical, do you think it would make the news if law enforcement treated an elderly or Azlheimers patient gently and made that work? Naw, only the adverse ones make the news.

 

[bstone]

As a hypothetical, do you think it would make the news if law enforcement treated an elderly or Azlheimers patient gently and made that work? Naw, only the adverse ones make the news.

Pleasant experiences with law enforcement generally do not make the news, unless something truly heroic happens. Even the mostly unpleasant experiences don't make the news.

 

[glasshalfEMT]

Even if they have the straps and the medication, I think all health care professionals are taught some version of "scene safety" (ie, if I were a nurse, and a pt smuggled a gun into a hospital, for example, I wouldn't chance going into their room to sedate them without security at the VERY least). I wonder, though, if they HAD security.

 

[nemedic]

As someone who is occasionally called on the be the big burly orderly type, I will chime in. While the tasering shouldn't have happened, it's the fault of the facility for not properly medicating the patient. While I admittedly don't have all the info, it appears that the police acted as one would be assumed to act. I have had a few occurrences of having especially irate populace, and in my limited sample pool, I only had to go fully "hands on" with one. Most can be worn down by just blocking the doorway until the sedation orders come in, or a hand on the shoulder and a compassionate but firm voice. The one that couldn't had a whole laundry list of rather nasty and communicable diseases, and started swinging and trying to spit on/bite staff. One tip for those that might not have restraints handy: cravats can be made n to easy restraints by tying it into a large looped overhand knot and slipping it around their wrists/ankles. If I can find video of the technique, I'll link to it.

 

[mycrofft]

nemedic, yeah, I actually took a class i that sort of stuff when I first started with the jails. They never offered it again.


glasshalf, if someone was even thought about having brought in a firearm, the hospital would be locked down, the floor evacuated, I'm betting, and LE in force.

 

[DrParasite]

lets look at this another way.

"Alzheimer's patient strikes officer with cane, causes skull fracture. officer in critical condition"

or

"EMT/Nurse/Officer bit by dementia patient, now infected with whatever dementia person wanted"

or

"EMT injured by diabetic with low BGL, suffers concussion and broken arm while attempting to hold down patient while medic started IV. EMT out of work for 4 months, patient says sorry"

or

"EDP who is off his meds stabs two victims, holding a 3rd hostage. EMTs staging, PD SWAT team staging for forcible extraction. Friends says EDP "is a really swell guy" when he takes his meds."

you might object to the use of force on an elderly person, but when the alternative is you or another responder getting hurt, or getting hurt while trying to intervene medically, than non-lethel tazers or aerosol weapons look more appealing.

 

[mycrofft]

or shooting, batoning, or choking the patient?