25 Things You Learn When Working in a Nursing Home — Humor Intended, by Wendy Wu, R.D., M.S.

Posted by Dr. El - January 17, 2012 - For Fun - 20 Comments

Today’s post is courtesy of dietitian Wendy Wu, R.D., M.S.  For more from Wendy, check out her blog at http://happydietitian.wordpress.com

 

25 Things You Learn When Working in a Nursing Home — Humor Intended

1.  Positive attitude works wonders. Have a sense of humor.
2.  Hand-washing saves lives.
3.  A patient asking the same question over and over again becomes a little funny rather than annoying.
4.  How to lock and operate a wheel chair and recliner.
5.  How difficult it is to move a recliner.

6.  Death isn’t scary, it’s peaceful most times.
7.  Dementia is the saddest disease. Period.
8.  What DNR, HCP, and ADL stands for (Do Not Resuscitate/Health Care Proxy/Activities of Daily Living).
9.  What C-diff poop smells like (so wash your hands!).
10.  Most of us will end up wearing diapers. Sad truth.

11.  Appreciation for independence in ADL. Appreciation for walking, running, breathing, seeing, feeding oneself, hearing, tasting, moving…
12.  Marinol (a drug used as an appetite stimulant) is medical marijuana and very expensive.
13.  Prednisone will make you look like a pumpkin.
14.  Psych medications for the patients keep the STAFF from going crazy. =P
15.  Nurses are the ones who rescue the patient when there’s a medical emergency, not doctors (most times).

16.  Use fixodent to hold in dentures.
17.  Patience.
18.  A mysterious puddle of clear liquid on the floor is most likely pee.
19.  A mysterious brown smudge is most likely poop.
20.  What a UTI smells like (fish market).

21.  The recreation dept is super important. Entertainment soothes the soul.
22.  Just because the patient has no teeth doesn’t mean he/she can’t eat regular food. Some gums are as hard as steel!
23.  Patients with friends and family who visit get well faster.
24.  Liberalize their diets. They only have a few more years to live. Emphasize quality of life.
25.  Team approach works best (MD, Nurse, Dietitian, Psychologist, Social Worker, CNA, OT, PT, etc)