Thanks for the replies. I again talked with the patient about the situation. I explained that the smell was probably a sign of gross contamination of his bedding from seeping body fluids. I explained that I was concerned about cross-contamination from his bedding to his wounds. He already has one infected wound. I asked him to replace his soiled bedding with plastic-enclosed pillows, mattress pads, etc.
I was advised to place some Vicks in my nostrils. I did this the other day and it made a significant improvement. Ron ----- Original Message ----- From: Bill Maloney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subj: [OTlist] OTlist Digest, Vol 33, Issue 4 BM> I work in home health full-time, and have for quite a few years now. I wanted to chime in. BM> BM> I agree with what Breanne wrote in the previous post. There have more than a few homes which I BM> thought were filthy, and certainly in which I felt uncomfortable. If you've worked in home health, BM> fill in the blanks because you've no doubt seen it all. The BM> agencies for which I worked took the BM> stance of, "We accepted and admitted the patient, now we "own" the case and can't discharge without BM> "valid" reason. BM> BM> In each case, I asked myself two questions: First, "Is there BM> anything in this mess that is unsafe BM> for the patient?" then, "Is there anything in this home that is unsafe for me?" Obviously, this BM> gets tricky and I think mostly without clear-cut answers. But, in a few cases where I assessed that BM> the patient would be at risk, I first recommended an MSW consult BM> (where applicable and available). BM> After the MSW assessment, as a team we decided whether the case should be referred to protective BM> services, or whether it was more appropriate to inform the patient that we would have to discharge BM> if they were unable/unwilling to make recommended changes. In one case, I called protective BM> services myself, then the patient angrily "discharged" us. BM> BM> BM> Bill Maloney, OTR BM> -- BM> Unsubscribe? BM> [EMAIL PROTECTED] BM> Change options? BM> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com BM> Archive? BM> www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] BM> Help? BM> [EMAIL PROTECTED] BM> End of OTlist Digest, Vol 33, Issue 4 BM> ************************************* -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ************************************************************************************** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn **************************************************************************************
