The Duchess
As promised, the post about The Duchess.
The Duchess is one of our new residents. She is mentally in good shape, clear as a bell, and simply has some physical problems she needs assistance with. That's why she's in our facility. Her main problems are severe edema of the legs, foot/ankle numbness, and bladder incontinence. Luckily, her bowel function is still normal, for now. Because of the foot and ankle numbness and mobility problems, she is a fall risk, and she takes about three hours to shuffle from her armchair to the bathroom - a distance of about 15 feet.
This lady is a class A bitch. She MUST have everything her way, at her time, when she says so, or else she will pitch a little temper tantrum. You can just tell that in her younger years, she was an artsy socialite, drinking martinis, with a Gucci handbag, a pussy-whipped husband, a pampered chihuahua, and 2.5 kids who were deathly afraid of her wrath. Got a problem? Throw a little temper tantrum. Yell. Complain. If that fails, throw money at it. You know the type.
She treats Us Girls like we are nothing more than servants in her mansion, hence the name Duchess. Now, in our facility, bath time comes with a few choices. If you are a resident, you get the choice of having your bath once or twice a week, morning or evening. You do not get to pick your days, or your specific time. I do try to give everyone the time they want, but that's just not possible. As far as days go....we have some 60 residents who need assistance, and when a new person comes in, they get put where it is convenient for Us Girls.
Now, the Duchess has a problem with that. She MUST have everything her way, at her time, when she says so. And when I am unable to comply, she throws a temper tantrum and gets me in trouble with The Boss. (Really cool lady; might do a post about her someday) The Boss recognizes the problem for what it is - a bitch, cranky old lady having a temper tantrum. But, eventually, the Duchess does complain enough that she gets her way. She now gets her bath on the days she wants, in the afternoon at PROMPTLY 3 PM, and one our CNA's has to bathe her, since the usual time for baths is either morning or evening (after 6 PM).
I feel sorry for whoever has to scrub her down. This lady really is a bitch.
The Duchess is one of our new residents. She is mentally in good shape, clear as a bell, and simply has some physical problems she needs assistance with. That's why she's in our facility. Her main problems are severe edema of the legs, foot/ankle numbness, and bladder incontinence. Luckily, her bowel function is still normal, for now. Because of the foot and ankle numbness and mobility problems, she is a fall risk, and she takes about three hours to shuffle from her armchair to the bathroom - a distance of about 15 feet.
This lady is a class A bitch. She MUST have everything her way, at her time, when she says so, or else she will pitch a little temper tantrum. You can just tell that in her younger years, she was an artsy socialite, drinking martinis, with a Gucci handbag, a pussy-whipped husband, a pampered chihuahua, and 2.5 kids who were deathly afraid of her wrath. Got a problem? Throw a little temper tantrum. Yell. Complain. If that fails, throw money at it. You know the type.
She treats Us Girls like we are nothing more than servants in her mansion, hence the name Duchess. Now, in our facility, bath time comes with a few choices. If you are a resident, you get the choice of having your bath once or twice a week, morning or evening. You do not get to pick your days, or your specific time. I do try to give everyone the time they want, but that's just not possible. As far as days go....we have some 60 residents who need assistance, and when a new person comes in, they get put where it is convenient for Us Girls.
Now, the Duchess has a problem with that. She MUST have everything her way, at her time, when she says so. And when I am unable to comply, she throws a temper tantrum and gets me in trouble with The Boss. (Really cool lady; might do a post about her someday) The Boss recognizes the problem for what it is - a bitch, cranky old lady having a temper tantrum. But, eventually, the Duchess does complain enough that she gets her way. She now gets her bath on the days she wants, in the afternoon at PROMPTLY 3 PM, and one our CNA's has to bathe her, since the usual time for baths is either morning or evening (after 6 PM).
I feel sorry for whoever has to scrub her down. This lady really is a bitch.
posted by Night Shift Nurse at 2:50 PM
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