@Cynthia12, I have read your post about your sis three times at least and find it disturbing on so many levels. I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this and she is suffering. Having worked in the nursing home/rehab industry for 7 years and as a temp in a home for the challenged and disabled I have experience dealing with residents like your sis. You depend on the facility to take care of your loved one without you having to keep an eye on them every minute of the day.
I would definitely be sitting down with the care plan manager first off and having a talk with them about your sister's comfort. Her having to lay under 7 blankets is alarming to me as a nurse. True the bladder infection could be messing with her temp and she could be chilling along with the fact that she is in early kidney failure. Has she had recent blood work drawn and have they let you see the results if you ask to see them? I would be interested in knowing what her creatinine clearance and potassium levels are running. Have you been able to talk to the nephrologist?
I would also be wondering what they are doing for temperature control if she is running a temp. With the kidney failure it's a juggling match because of the toxicity of OTC antipyretics/analgesics.
Is she on fluid restriction or if not, are they giving her ample fluids to keep her hydrated? I used to tell my aids that every time they went by a room housing a patient who was dehydrated or running a temp to run in and offer them a drink. If they were refusing fluid I wanted to know about it because that was a fast track to the ER for that patient if the dehydration was deepening.
As for her SGC blanket disappearing, once again, talk to the social services manager about that. It's not hard to keep track of a blanket,especially if it is marked with the resident's name. You can also request that the quilt stay in that room and you would be glad to bring it home once a month to launder and return. Frankly I never trusted the laundry services to get anything right or not completely trash a nice belonging. Also you have to make sure everybody knows that blanket is hers so if another resident applies a 5 finger discount to it they can get it back to her.
@getaclue, worked with a septic system and yep, ya gotta be careful with the cleansers. We also used Ridx powder that boosted the good bacteria in the system. That stuff was worth every penny we paid for it. Never had any harm with the denture cleaning tabs as we would use the Ridx once a month religiously.
Our water here in MO is rural provided and superior to the water we had in IL as it is low in minerals. No taste. No calcium build up. I used to be able to peel off flakes of calcium buildup on the inside of my lower teeth. No amount of brushing would prevent it. Also calcium buildup on the the glasses and coffee pots. The city water in our office was terrible. Tasted nasty and left dark rings on everything. People used to say how much they liked it. I would just gag.
I would definitely be sitting down with the care plan manager first off and having a talk with them about your sister's comfort. Her having to lay under 7 blankets is alarming to me as a nurse. True the bladder infection could be messing with her temp and she could be chilling along with the fact that she is in early kidney failure. Has she had recent blood work drawn and have they let you see the results if you ask to see them? I would be interested in knowing what her creatinine clearance and potassium levels are running. Have you been able to talk to the nephrologist?
I would also be wondering what they are doing for temperature control if she is running a temp. With the kidney failure it's a juggling match because of the toxicity of OTC antipyretics/analgesics.
Is she on fluid restriction or if not, are they giving her ample fluids to keep her hydrated? I used to tell my aids that every time they went by a room housing a patient who was dehydrated or running a temp to run in and offer them a drink. If they were refusing fluid I wanted to know about it because that was a fast track to the ER for that patient if the dehydration was deepening.
As for her SGC blanket disappearing, once again, talk to the social services manager about that. It's not hard to keep track of a blanket,especially if it is marked with the resident's name. You can also request that the quilt stay in that room and you would be glad to bring it home once a month to launder and return. Frankly I never trusted the laundry services to get anything right or not completely trash a nice belonging. Also you have to make sure everybody knows that blanket is hers so if another resident applies a 5 finger discount to it they can get it back to her.
@getaclue, worked with a septic system and yep, ya gotta be careful with the cleansers. We also used Ridx powder that boosted the good bacteria in the system. That stuff was worth every penny we paid for it. Never had any harm with the denture cleaning tabs as we would use the Ridx once a month religiously.
Our water here in MO is rural provided and superior to the water we had in IL as it is low in minerals. No taste. No calcium build up. I used to be able to peel off flakes of calcium buildup on the inside of my lower teeth. No amount of brushing would prevent it. Also calcium buildup on the the glasses and coffee pots. The city water in our office was terrible. Tasted nasty and left dark rings on everything. People used to say how much they liked it. I would just gag.
.She knows. She found one of her quilts on another residents bed. Off it came! I just get on here and vent when things are looking worse, or something crazy is going on at this place. Want to hear something that was said to my son and myself yesterday when we went to visit? The gal taking us back to her room was talking with us, I say, poor Lisa, this has been so rough lately. She turns and whispers as we come up to her door, yes, she's just given up. What? When I worked with the elderly, and I knew a loved one was getting close, I no way made any comments like this, just the opposite. I would think of something positive that had happened with this patient that day. Good grief! Bless my son's little golden heart. He took the day off yesterday to drive me up there, and to get some legal paper work handed out. Got a lot done. (Here's another vent) She actually looked pretty good yesterday.. considering..
. I was so ticked. Sure enough, when the gal at work saw her, asked why she was there. Had to help her through a lot of being sick cleaning her up before calling and telling those people to come take her home. When I found out...I had some talking to do. She is so sick. She is now in stage 5 kidney failure. I called Drs. office ..Nephrologist..talked with his assistant. Told her I had heard three different opinions going on with Lisa..most concerning. Not eating. Can't keep fluids in her..sleeping sleeping, sleeping. This assistant called the Dr. He said to get her to the hospital. Thank heavens. They say her kidney function is still ok to be home. They did find a UTI. She has an appointment on Monday with the Nephrologist. She dropped so much in less than a week..to a 6. ..I'm sure hoping they put that port in. She isn't going to make it 3 more months waiting for that fishula to be ready! Went to visit her today. She had , I would guess, 5 or 6 blankets on. Asked, where is your kitty blanket? The one SCG made for her. She says in a sad voice, I don't know, I haven't seen it since I moved here. They moved her a few months back. I found someone, Lisa actually walked with us. She knew just the very cabinets for them to check. Second cabinet opens, she sees it! She grabs it, turns, and walks back to her room. 
She now has around 6 blankets on. She's always cold.. kidney failure does that. Oh man, it's good to show up at her place every now and again to keep things straight..and..phone calls to the head nurse!
