I had taken a can of Febreeze to my mom's room. She uses the bathroom constantly and doesn't want me to turn on the air conditioner. The Febreeze makes my visiting a bit more comfortable. Yesterday evening one of the LPN's came into my mom's room and said she was borrowing her Febreeze. She never returned it and today when I visited it was gone. I complained to the nurses station and to the head nurse. I then asked that she call the LPN and asked what she did with it. She replied that she returned it to the room. She said she would find it when she came in at 5:00 pm.
I know this is a small thing but it made my visiting much more tolerable. Plus, I don't think anything should be removed from a patients room. My mom is paying $253 per day out of pocket. Therefore, a $4 can of Febreeze is money added. I don't want to over react but I'd like your thoughts.
I'm not making excuses for my behavior but (here comes the but) being so stressed and trying so hard to do what's right not to mention watching my mom take herself from wheelchair to bed when she's non-weight bearing, I took my pent up frustrations out where I could!!! Again no excuses! I've learned from this! Time for some humility on my part!
Thanks again ladies for your comments! This website is on my gratitude list! I'm so glad I found you folks.
For the next can you buy, place a large label on it, PERSON PROPERTY, Room 123.
Lord knows what kind of a situation that LPN was handling that she thought she needed that product enough to run into your mother's room to borrow it. Be glad you weren't in her shoes!
Yes, you are right. Nothing should be removed from Mother's room without her permission, and if she gives her permission it should be returned promptly. You are right, but is this really an issue you are willing to get a reputation as a troublemaker over? Calling the LPN on her time off to find a $4 item instead of waiting until she came in at 5:00 seems over the top to me. You might have asked if there was something on hand that you could borrow for the day.
Let us hope your mother is at this care center a long, long time. Building a good relationship with the staff is in your and her best interests. There are some issues -- many issues, actually -- that may come up and will be worth following up with the head nurse or the DON. This one, in my opinion, isn't in that class.