Seconds away from letting a teardrop fall down my cheek...
Okey, yesterday I almost started crying...
My classmate Priya and I was going to help a "home nurse" (and am putting "home nurse" in between two "..." because she's acutally not a nurse, but an 18 year old girl) by changeing the diaper of a bedridden client. Since we came to the ward, three weeks ago, this client have only been lying in a supine position. And since she is bed ridden and doesn't have the ability to change positions by herself in the bed she is lying on a "water mattress".
The thing with these water mattresses I've seen at this hospital is that there is no differences between these mattresses and the floating mattress we take to the pool a hot summer day. By this you can simply tell that this "water mattress" won't do a shit to prevent bedsoars.
But to tell that to a 18 year old "home nurse" and to make her understand what needs to be done instead is more difficult than you think since I first had to explane it to my classmates and convince Them so that They could explain it to the girl. But each time I ask them to do explain something to a client we end up discussing principles of bedmaking or something.
So, we was going to help her (and giving a helping hand to the client by assisting her with diaper change is a very rare thing for nurses to do, which am very sorry to tell, but that's the case..:( )
And when we turned the woman to the side you could clearly see the red spots on ther back, begining of bed soars, and her skin was very fragile and flaking all over her body.
The "home nurse" was rushing through the diaper change as is all was a competition, and I told her several times to slow down, and even removed her hand so I could continue. She didn't even dry the buttocks, but instead took the oil and sweaped it over the back and just moved around the dirt.
I got so angry, sad and frustrated at the same since I don't know how to say what I want to tell in kannada (the local language).
I was swollowing my tears as I looked at the woman in the bed. It is not the first time I've seen that kind of care being provided. And this is what could happen when the clients is being taken care of their relatives. Half of them are doing a wounderful work! But to see how the other half is being treated gives me stomach acke...
The nurses working there have their ass full of paperwork, answering the phone that doesn't want to stop ringing, kissing the doctors butt, administer medicine, signing all the books, keep count of all the articles that is being used, answering clients questions, welcome new admissions,..
..You tell me nursing is not a nobel work, and I'll make you into mashed potato....