www.Law-Forums.org

[eoforwic]

My father in law is in an assisted living facility in Minnesota. There are only nurses aids on for 2nd and third shift. Tonight, my husband was there and had the facility call Hospice, as my father in law was having some labored breathing. Well, Hospice told the nurses aide to give him some Morphine drops!! She didn't really want to (didn't feel comfortable) and called the nurse next door (at the hospital) who gave her "permission" to administer them????????????????? I have been a hospice nurse for 15 years in Idaho and Texas and think it is totally illegal!!! Am I nuts???

[fyfe]

I am a registered nurse myself, and as far as I know, this is absolutely illegal! Contact the director of the facility Monday morning and talk to them about it. Get the name of the nurse's aid who administered the NARCOTIC MEDICATION *shaking my head*, as well as the name of the nurse who gave her "permission". (Seriously?!) I'm not sure who you'd contact outside the facility. To report the nurse, of course, you'd go to the Board. As for the nurse's aid and the facility as a whole, I'm really not sure. But I can guarantee, if it were my family member, I'd be contacting everybody I could! Good luck, love.

[ruelle]

It's assess not ACCESS.

[wardell]

In some states a CNA can give PRN meds that have been ordered by a physician as directed by a registered nurse. (The meds were, obviously, prescribed and on hand and meant to be administered.) It is telling that you are a hospice nurse who appears more concerned with who's giving the meds than whether your father-in-law is comfortable. Couldn't the aide hand the morphine to your husband to administer? Would you also want the aide to avoid giving oxygen to your FIL, because that is a PRN med? I don't know if you're nuts or not, but if I'm in your FIL's shoes, I don't care who's giving me meds; just make me comfortable. I hope that while the hospice was directing the aide to make the patient more comfortable, they were also dispatching a nurse to assess and adjust the POC if needed. I'm sorry for your husband's ordeal and yours as well.

[chozai65]

I guess it depends on alot of things. If your father in law was at home on hospice anybody could give him morphine without any certifcation, correct? My father in law was in my home on hospice and we all gave them him morphine as needed and we had no training or certification. Of course it also depends on what state you are in. Here in Colorado you don't have to have a DNR to be on hospice but alot of other states require a DNR. I use to work at a assisted living, and we don't have to be CNA certified to work their. We can also take a 2 day class, and be able to pass meds, without being CNA certified. So it just depends on states and certifications. I would think as long as she had permission from hospice and a nurse there shouldn't be any issue. I do have a big issue with giving morphine for labored breathing??? Isn't that contraindicated for morphine?

[Loyyd]

There are some old age home providers, who provide their homes at some reasonable prices. And also provide you with 24/7 nursing facility with complete privacy, and will serve you according to your needs and requirement.
http://fairwayssupportedliving.com.au/