Can someone tell me how I can go about getting some nurses fired for abusing my grandmother while she was in their care at the hospital? And how do I get the hospital in trouble for hiring such incompetant and stupid people that they could treat her so abusively?
I want to know what my options are, because I'm livid seeing the number of bruises she has all over her hands and arms where they manhandled her.
Those nurses are lucky that I don't know their names at the moment because I'm furious! But as soon as I found out, they will be fired and I'll see to it that they never work in another hospital in this state ever again!
First of all, let me say that there aren't many things worse than elder abuse. In my mind it is very similar to child abuse...abusing someone who is weak, helpless, and unable to defend them self. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that it will become more and more common as the baby boom generation ages and there will be fewer people to care for the elderly. In some cultures, the elderly are valued and respected. Sadly, that is not the case in most Western cultures.
With that in mind...did you actually witness the abuse you describe? The elderly bruise very easily, and simply inserting an IV can result in a nasty looking bruise. Also, in what frame of mind is your grandmother? Is she "herself?" My mother was one of the nicest people you could ever meet, but in the weeks before she died, she was experiencing some dementia. She gave the nursing staff a terrible time. If your grandmother is being difficult or combative, they may need to restrain her in order to care for her. This might be the cause of the bruising.
It's been my experience that most nurses are very caring, patient people who are terribly overworked and underpaid. 99.99 percent of nurses would never dream of purposely hurting a patient. That said, if you REALLY think your grandmother is not being treated well, talk to the nursing supervisor. If that doesn't work, go the the hospital administrator's office and speak to the administrator in charge. Typically, hospital executives are very responsive to legitimate complaints.
Find out if it's legal in your state to install a hidden camera. In some states it is in nursing homes. Pay surprise visits - not always at the same time.
If you are convinced there is abuse contact a politician. They tend to get action.
She does not have dementia or alzheimers or any other brain problem. She is perfectly lucid. The problem is that she doesn't understand English very well and therefore she did not understand why they were trying to restrain her and thought they were carting her off to jail or something. She went through World War 2 during which time she saw her family carted off by the communists and slaughtered, so she is very leery if anyone would try to tie her down in any way. That's just not right!
She has really been through a lot because of those idiot nurses and I'm ready to go over there and start screaming at them right now! But I really need to know what kind of recourse we have because I am not going to just let this thing go! I plan to make all of their lives a living hell until they do something to atone for this action against my grandmother!!
First of all, screaming will do you no good. You will lose your credibility as soon as you open our mouth and lose your temper. In my opinion, it needs to be reported to your local social services agency, similar to department of child and family, and ask to report suspected elder abuse. This will not get you far most likely, but will have her treatment documented and looked into.
Secondly, ask to speak with the Director of Nursing. Bring a witness and CALMLY discuss your concerns......again.....CALMLY. Be professional, but let them know that this treatment is not going to be tolerated by you, or any family member in their care. Ask what can and WILL be done about this, ASAP. Be resonable and firm. If you do ALL of these things and get no proper response, go above the Director's head. Still no response, the CEO of the hospital.
Still no response, contact an attorney.
Hope this helps and she is back at home very, very soon!
I think she is lucky to have such a loving granddaughter who is such a caring advocate. We all need to take an interest in the quality of nursing home care.
Elderly abuse at the hospital 
