PA is stopping agency attendants from doing bowel care.

[SCI-Nurse]

Originally Posted by Sue Pendleton

I would find out if this also applies to hospitals especially rehab hospitals in your State. The normal for in hospital care is a tech (HHA, CNA, MCT) works under the direct supervision of an RN. We all know that isn't true so make the State prove that an RN is in the room when any of these procedures are done by anyone but an RN.

In the meantime, anyway a live in would work? There are people who love the more rural areas.

Sue, in my state, the rehab centers (and nursing homes, assisted living facilities, etc.) are not any different than the acute care hospitals or licensed home health agencies. CNAs or other UAPs are NOT allowed to do invasive procedures. For this reason, many rehab centers no longer employ CNAs, but use LVNs instead, or the RN has to do these procedures themselves. I remember when we had to stop our CNAs from doing intermittent cath and bowel care when I worked in the private sector...and that was around 1986. It did not matter if the RN was in the room or not. By law, the RN is in charge, and so if they assign a CNA to perform a procedure in violation of these regulations, the RN risks loosing their license, regardless if the RN is present or not.(KLD)

[cheesecake]

Originally Posted by LaMemChose

Absolutely. i was aware of why it would be a horrid choice when I wrote it, but to remain indy, what are other options?

LAMEM~ My reply was rhetorical, I absolutely knew why you posted what you did.

For many on these boards their colostomy freed them to be fully independent. Many have posted openly about their decisions and have no regrets.

I do find it bothersome however that health care mandates either an RN or family to do the care but generally will not pay for the RN visits for bowel care. Few are independently wealthy to lift the cost.

When will health care and insurance catch up with improved survival rate, increased life expectancy and the right to choose?

Foreststranger, if it were me, I would explore all options. Are you a veteran with a service related injury?

[forestranger52]

Have phone calls into disability lawyers, the new director of the govenours disability council and disability rights networks. We need an injunction to at least slow this down.

Turnover in home care is over 90%. Lazy bums around here all want on welfare or disability. Almost imposible to find attendants. Wish like Mass and Oregon where all PCA's are state employees. Low pay no help. If the pay was 12 bucks an hour there would be no problem. Never had anyone but attendants or nurses aids do bowel program. At the VA, only the workers with the lowest pay grade did the job. Two employees on floor I remembered from 2003, been there over 30 years and great people. UNBELIEVABLY dedicated to deal with entire floor of SCI's and all the bowel programs/ problems.

Did ask VA nurse for Doc to approve colostomy, I have no other choice but one. New govenour would like to force as many folks into nursing homes as possible to pay back buddies who paid to have him elected. Massive cuts to disability programs. Most people without good hand function will be institutionalized.

[SCI-Nurse]

Are you on VA pension?? If you are an eligible Veteran, you should be talking to your SCI social worker about applying for VA fee-basis bowel and bladder care in your home. Their job is to help you with this process. You can also talk to your PVA NSO about this.

The inpatient VA staff is not controlled by state law or practice regulations. The VA is able to set their own standards of care and scope of practice (within in some limits) for what UAPs are allowed to do. That is not true of the private sector, which is under the control of state law.

(KLD)

[forestranger52]

Thanks Ms. Dunn. The VA Nurse told the soicial worker and she called me today about exactly what you said. That will definately help me sleep better.

As a crip, I thank God every day for the VA and they have always been a tremendous help to me. This should protect me from the dreaded nh. I can only hope for the other folks without hand function. One cervical injury up or down has so much control over a life.

[vjls]

ok dumb question i train all mine the literal are culled fromnewspaper add. and i teach them what they need to do

they change my sp change bags for me before the colonospy did boewl treatment

is that not a alternative?

[SCIfor55yrs.]

The law is the same here in SC. Agencies must use an LPN or higher to do bowel care and that makes it cost prohibitive. A few years back, we had to lobby hard to get the legislature to change the state's nurse practice act To allow our self-trained/employed PCAs to do it. The nurses fought hard against it, not wanting to give up their "professional" territory. Our convincing argument came when we pointed out that Medicare will only provide home care for a short time and then only when there is someone who can be trained to do even real high level procedures such as home dialysis. One part of the health system insists that we use the lowest possible denominator for our care and the other demands the highest. Totally wacko.

There is a real disconnect between many parts of our health care, and it is people like us who suffer the consequences.

[Cripple Concepts]

Thank you for reminding why I'm planning to be in Harrisburg with ADAPT in October!

Next Action: Harrisburg, PA

The next ADAPT action will be in Harrisburg, PA. ADAPTers will arrive on Saturday, October 13th and leave Thursday, October 18th. ADAPTers from across the country are excited to be able to support our sisters and brothers in PA who are making sure that the PA bureaucrats know that MY MEDICAID MATTERS!