Peru police tase Alzheimer patient

[greg]

PERU, Ind. (WISH) - A 64-year-old nursing home resident with advanced-stage Alzheimer's was tased by police Sunday in Peru.
According to police, at least one Peru Police Officer is on.....
Peru police tase Alzheimer patient

WTF........

 

[Bunnykid68]

WTF indeed?

 

[96firephoenix]

you will accept ObamaKare!

 

[williamnewman1]

WTF is right ...........wow

 

[hornadylnl]

Did this guy even know what a taser is?

 

[Bunnykid68]

Did this guy even know what a taser is?

My guess he did not know what a cop was. How do you as a public servant walk into that situation and think that is the best solution unless you are absolutely getting your ass handed to you.

 

[hoosierdoc]

How do you guys recommend subduing a violent incoherent person otherwise?

 

[hornadylnl]

My wife was a can while in school. Patients would regularly hit the workers. She had a guy squeeze her hand so hard hat he bent the rings on her fingers. You really have to wonder if some of these patients really know better but you can't retaliate. Of course I don't think cops take an oath of first do no harm.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Can = candy striper?

The guy had assaulted several other patients by this point. He was being removed from te facility as a dangerous threat. I have a hard time faulting the police here. The facility could not give him meds to calm him down, they called te police who did what they do.

 

[iamaclone45]

Wow. This is going to be bad for that officer.

My recommendation. Distraction and IM Versed. Leave the cops out of the situation.

I've been on runs that have started exactly like this. Usually get called to a combative patient with Alzheimer's.

If we arrive and are unable to reason with the patient AND the patient is actively combative to the point where we fear injury to the patient or ourselves, we will opt for the sedation route.

A few minutes later and they are in sleepy land. Maintain an open airway, put them on some oxygen, continually assess respirations and keep them on the cardiac monitor.

Arrive at the ER and let them sort it out.

 

[rmabrey]

The first problem here is the staff calling police and an ambulance. Increased aggression and combativeness is part of the progression of Alzheimer's. If you as a staff, on a locked Alzheimer's unit cannot handle it then you shouldn't accept the patients to begin with. Or here is a good idea, instead of calling the cops, how about 5mg of Versed IM and four point restraints and call it a day.

Poor NH care is to blame for this.

 

[Bunnykid68]

Should just put them down, they are obviously a strain on society and have outlived their usefulness.

Insert purple if you need too.

 

[eatsnopaste]

I think I would have deferred to the medical authorities who are supposed to be trained in how to deal with MEDICAL patients!

 

[hornadylnl]

How did police ever do their jobs before the taser came along?

 

[rmabrey]

I think I would have deferred to the medical authorities who are supposed to be trained in how to deal with MEDICAL patients!

You mean like Nursing home staff of RN's, LPN's, CNA's, and a Medical Director MD?

 

[churchmouse]

Having had dealings with the "Authority's" in Peru this comes as no surprise.
I agree, why call the police. It is obvious they are not staffed or trained to handle the patients just the checks for their care.

 

[Bunnykid68]

How did police ever do their jobs before the taser came along?

Night sticks?

 

[shibumiseeker]

Umm, it was Miller's Merry Manor Hursing Home which is a chain. When I worked EMS, MMM was not QUITE bottom of the barrel, but pretty damned close. It's not a nursing home, it's a warehouse using people as a reason to collect medicaid payments. Pay for the staff is extremely low, turnover is extremely high. Care is on par with that of a kennel and staff is not trained or capable of handling these types of patients, not like in a facility that costs more where there's real insurance or private pay.

It's the ugly underbelly of elderly care in this country and it has nothing to do with Obama since that sort of system milking was going on when I was regularly working EMS in the early 90s.

 

[Jake46184]

How do you guys recommend subduing a violent incoherent person otherwise?

+1 The story was written for sensationalist effect. Unless you've spent time in nursing homes, especially on a dementia lock-down floor, just accept that this is yet another media sensationalized story written to incite for profit.

I also always encourage everyone to practice good reading comprehension....the liberal media will usually give you a clue, in hidden form, that gives them an out on their sensationalist spin. Armed with that, go back and read the story again. Read the beginning. Why were the police there? Count to 13 while you envision the scene in your mind. Again, have you been in this situation? Do you understand what was happening? I do.

From what we have been given, the cops did nothing wrong.

 

[Rookie]

The first problem here is the staff calling police and an ambulance. Increased aggression and combativeness is part of the progression of Alzheimer's. If you as a staff, on a locked Alzheimer's unit cannot handle it then you shouldn't accept the patients to begin with. Or here is a good idea, instead of calling the cops, how about 5mg of Versed IM and four point restraints and call it a day.

Poor NH care is to blame for this.

This is exactly right.