Hello Rescue Fans,
Today I was made aware of a story that is on fire with debate. Should CPR have been given to the elderly person or not? Should the RN be charged? Should the family sue the “Nursing Home?” actually independent living residence. How does the blah blah blah association feel about this? How does the National Board of Registered Nurses feel about this? On and on and on! What I can’t believe is why everyone is blaming a non medical facility, which has pre-aranged agreements with it’s residents that don’t want any CPR for calling 911 and then simply doing what the resident and the management agreed to do? Okay, so there wasn’t an actual DNR(Do Not Resuscitate) which can lead to a lot of miscommunication and ambiguity…I give you that but come on, guilty of neglect? Charged for not administering CPR? I know what you’re thinking right now. Roy has flipped his lid! Here he is, the RoyOnRescue host that is always talking about how we should get involved in order to try and save a life and now he’s sticking up for this non-caring facility that let this “poor” women die!
You’re right, I am all about saving lives when they can be saved, but I’m also all about death with dignity when the time is right and it’s in line with the wishes of the patient themselves. What’s more is that this debate is not about the wishes of the patient, which has already been confirmed by deceased family members, this is about a 911 dispatcher who thought that the person at the end of the phone should care enough to begin CPR, regardless of the rules and regulations by which the employee was mandated to follow. Yes, the caller should probably not have said that they were a nurse which could be interpreted as a skilled nursing center instead of an independent retirement community. Yes, the nurse and the dispatcher could have been more calm while explaining that the patients wishes were for no resuscitation and that the community agrees to no resuscitation prior to living in that facility. But in the end, the mainstream media has gotten wind of this story and blown it way, way out of proportion. I’ve dealt with so many of these calls that I predicted what the problem was before I even read the story. And after reading not one, but many accounts, found that it was just as I thought. In short, lack of communication, lack of paperwork and lack of privacy. You put all those together and what do you get? A hot story that takes off like a wild fire! Watch the video for my thoughts and then give me your feedback. Especially if you disagree. I love a good debate.
Roy Shaw
Roy is the lead trainer and co-founder of ProTrainings. He is also an EMT paramedic whose opinions about rescue come from many years of experience on the ambulance.
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