Another tale from the nursing home

TheOtherRick

TheOtherRick

Member
Location
Savannah Missouri
We have alarms that go off all the time, there are alarms on the doors to alert staff that someone is trying to escape. They go off so frequently it's like the boy who cried wolf no one pays them much attention, most of the time it's either kitchen staff or housekeeping setting them off, so they're background noise.

Yesterday, an alarm went off with a different sound, one screaming heads up, then the fire doors slammed shut and the staff was running around trying to find out what was happening. Someone had set off the fire alarm, and nobody knew how to turn it off.

So, we had to sit through minutes of a blaring alarm, finally, maintenance found the off switch and the emergency was over. The doors were opened and people were out looking around trying to figure out what in the world was going on.
We were reassured that everything was okay someone had set off the fire alarm and that there was nothing to worry about.

I hope whoever did it keeps their fingers off of it, it was probably one of our slipping residents though, I hope it doesn't happen enough that this becomes background noise as well. When we were in jr. high they told us that there was a red dye that shot out when the alarm was pulled so they would know who did it. This was just a little white lie they told us to keep from setting off widespread panic. I may start spreading that here to discourage people from doing that.
 

Pepper said:
If this helps, Rick, I live in the noisiest neighborhood in almost all of America. Constant sirens, ambulances, fire trucks, police. Live near hospital, fire station, and police station. It is trying to destroy me and might succeed.
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I lived in L.A. for a while at night it was constant police helicopters shining spotlights, I can empathize with you.
 

Pepper said:
If this helps, Rick, I live in the noisiest neighborhood in almost all of America. Constant sirens, ambulances, fire trucks, police. Live near hospital, fire station, and police station. It is trying to destroy me and might succeed.
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...are you serious ?.. you've lived there for decades how come you've not tuned that out ?
 
hollydolly said:
...are you serious ?.. you've lived there for decades how come you've not tuned that out ?
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Well I guess I have to some extent as I only wake up at night for the bathroom, and have not been jolted out of sleep by sirens.

I long for peace and quiet. When it is quiet & still I notice it, and savor it.
 
Pepper said:
Well I guess I have to some extent as I only wake up at night for the bathroom, and have not been jolted out of sleep by sirens.

I long for peace and quiet. When it is quiet & still I notice it, and savor it.
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sometimes the quiet is as loud as the noise. I grew up in a household full of people.. never heard any noise when I was asleep.... then when I got married and moved away, it took me almost a year to be able to sleep without having the tv on for background noise...
 
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MarkinPhx said:
I am sure that is very unsettling for some of the residents there. I hope they train those who work there to learn how to turn off the fire alarm. That is one alarm that should be taken very seriously !
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It's very concerning that staff didn't know what to do. I was an admin at a few group homes for disabled people. Every one was trained on the fire alarms and evacuation strategy, and we had full practice drills every year....the one where everyone has to go outside to the meeting place and count heads and all that. And everybody had a specific job; he grabs robes or blankets, she's in charge of first aid, those 2 escort the residents to safety...
 
Murrmurr said:
It's very concerning that staff didn't know what to do. I was an admin at a few group homes for disabled people. Every one was trained on the fire alarms and evacuation strategy, and we had full practice drills every year....the one where everyone has to go outside to the meeting place and count heads and all that. And everybody had a specific job; he grabs robes or blankets, she's in charge of first aid, those 2 escort the residents to safety...
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I don't know what was going on at the time, but in my hall, we sat in our rooms waiting for someone to tell us what to do. No one came and the alarm kept on I'm trusting the administration to fix whatever needs fixed.
 
I lived in a nursing home for 6 months. Yeah, they had door alarms, but like TheOtherRick said when the fire alarm goes off, even if you've been dead for three weeks, it'll wake you up. And by law, they have to have a fire drill in the evening hours. When you're sleeping and that alarm goes off, and everybody has to be out of the building in so many seconds, it's loud and chaotic. BTW they tested the fire alarm monthly.
 
TheOtherRick said:
We have alarms that go off all the time, there are alarms on the doors to alert staff that someone is trying to escape. They go off so frequently it's like the boy who cried wolf no one pays them much attention, most of the time it's either kitchen staff or housekeeping setting them off, so they're background noise.

Yesterday, an alarm went off with a different sound, one screaming heads up, then the fire doors slammed shut and the staff was running around trying to find out what was happening. Someone had set off the fire alarm, and nobody knew how to turn it off.

So, we had to sit through minutes of a blaring alarm, finally, maintenance found the off switch and the emergency was over. The doors were opened and people were out looking around trying to figure out what in the world was going on.
We were reassured that everything was okay someone had set off the fire alarm and that there was nothing to worry about.

I hope whoever did it keeps their fingers off of it, it was probably one of our slipping residents though, I hope it doesn't happen enough that this becomes background noise as well. When we were in jr. high they told us that there was a red dye that shot out when the alarm was pulled so they would know who did it. This was just a little white lie they told us to keep from setting off widespread panic. I may start spreading that here to discourage people from doing that.
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Alarms going off at the emergency exits are nothing new. In a different nursing home where I worked, it was rather easy for a resident to open the emergency doors. So many times we had to run after them. At this facility where I work now, it's much harder for a resident to get out. One lady in a wheel chair is always going around the facility testing the emergency doors. She never gets out, but she does set them off. But their not that loud to scare the hell out of you. Elderly people often forget where they are and sometimes try to get out. It's a part of the job. It's a part of your daily routine.
 
TheOtherRick said:
We have alarms that go off all the time, there are alarms on the doors to alert staff that someone is trying to escape. They go off so frequently it's like the boy who cried wolf no one pays them much attention, most of the time it's either kitchen staff or housekeeping setting them off, so they're background noise.

Yesterday, an alarm went off with a different sound, one screaming heads up, then the fire doors slammed shut and the staff was running around trying to find out what was happening. Someone had set off the fire alarm, and nobody knew how to turn it off.

So, we had to sit through minutes of a blaring alarm, finally, maintenance found the off switch and the emergency was over. The doors were opened and people were out looking around trying to figure out what in the world was going on.
We were reassured that everything was okay someone had set off the fire alarm and that there was nothing to worry about.

I hope whoever did it keeps their fingers off of it, it was probably one of our slipping residents though, I hope it doesn't happen enough that this becomes background noise as well. When we were in jr. high they told us that there was a red dye that shot out when the alarm was pulled so they would know who did it. This was just a little white lie they told us to keep from setting off widespread panic. I may start spreading that here to discourage people from doing that.
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There is a product that can be put on the fire alarm devices, that shows up under ultra violet light. link. ULTRAVIOLET THEFT DETECTION FINGERPRINT POWDER GREEN | eBay

When the fire alarm goes off. have the supervisor parade the staff and shine the ultra violet light source on their hands. The guilty one will have ( in this case ) green stains on their hands from the powder that was put on the fire alarm handle. Of course also check the residents, as the same time. JimB.
 
Pepper said:
If this helps, Rick, I live in the noisiest neighborhood in almost all of America. Constant sirens, ambulances, fire trucks, police. Live near hospital, fire station, and police station. It is trying to destroy me and might succeed.
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Noise pollution is what National Geographic called it. It is increasing and increasing year after year. Now, only the rich can afford peace and quiet. The rest of us "peasants" have to continue to suffer with motorcycles, modified mufflers, sirens, jets; you name it. Totally unacceptable lifestyle .
 
We have fire alarms, smoke alarms and alert alarms that go off in our apartment building. They are very loud but some people never open their door. One guy's cat set off his alert alarm that is in his bathroom. People were pounding on his door and yelling to him. He did not hear them. Finally someone got his door opened with a credit card but by that time the firemen were here. They woke him up. Maybe he takes a sleeping pill or something but he was really in a deep sleep. Didn't even hear it and I heard it on the floor above him.
 
The guilty one will have ( in this case ) green stains on their hands from the powder that was put on the fire alarm handle. Of course also check the residents, as the same time. JimB.
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But what would be the point of checking the residents?

If the resident has dementia and didnt understand what they were doing, how will it help to know who it was?
 
It happened again this morning, and this time the culprit was caught red-handed, it's one of our smoking residents, he only gets cigarettes on schedule if he doesn't get them on time on the dot he looks for mischief to get into he's discovered the fire alarm. How long this will go on who knows.
 
January said:
But what would be the point of checking the residents?

If the resident has dementia and didnt understand what they were doing, how will it help to know who it was?
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Read the reply from The Other Rick, above. It WAS a patient who pulled the fire alarm, as a protest that his cigarette was not being given to him when HE wanted it. My original point that you seem to have missed is this...Patients need to be protected and some times that involves restricted movement. By knowing that a particular resident is capable of opening doors, or pulling the fire alarm, staff MAY have to restrict that person to a limited area, that is under direct observation by staff. JImB In Toronto.
 
Jim I worked in Aged Care for over 20 years.

Yes if it turned out it was a resident knowingly doing so of course address that.

But if it is a person with dementia not much you can do. I presume the place already has coded doors so they can't get out - but the fire alarm has to be within the residential area,for obvious reasons.
 

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