Ever Have One of Those Days?

I've worked in Home Health for a bit over a year now without sustaining injury. However, Wednesday morning, in case conference I mentioned how really annoyed I have become lately at the large proportion of our current clients who have small, yappy dogs that they do not control and have taught no manners to. I had just recently completed an admission where I had been in the home of a dear sweet woman and her very unlike-able three min pins for several hours. The entire time I was in the home, the three min pins were GLUED to me and were giving off signals of aggression. I'm not afraid of dogs and I think I read them pretty well...and these three, particularly one, weren't simply being loud and rude, but were seriously considering taking a bite out of me. There were no doors in the home, so it was pointless to ask her to shut them up in another room and, since I was going to have to be there for at least a couple of hours that initial visit, I hated to ask her to put them outside. People, honestly, can be as protective of their dogs as they would be a vulnerable, helpless baby. So, the dogs remained glued to me, and I kept my nursing/computer bag close enough that I could drop it between my ankles and the little vermin quickly enough if needed. I made it through the visit intact...in spite of the toothy little yappers. The very next home I went to, as luck would have it, was a home with two even more doted upon yappers and some nice cats. (You might think I am being unfair categorizing small, loud dogs in such a manner...but YOU did not recently go through one entire 45 minute visit where an ill-mannered little dog BARKED at the tops of its lungs INCESSANTLY the ENTIRE visit. It remained a respectful distance from my ankles, but it would NOT shut up and the client and I could not even hear each other over the racket. Every question had to be repeated several times! It was ridiculous...but it was routine to that client, totally acceptable and normal to him!) Anyway, back to my next visit that day last week (after two and a half hours of being eyed malevalently, and growled at by the three min pins), I stepped into a home with a chihuahua and some other small breed of dog. The mixed breed barked at my entry, but then settled down okay (other than the fact that she kept taking my chair), but the fat brown chihuahua came at me several times in the course of the visit, with sudden resurgence of barking. I asked the people, "Have either of your dogs ever BITTEN anyone?" "No!" came the reply. I got through THAT visit intact.

Fast forward to Wednesday.... Jinxing myself, I had opened my mouth in case conference to gripe about all the yappy little ankle biters that have oblivious owners. It is as though my words floated right out of that room in a little wisp straight to the ears of the fat brown chihuahua...because he was waiting for me later that afternoon when I pulled up to his master's home! The client came out to the car to greet me, so he and I walked into the house together. I had only taken one step into the home when fat brown chihuahua nailed me from behind. I hadn't seen him slip back there! Fortunately, my pants were loose fitting enough that he got more cloth than skin, but I felt those little teeth get a bit of my meat and that was quite enough for me! I swung around to face the dog, who had immediately dodged back a bit after biting the back of my calf. I told the man, "Your dog just bit me!" and then stepped back out onto the porch closing the door between myself and the fat brown chihuahua and his doting owner. Through the screen, I explained over the loud yapping of the fat brown chihuahua that the man would have to lock his dog up in another room during our visit. He seemed baffled and tried to get me to come back in. I replied once more that I would wait on the porch until he had his dog shut away in a separate room. It took him at least five minutes to get the dog into another room. The dog didn't obey worth anything and wasn't interested in being shut away from the fat tasty home health nurse! Finally, the man's wife came out of a back room (followed by noisy little mixed breed dog) to help him with the task. She got fat brown chihuahua locked away and with noisy little mixed breed dog yapping wildly between her feet, she came to the door and tried to open it to let me in. I held the door shut. I explained to client's wife that I would NOT come into their home until ALL the barking dogs were shut away. She tried to argue with me on the matter, after all, THIS dog was not the one that had bitten me! I told her, "I have been bitten once today. I will not be bitten a second time. I will not come into your home until all BARKING dogs are shut up in another room." She reluctantly complied.

Later in the visit, she commented to me, "I can tell you are afraid of dogs!" It took all my professional strength to bite my tongue and keep from retorting, "No. I'm just not STUPID!" Instead, I just smiled sweetly. The woman rushed on to explain to me that it was her SON'S fault the dog bites. (Oh...so, now we admit the dog bites! Last week she had insisted he never had when I asked!) She went on to say that her son wears work boots and kicks at the dog and THAT is why that particular dog has developed the penchant for biting people's ankles. It is all the son's fault. I didn't waste time pointing out to her that probably the son kicks the dog because it bites! Nor that, regardless of WHY the dog bites, the dog's behavior is HER responsibility to correct or her responsibility to take measures to protect the public if she cannot control her dog's behavior. I should not have had to TELL her to lock her dog in another room!) But, I try not to practice spitting in the wind, so, I just moved on to the next subject instead, asking to see their visit calendar so I could check when their next nursing visit was to be (I wasn't his primary nurse). The wife motioned me to a blue folder. That surprised me, because we don't give out blue folders. Picking it up, I saw the name of ANOTHER home health agency stamped on the front, along with "nurse: Tina". We don't have any Tina's in our agency! I looked at the wife and asked, "Is such and such agency sending out nurses to see your husband, too?" "Yes," came her reply. At which point, I explained to her that you cannot have two different home health agencies coming out at the same time to do the same things. Not only would that not be safe, but medicare will deny payment and one agency will end up not getting any compensation for any of their visits (we had already been in this home for over a month!). The woman looks at me blithely and replies, "Well Obama's in office now and he's gonna fix all that!" I SO WANTED to open my mouth and sweetly explain that NO, actually, Obama would NOT be able to fix her stupidity! But, like a good little home health nurse, I bit my tongue.



Post Script: As I settled down just now to enjoy catching up on the blogs I enjoy reading, I just had to laugh at Gina's post at Meant To Bee. I SO live in her world!!!