[BobnBev]

Originally Posted by janmcn

Also, according to today's newspaper in an Associated Press report, "The homes's parent company said in a statement that the employee wrongly interpreted company policy when she declined to offer aide."

Sounds to me like the company is trying to distance themselves from this incident, and throw the "nurse" under the bus....Typical,.... just sayin

[JoeC1947]

Originally Posted by janmcn

If you feel a heart attack coming on, get the heck off of Brookdale Senior Living property, and apparently, TV golf courses. You'll have better luck getting a response from a passer-by. This should make people think twice about moving to either of these communities.

I always wondered if an ambulance would drive right onto a golf course if someone was having a heart attack? I'm assuming that they would but I have never seen or heard of such a thing. I would think that a golf course in TV would be a likely spot for a heart attack to happen.

[DaleMN]

I have seen an ambulance drive down the walking path between Lopez and Briarwood exec course and onto the Lopez golf course right up to a green.

[ssmith]

...if this pt was breathing they would not do CPR but....they were instructed by 911 to start CPR so at some point the patient did stop breathing etc and possibley had no pulse. I agree we probably don't know the whole story. Why would the family be happy with her care? Did they mean before the incident? Had the patient on many occasions said that she wanted to die? or have a debilitating disease? or state that she wanted no life saving measures at all? There are many questions we do not know. Also the facility at first said the employee acted correctly and now they have issued a different statement hmmmm wonder if this new statement was after the publicity occurred and they contacted their lawyers or their publicity consultant.

Also about the Good Sam law, I was instructed that a professional could be sued by anyone andnot although the professional may win the suit ....then there is the cost (off work etc) and time and stress of the suit. Also when we did CPR training....we were told that if you are a civilian (saw away from work) and kept on walkng and din't stop then, notyou were liable but....if you stop or identify yourself as a professional or trained in CPR, then you were obligated to perform it. Personally, I could not walk by. Which brings up the whole question about those areas in the villages where the neighbors went ahead and got a Defibrilator and got trained in CPR...now are they obligated? or liable for a lawsuit....not sure? It is such a sad thing to think about esp when some people are sue happy.

Also performing the Heimlich for a choking person is different than CPR.

[mulligan]

they (dispatchers) actually have a book showing the closest street address to each hole on each course. This is something addressed at the good golf school, where they indicate the best way to give a 911 operator the location of a man down.

[zonerboy]

My opinion regarding this situation: it's all about lawyers!!!
The attitude these days seems to be this: if something bad happens, it must be somebody's fault. And the "injured" party is entitled to compensation.
Reaction to this attitude seems to be: if you don't get involved, you're less likely to get sued.
This case is a perfect example.

[blueash]

AP report today. The "nurse" was not employed as a nurse but rather as a residential services director. The family is not suing and "it was our beloved mother and grandmother's wish to die naturally and without any kind of life-prolonging intervention"

[Peggy D]

Originally Posted by ssmith

...if this pt was breathing they would not do CPR but....they were instructed by 911 to start CPR so at some point the patient did stop breathing etc and possibley had no pulse. I agree we probably don't know the whole story. Why would the family be happy with her care? Did they mean before the incident? Had the patient on many occasions said that she wanted to die? or have a debilitating disease? or state that she wanted no life saving measures at all? There are many questions we do not know. Also the facility at first said the employee acted correctly and now they have issued a different statement hmmmm wonder if this new statement was after the publicity occurred and they contacted their lawyers or their publicity consultant.

Also about the Good Sam law, I was instructed that a professional could be sued by anyone andnot although the professional may win the suit ....then there is the cost (off work etc) and time and stress of the suit. Also when we did CPR training....we were told that if you are a civilian (saw away from work) and kept on walkng and din't stop then, notyou were liable but....if you stop or identify yourself as a professional or trained in CPR, then you were obligated to perform it. Personally, I could not walk by. Which brings up the whole question about those areas in the villages where the neighbors went ahead and got a Defibrilator and got trained in CPR...now are they obligated? or liable for a lawsuit....not sure? It is such a sad thing to think about esp when some people are sue happy.

Also performing the Heimlich for a choking person is different than CPR.

Think about it, who is going to sue you for performing CPR? The patient whose life you just saved or if the CPR did not result in a good outcome?
Medical professionals take BLS CPR or are trained ACLS. The lawsuit issue arises when training civilians--just to let them know they won't be sued.
Use of an AED lawsuit? Again, who is going to sue you for making an effort to save a life? But I think you hit on something. This person went down in the dining room and had difficulty breathing. Who's to say she didn't have an occluded airway when the Heimich should have been performed not CPR?

[StarbuckSammy]

As this is the same company that owns and operates Freedom Pointe in The Villages any members ask them what their policy is? Also what if you were choking?
What if it were an employee?

Not to try to help a fellow human being is disgraceful.

[Villages PL]

Often, people go into these living facilities because they are no longer able to do their own housekeeping and cooking. I believe their average age is about 78. By age 87, the odds are about even that they have some dementia and are frail. The risk of CPR breaking ribs and possibly the sternum is high. And, even if the CPR is successful, the chances for recovery are low. If the person survives with broken ribs/sternum, chances for recovery will be even lower and very painful.

The nurse may have been familiar with this woman's health status and wondered why she should risk her job in a futile attempt to save a life.

I have seen the types of people who live in these facilities and in my opinion many of them have little regard for their own health. Many of them are overweight, some have had strokes and heart attacks, and yet they like the idea of being served restaurant food once, twice or three times a day. These places, essentially, are an assembly line to oblivion.

What kind of life would she have been saved for? Let's just say she's in a better place.