Language barriers.

I have a big problem with nurses mistreating people because they don't speak the same language. Just because someone doesn't speak english doesn't mean that they're dumb, confused, or mentally unstable.


I noticed the other day that a man, sitting on his bedside recliner, had been wheeled out into the hallway and restrained via a belt that tied him to the chair. I queried as to why, and was told that he was confused, unsteady on his feet, and kept trying to get up. They were preventing him from a fall, which could possibly lead to his being injured.


Throughout the night, the poor man began to get angry and tried repeatedly to free himself from the restraint. He would unbutton his shirt and trying to wriggle out of it, without much success. No one seemed to notice, or care, so I would go over to him and tell him in my best spanish that everything was okay, whilst redressing him and holding his hand. He would tell me that everything was not okay, that everything was bad, and that he wanted out of the chair. I'm not much of a spanish speaker, but I could tell, based the few words that I could understand, that this man knew exactly what was going on, and didn't like the way he was being treated. He wasn't confused. He wasn't mentally ill. He knew who and where he was, and he knew that he didn't want to be tied to that chair anymore.


There wasn't much I could do. His nurse wouldn't let me undo the restraint, and I didn't want to push the matter too far. I'm still the new girl, and I don't want to start making enemies now. But I did what I could. I moved my chair right next to him, sang the only song I know in spanish over and over to him (Des Colores), and finished my charting for the night. I probably sang to him for an hour, and he would alter between periods of singing along and dozing off. It was really a sweet sight, to see him so calm and peaceful after all of the combatitive energy he had before. I also got several puzzled looks from my coworkers.


Screw them, I don't care.


Bye, for now! Stay happy, and healthy!