Housekeeping at the retirement home where my mother is living tells her that they will not dispose of her incontinence garbage. I have taken her garbage out before and the garbage bins are across the parking lot and are approximately my height. It would be very dangerous for someone with bad balance and brittle bones to attempt to throw garbage in those containers. I know I could do it for her, but there would be times I couldn't and I worry she would try to do it herself.
Is it appropriate for housekeeping to have such a rule?
That you've never come across a problem before doesn't mean a thing. It was news to me that used pads and diapers are required by our local bye-laws to be double-bagged and placed in a specific bin, but back when I was cheerfully throwing these out by the dozen (single-bagged, not loose) nobody had told me any different - even though I had contacted my local council to ask about special refuse collections and what I ought to do (they sent us a bigger bin!).
But never mind. Since housekeeping won't do this, you need to speak to the retirement home's management and ask them what the correct procedure is. There must BE one. Many of the residents will have this issue to deal with, and they can't all be managing it unassisted.
While you're at it, ask the managers to speak to the head of housekeeping so that next time - instead of telling a resident "we're not doing that" - the staff explain to the resident what she *should* do. It could be as simple as using the right type of bin and liner, or something.
I have to tell you what I saw recently that I found kind of odd. I was at a shopping center recently trying on a few clothes. When I finished I stopped to use the restroom. Well, in this very nice store on the floor of the stall was a woman's pull up. My first thought was, ewww, gross! Then I thought, it was most likely a senior that did the best that she could by herself. If the diaper fell out of her hands before she could throw it away, she probably could not bend over to pick it up by herself. My mother could not bend over to pick anything up. So, I'm sure their housekeeping department had to pick it up. They use gloves to clean so they are not directly touching anything directly.
For a small one-time fee, used to be $10, they give you a syringe box. When that is full, u bring it back and they give you another. In NJ, hospitals and nursing agencies are required to sign up with the state incinerator who pick up once a year or so. Used syringes are burnt up.
If you have syringes you need to get rid of, you take a clean detergent bottle, like Tide, and place the syringes inside. Once full, you duct tape the lid on real well in the regular trash. Do not recycle the bottle.
Another thing is Police Stations are now offering drops offs for pills no longer being used. Do not throw them down the toilet. If not near a Police station, put them in wet coffee grounds. For some reason the coffee dissolves the pills and neutralizes them.
What I learned working for Visiting Nurse facility.
Again, a housekeeper is not an aide. Not sure if they are required to get shots. Anything with human bodily functions on it is a bio hazard thing. I worked for Visiting Nurse Assoc and cleaned durable equipment when it was returned. I chose to have the Hep B vaccine and Tuberculosis vaccine too. I wore gloves and used a cleaner the EMTs use on the ambulances. I also had to go to a Blood Born Pathogens seminar every year. Which for CNAs is required but probably not for the housekeepers.
Nancy
Question-was this only one retirement home staff person who told you about not emptying her trash? Could you check your written admissions contract if trash is included
in her monthly fee?
Anyhoo - my parents IL facility had the residents responsible for the disposal of their own trash. There were rooms at one end of the hall on every floor that had bins for recycling and a chute for dropping the rest of the garbage. The facility did a housekeeper cleaning once a week as a part of the rent. The housekeeper vacuumed and mopped but no garbage.
This same facility had a large AL wing. Residents living there had their garbage picked up every two hours - every day, all day and into the evening. It was a mandatory agreement for AL residents.
I suspect this rule was also a way for the staff to get in and check on the individual - making sure no one was laying on the floor, etc. Regardless, I liked the “rule” as I’m sure it was largely responsible for the place never having that awful ammonia smell so many old folks homes have. I have to admit I’d probably have been less enthusiastic about it - had I been the person having someone walk into my living space every two hours.
But hey, rules are rules...
Do talk with management as there has to be a solution. No housekeeping should not handle soiled items directly but going to the dumpster is not good for mom
With my Mom, I had a med size trash can with a flip top lid. I lined it with a trash bag. She wore pull ups, so i rolled them up and thru in the trash can. (I had a deodorant disk stuck to the inside of the lid. Once the can was full, I threw the bag in with my trash. Those diaper genies are neat and maybe a good idea.
It doesn't make any sense that they would pick and choose what garbage is being removed by housekeeping.
One thing that I did with my dad was to have him put his used briefs in a plastic bag and tie it, then place it in the trash can that had a bag, that way it was contained and did not smell up his room if it didn't get taken out that day. This was also a courtesy to the people taking the trash out.
I personally think that the reason for housekeeping is to get rid of the issues that could benefit funky.