Who is Really at Fault?
Most of my years in nursing were spent in the mental health field so I am familiar with the problems of caring for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Upon hearing that a wrestling legend had killed his roommate, my heart went out to the families and to a man who can’t be held responsible for what he has done.
Verne Gagne once entertained the sports world with his time in the square ring. Now due to a disease which he did not bring upon himself, he has killed his nursing home roommate.
Where does the fault lie? As a nurse who had to assign rooms to patients, it takes more than just putting A with B. Due to the need for more and more money, hospitals think less about the needs of where patients should be placed, and more to how many they can fit in a room.
The hospital should have known that Gagne had the ability to hurt someone and that his disease made him capable of following through with aggressive behavior. He is not only a threat to other patients, but to staff as well. Nurses on Psychiatric units are at risk everyday they go to work.
I put this right at the feet of the nurses and administrator. If you take in a patient, do right by them! Make sure they are safe and that they can’t hurt themselves or someone else.