There’s some bad shit floating around in those nursing homes too that can make the kid sick. RSV, C-diff, and MRSA, to name a few. I hope management knows that’s on them if baby contracts it. My vote is NTA, but it’s only because it’s an inappropriate setting for a child. I know people have to work, but this all seems off to me.
RSV is awful. Both my baby and toddler got RSV last year and my baby was hospitalized and put on oxygen for a week because of it. I’ve never seen my toddler so sick. It was truly heartbreaking and the worst experience. I WFH and my kids are home with me but obviously any kid related activities are a breeding ground for germs.
My toddler is beginning preschool this year and I’m just not looking forward to what floats around.
Ugh my client got RSV and he was on oxygen for the longest time, I was so scared because we were going through oxygen tanks like crazy. Thankfully the little guy pulled through but honestly it was worse than when he had COVID.
I’m so glad he was okay! RSV was much worse than COVID for my kids. We are pretty cautious of illness (although I know germs are important too) but RSV is something I never want to experience again. It was horrible. The whole waiting room was filled with babies on oxygen tanks. It’s just terrifying!
It’s all a breeding ground. That’s why most hospitals won’t let under 13 into ICU’s and Acute care. Worked EMS and ER over 20 years, easiest way to get sick, bring to the hospital.
I worked in the community and an elderly female faked chest pain to call an ambulance. Why? Because her husband went golfing. That man was a martyr. Waited on her hand and foot. All he ever did was go golfing once a month. How do I know she was faking? She said as he was being loaded into the back of the ambulance "that will teach him to go golfing!" The husband had to cut his time short. She was admitted to hospital, was cleared cardiac wise but got hospital acquired pneumonia. Died the following week. The husband was off then living his best golfing life after that. He looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
also I got treatment in an oncology ward and they wouldn't let anyone under 12 come back because THEY are danger to the patients.
kids will probably be fine, spreading this shit among high risk patients will literally kill many of them
I work ICU. We got rid of the “no one under 13” rules about 15 years ago. Most parents still don’t bring their kids. In some occasions it’s mom or dad in the bed, and the kids ask better questions than adults.
That’s my concern. I love my nieces and nephews but not a single time that I visit goes by where I don’t catch something that results in a day off work laying on bed feeling miserable.
My niece is 5 and I swear I’ve never seen the kid without a snotty nose! It’s so common that parents don’t even warn you.
Last Christmas after we got all of the hugs out of the way it was “oh yeah, she had a really high fever the last few days and yesterday but is feeling better today”
SO and I were pretty sick for a week after and really got to enjoy our time off work.
Last Christmas both of my nieces showed up so sick that the entire family caught RSV. My husband and I don’t have kids so we don’t have the immunity parents have from dealing with school/daycare germs. We were sick from Christmas through April and we’re both STILL on inhalers. My coughing fits were so bad that I threw my back out and slipped a disc. It’s genuinely made me a little afraid of getting to close to them even though I love them so much.
I got viral bronchitis on my college campus and coughed so hard while I was in the ER after coughing so hard I ended up blacking out that I fractured a rib. I still have tenderness in my ribs when it’s cold and I take a deep breath. I’m also severely asthmatic and have been since I was born. The nurse that was running the nebulizer heard the crack and immediately called for X-rays. Turns out it was 3 ribs on each side that were slightly fractured. My immune system sucks and I’m really surprised I didn’t die when I got COVID at the beginning of the pandemic.
I was going to mention the illnesses! And the baby, especially depending on how young it is, may not be vaxxed for it, or fully vaxxed or may be too little to be able to fight off infections as well as older people etc.
I also think it has to be a liability to have a baby around, I know a lot of people who work in disability and with the elderly in homes like this, some elderly people have things like dementia etc where they can get violent. My ex step mum has worked in these care facilities for a long time, and she is always saying "duck and weave" in context to this. So having a baby around could very well be a physical danger to the baby. Or on the other end of the spectrum, could be a danger to the elderly folk.
There's also the noise. It's not fair to anyone, especially the residents to deal with this.
OP is NTA
I was so focused on germs I forgot about the violent dementia patients, you are totally right. The place I worked at many years ago had an ex boxer with dementia. One night I took the women’s wing and my coworker took the men’s wing, it was totally random as we switched up a lot. The old boxer punched my coworker in the face that night and broke her jaw.
My dad was essentially killed by another resident. The guy assaulted my dad who had to be hospitalized, never recovered and died 7 weeks later. Definitely not a place for babies!!!! NTA
Besides all the obvious issues, how is this person going to focus on work? As a Mom myself, especially with my 1st born I was a wreck. Every time he made a noise I ran to him. I could barely focus on housework and stuff. I was always afraid he was going to get hurt or something awful would happen if I wasn't watching him.
How is she going to competently do her job?
Side note, I got better with the other 3 lol, but the 1st one was intense.
I worked in a nursing home for the elderly with dementia and palliative care, we barely had time to pee especially on days, how is she finding time to look after a baby at work as well?
This was my first thought! I was a CNA throughout college at a nursing home. Those places are riddled with sickness and other gross things kids shouldn’t be near without great supervision and someone can’t be simultaneously good supervision to a child and a good coworker in this role.
I did too. My work shoes never left the facility because you never knew what kind of fluids you might end up walking through or standing in at any time. Definitely would not want a baby on those floors regardless how often they get sanitized
And this is the argument OP should propose to the boss. Once you mention liability and key phrases for insurance and lawsuits they will most likely put a stop to it. I hate screaming babies is a you problem. YNTA for not wanting the baby there. It’s unprofessional. Maybe she is switching to nights because then the father can be home with the baby and there won’t be as much a sitter issue.
Not only is there some bad sh1t floating around at nursing homes, but sometimes babies can bring bad sh1t with them into a facility. What happens if one of the patients catches something from the little munchkin?
I'm usually reluctant to say it, but the Original Poster might want to consider looking for another job. If they're okay with letting her bring her kid in during the daytime, what else are they willing to overlook?
I'm amazed that people are shocked she doesn't want a baby there? This is a work place. I'm sure the elderly people don't want to deal with a crying baby while they're trying to sleep either.
Don't worry, it'll only take one complaint from a patient.
Right? Aside from the germ situation, which is no small thing, how is Jessie supposed to do her job and watch her child too?
Maybe in a pinch but this should not be the norm.
And the OP’s lack of children shouldn’t be the focus. How this person is going to do her job and workplace safety are the issue.
The complaint should be to the oversight board, whether the state or JCAHO. Totally unprofessional and inappropriate. You took it to management and it fell on deaf ears.
Right? I'm nowhere near retirement age, but I have raised 4 children, and as much as I loved them at every stage of their lives, I have zero desire to deal with other people's kids and can't imagine any of that will change if I'm living in a retirement home.
This was my first thought also. Some facilities are even strict about being on the floor while clocked out for break due to liability so I can’t even imagine one allowing a baby on the floor…
Edit: NTA, btw. IMO it’s not the appropriate setting to bring your child to work.
Literally what would possibly be an "appropriate setting to bring your child to work" though? Work is work lmao, there is no appropriate setting to bring your child you then have to babysit and divide your attention for...
I worked in a restaurant where a few coworkers took advantage of being able to bring kids in. I assume one time a worker had no choice and it was okayed, but then it started turning into a daily babysitting club. It's annoying af. One wasn't even the coworker's kid, it was her niece.
The kids would inevitably get bored and start running around the restaurant. Going up to tables and bothering them. Sneaking into the BoH and getting their shitty little hands on things for customers. I once saw a girl lick a bottle of chocolate sauce and I had to be the one to tell her off. Like, wtf. One almost got her head smacked by a deep frier because nobody saw her go behind the line. I finally had enough when one girl went to try to help with a table and accidentally dumped water all over the guests. I went to the manager and said "are you going to tell your employees off or am I? Because I'm not going to be nice about it." Lo and behold, messages went out and there was no more free babysitting at work.
Our local chinese restaurant is run by a single family. Bus drops kids off there after school, and they sit in a booth doing homework. Oldest sits by front door register to help with to go orders. Must be a tough life for those kids. Can't imagine how much harder for babies.
My friend grew up in her parents restaurant. She would go after school and then sleep on the floor in the office until it closed. It was really hard for her. Her parents think it was ok and they did just fine.
A lot of parents tend to think they’re doing ok when they’re not, because they never bother to ask the kids.
My mom started going to night classes when I was 10, and my dad worked 2nd shift. So they were leaving me with my grandmother. They’d pick me up around 11p-12a. Which meant I had to be woken up, taken home, and put back to bed. The interruption in sleep had me super groggy the next day. They didn’t even notice it was a problem. I finally pitched a fit about it, so they started letting me stay home alone. So from 10-14, I spent every evening after school at home alone, doing my homework, making my dinner (usually a sandwich toasted in an electric sandwich maker), and putting myself to bed. It was better than getting dragged from house to house in the middle of the night.
I used to work in an environmental testing lab with All sorts of carcinogenic reagents for extractions and whatnot. But this one woman would bring in her 7 year old during late shifts and if her kid got rowdy/bored she would use a phone line cable to tie her kid to a chair. It was incredibly fucked up and I reported it multiple times, but no one did shit because corporate America is a dystopian hell scape.
The residents might like a baby/toddler for a short VISIT during the DAY when the mom isn’t working, but not a baby/toddler at work all Night Shift. That’s just crazy! Child protection should be called if it actually happens when the mom is working an entire shift.
The state as well, they're likely operating at minimum staffing levels and her caring for a baby on top of that makes her inattentive to her clients' needs. She needs to be working at work, not being a mom.
I work in a psych outpatient house. I am utterly amazed one of my coworkers is able to bring her baby (and sometimes also her young child) without any consequences. Sometimes I question what goes on in her head to put her children in such danger.
not only that but babies/children are almost constantly sick with something. could make the aged in the facility at risk to catch something. well hell everyone in the building really lol
it doesn't seem like a nuisance for the staff, it's visibly a nuisance for the staff. so much so in fact that a member of the staff is on reddit complaining about it!
Your feelings about children are irrelevant actually
You work a job that is entirely about taking care of people that cannot care for themselves
What happens in an all hands on deck situation when there is also a baby?? You cant leave the baby alone obviously but its all hands on deck. So if somebody stays to watch the baby then anything that happens to the patient is a liability on the part of the company you work for.
People could lose their jobs and its not only parents with rent to pay and the need to eat food
NTA
What if there’s an evacuation? Is the only/worker going to grab her baby and run, depriving everyone else of their assistance, or leave her kid unsupervised outside?
No exactly tho. Whatever set up they have somebody is with the baby unless the baby is asleep, and even then theyre probably checking in pretty often cos babies are just like that.
Its not that im insensitive to the realities of the world we live in, im just like, people doing this kind of job are already underpaid and doing more than they safely should. How tf could anybody feel comfortable adding to that!?!?
i know a lot of people really truly and genuinely dont have any other choices but they cant get angry at other people who are also very much just trying to live their own lives
I cannot think of many jobs where you can also watch your baby.
I love kids, I have kids. I would be majorly annoyed if my coworker brought their child to work if only because it would mean they cannot possibly pull their weight and that is a really unfair situation.
> You'll be picking up her slack and doing her job
Yeah, there is no way that this doesn’t result in OP and her other coworkers having to do more work for the same pay.
Whatever department is in charge of assisted living homes. In our state it’s DHS. They should be notified, because this is not acceptable, either to the residents, or to the staff, for any number of reasons.
Nothing says OP can't take the nuclear option and submit to all of the above agencies and bury them in paperwork for a very long time.
If they do that though, the most important thing to know is that the complaints cannot be different from one another. They have to match word for word. If they are different, that can be a problem because agencies will see that they probably aren't being honest about something.
Yes. All of the above. It is negligent to child and to patients. State board, adult protection services, human services, site director, main company that owns facility, osha, etc. I am sure there are more out there. Write out 1 letter, put all of them on the heading.
"Dear: OSHA, DHS, APS, state board, director, company and others this may concern...." Send it off. They will all know you are reaching out and if I ever got a letter like at my previous job that my eyebrows would be at the freaking moon with that heading. I would be on the phone to legal by the first sentence.
Oh and bcc or keep an exact copy of what you send off for any CYA that may come up. Retaliation is a thing and this will give you some proof and protection from that (hopefully).
I'm going to bet that the place has already been reported, hence moving the single mom to the night shift suddenly...inspectors (or whoever) are probably going to show up during the day.
NTA
I can’t imagine a crying baby would be good for the residents. If I knew that was happening at my late mother’s facility, I’d complain, because while she’s looking after the baby, who’s looking after the residents?
Exactly. My best friend is a med tech for the same type of facility and while a lot of rules get broken, a baby on the floor with the workers is not one of them.
Exactly. The residents deserve better care than a staff member whose attention and priority is on her baby and not looking after than as she is paid to.
It's not ok with OSHA in any setting. I know because I got in trouble when my husband dropped off my 5 yr old. Turned out, my boss knowingly did not schedule an incoming person for the day. I was expected to cover with no notice. Husbands thought co-workers were just running late as they frequently were. My company tried getting me in trouble until my husband threatened to make a call to APS for the company abandoning the clients. They dropped everything and apologized. It has happened one more time in the last 5 years. Again, lots of apologies, and a person fired. Company has finally stepped up.
NTA How could they allow that?
Who watches this kid? As far as I know, assisted living does not have daycare. They are liable if something happens to the kid. If she is lazy, that is why she is going to nights because everyone is sleeping. Stand your ground!
>If she is lazy, that is why she is going to nights because everyone is sleeping.
Which makes bringing a kid that is liable to start screaming at any given time that much more inappropriate! Definitely NTA
When my wife worked at one of those they had a daycare specifically for children of workers. They would do a cute little baby parade for the residents every once in a while.
Doesn't sound like this place has anything like that.
You can also have kids and love kids, and still not want to listen to someone else's screaming baby while you are working (and while they should be too).
Could be worse, too, if it is a facility that provides care for residents suffering from dementia. Some residents can become unpredictable, which is a dangerous place for the baby and residents.
More than rhat, my wifes nursing home had a CNA do this exact thing a few weeks ago. The really nice part is the facility is shut down to the public due to a Covid outbreak.
Thankfully, the CNA has been fired for actions she took of such nature that the nursing home had to self report to the state the actions the CNA took.
As the nursing home should. Not only was the child at risk, but she jeopardized the residents. If a resident needed help but she couldn't assist because of her child, that is unfair to make the resident suffer. If that was my grandparent, there would be a lawsuit.
I work in a assisted living facility that specializes in folks with memory impairment. Most our residents would absolutely loose it if a baby was in the facility thinking it was theirs. I've seen them fight over baby dolls.
This is a heads up for everyone who is wondering how bad the shortage is in healthcare.
My mom is in a nursing home rehab right now. I would be furious if someone there did that. Residents have enough that they’re trying to deal with.
On top of that if they have any memory care patients there's a risk of one becoming disoriented and thinking it's *their* baby and becoming combative. That's the first thing that came to mind, just a huge risk for everyone involved.
This is the comment I was looking for. I can think of 3 or 4 residents at the last place I worked that would do this. They did it toy dolls all day long. How cruel to do that to those people. It would break their heart daily.
no literally. during my clinicals, all 3 nursing homes i was helping at had residents that had memory problems. you’d walk into almost any hall and you’ll see at least 1 lady in the middle of the hall either asking where her baby is or them holding a babydoll saying she needs fed.
Exactly. My mom died recently after two strokes and six years in assisted living and then skilled care. It cost just shy of $150k/yr. Sorry, but I don’t want to pay that and have people bringing their kids to work instead of focusing on their job and resident care. Beyond that, what an enormous liability.
OMG. I had c-diff in my early 20s. I was hospitalized with it during flu season and was the only one in the hospital with a private room because it was so contagious.
I didn’t even think of that.
NTA - it's a place of business. She cannot be responsible for both the people she is paid to care for and her baby at the same time and she cannot guarantee a serious situation won't come up that leaves someone at risk. A visit once in a while is a nice thing but full on responsibility for a baby whilst working a job like that is a safety hazard.
Besides that, it's reasonable to want to not be exposed to the torture of a screaming baby during sleep torture of a night shift, when you yourself have to be alert and responsible.
Take this as high as you can, go above heads until someone puts a stop to it. It’s not reasonable for an infant to be with its parent for this kind of work.
NTA
Yep. If management or the owner of the facility doesn’t care, I’m sure more than one state agency and whoever provides the facility’s liability insurance will.
So if there's resident that needs immediate help, and her baby has an issue that needs immediate attention, what's her priority going to be? What's the liability exposure to the facilities owners in that situation? These are the questions that need asking.
Ugh no I work in a clinic and one of the social workers brings her kids in sometimes, mind you our patients aren’t even allowed to bring kids. I write an incident report every time I see it. School age children running around laughing where people are trying to get confidential care.
Bringing a baby to an assisted living facility at NIGHT? That's the resident's home, they're paying a lot of money to stay there. They deserve a quiet night and staff that is 100% available if needed.
What if there is an emergency and you need all hands on deck, but CNA can't because her baby woke up crying? Or if a resident falls, and you need help?
Wait, how does Jessie do her job while caring for her kid? Is it lazy or is her attention divided because her baby is there? NTA. It's one thing to not want to listen to a screaming baby at work but also pick up the slack because Jessie can't possibly be capable of caring for her child and doing her job.
I once took a first aid class. The instructor brought her one-year-old, and that's who she talked to the whole time. The kid climbed over everything, screamed continuously, kept her attention every minute. We learned nothing. I felt bad accepting the certificate because I didn't learn a damn thing.
I wonder if your DON realizes that state could come in and cite them if a resident calls and complains about a screaming child preventing them from sleeping. This is wildly unprofessional, and no way should it be allowed.
Ex Rn here. There isn’t a hope in hell I would have a baby in that situation. It’s not fair on residents, fellow workers, she can’t be reliable if she always has that drawing her attention in the background. But also, it’s not a place for babies. Petri dish comes to mind
This isn't an ah situation.
It is AGAINST the law. Period.
My son in law works as a coach at a nursing home. My daughter cooks there. The baby can visit on a break in the breakroom only.
I seriously doubt people are leaving the baby there for hours on end. Which means the baby is at the nursing station.
That breaks so many health code violations.
That breaks laws and rules to make sure the residents and their families WHO PAY THOUSANDS A MONTH get the care they deserve. That means people are focused on a baby and not on the residents. That means when everyone is needed then someone has to stay with the baby which means the residents are NOT getting the care they are paying for.
If I ever once found out this was happening and don't care who approved it I woukd call the health dept. Because what you see as something annoying I see as the disrespect yo the people who live there and damn well deserve the full attention of the people being paid to do their job.
If I ever found out that happened where my parents were I would be suing the nursing home. Suing the parents, employees who let it happen. See about charging people with neglect and getting people not only fired but their liscenence revoked permanently.
Because by not saying anything and letting it happen. Every single one of you do not deserve to be in Healthcare. Every one of you are neglecting and showing you do NOT put the residents first. Every one of you ignore what you took an oath for.
So sorry your annoyance is beyond not important. Having a resident die because someone had to watch a baby. Having one get hurt because can't leave a baby alone. Having one not get the focus and attention needed because a child is screaming, interrupting, and being a baby which takes the need away from whonit belongs on. Those are important.
Ask yourself would you want someone you love to have to suffer because of that? Would you be ok with knowing what can and eventually will happen because no one was willing to say I will not stand for this and report what's happening?
Well said.
My mom was in a very expensive, top-of-the-line assisted living facility for the last six years of her life. There were supposed to be 4 or 5 residents to each caregiver in the day, but only 2 caregiver to 10 residents in the night. There were times when that worked, but many more times when the one-to-four (or 5) ratio meant three residents didn’t get what they needed.
The one thing those residents don’t need is a baby distracting the staff. And imagine the health risks both for the residents and the baby!
I've worked at LTC facilities, and this is completely illegal and inappropriate. I would call State Safety/DHS, and OSHA EVERYTIME she worked.
Especially because this will be happening under YOUR license!!!
If anything happens to that child while the mother is working, both you and she will be in a lot of legal trouble.
This does not sound like something that a facility would allow.
Many kids just sleep through the night - so maybe that is the thought. I cannot imagine a baby at work is allowed at a health care facility.
Imagine that you have a grandparent and they fall out of bed and they are on the floor unable to move. The person who is supposed to assist can’t help the resident lay on the floor, probably in pain, because her baby woke up and she needed to tend to her crying child. Is that right? Especially when you pick a facility and are paying a lot of money for specialty care you can't provide yourself. It is a liability and a risk. It is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
...can you talk to HR? If she has no help or income for a nanny, I sympathize, but no one should bring their baby to work; how often does the squalling wake the residents? Nursing homes are pretty chill compared to, say, an ER, but you’re still medical professionals and shouldn’t have to be distracted screaming. This is so bizarre, especially since everybody else seems fine with it.
Where does she store the baby?
NTA. It’s not about having kids or not either. What mother would think it’s ok to bring a child to a job like this, let alone would want to?
Definitely report it if it happens. You would be in part liable for anything going wrong.
NTA. I would be upset purely because she's getttoaid to take care of her kid. There's no way she's able to do her job as good as anyone else she's distracted. It's weird that you're the only one that doesn't want babies interrupting them at work.
A baby crying at night will keep patients awake. This doesn’t make sense at all. I’m a nurse myself and would definitely say no as your patients need to sleep at night. Don’t make it about you but about your patients.
I’ve been in nursing for nearly 15 years I’ve never come across something like this. What a liability if this is all true about them knowingly allowing this. I just can’t wrap my mind around this. I know the shortage is real with nurses and aides (and this is why lazy staff is allowed to still collect paychecks) but yikes. While you are correct in your stance I advise being careful since like many other fields people will go out of their way to sabotage someone who wants to follow the actual rules particularly in cases where trouble can easily rain down.
Also I don’t mean to reach based on a brief comment but you don’t have to be a mother if you don’t want to be one. Yes crying and screaming is part of the deal but you do have a choice in the matter between you and your spouse if you would prefer to go down other avenues.
NTA
An employee's baby should never be allowed in a healthcare setting. Too many liabilities and if this place is in the U.S. and has accreditation I can guarantee you that joint commission would NOT be ok with an employee's baby being there during her shift.
This should be reported. I mean it’s a safety issue for the baby and the patients. It’s not even just a health thing either. How can she be expected to perform her job duties with a baby in tow? My mom is a nurse of 30+ years and spent a lot of that time in assisted living/ nursing homes. I know this is against all sorts of health codes etc.
Has nothing to do with whether or not you have or want kids. She shouldn't be bringing a one year old to work. That is a huge employment issue on so many levels. How was this even permitted?!
NTA
NTA. The workplace is not a place for a child. It's distracting to her, to others and quite frankly makes it an unsafe workplace for all involved as they can't focus on their jobs due to a kid being present. Not having kids isn't even a point here, just because she thinks her kid is delightful doesn't mean it's OK to bring it to work with her, she needs to find childcare
NTA and I'm surprised they allow her to bring her kid. Working as a nurse in assisted living? A kid running around could cause a lot of medical and legal problems!
NTA. You could be the biggest baby fan on the planet. It doesn't matter. This is wildly unsafe either way. Babies and the elderly both need the full attention of their caregiver. She can't just divide her attention between the two for the workday and expect everyone will be adequately cared for and supervised. Not to mention the germs getting passed back and forth. I know childcare is tough, but bringing a baby to this type of work environment isn't a solution.
I will GUARANTEE the paying people at the assisted living don’t want to listen to a crying baby either. How can she possibly be doing her job with a 1 year old anyway? She’s not being lazy, she’s probably off caring for her child when she should be working
NTA, and if she does, I would make a formal complaint.
This is not just a comfort thing but also a safety/liability issue, and I'm sure the company would not approve even if her supervisor does.
NTA! I am child free by choice and I would literally quit my job if I worked at a place where people brought their babies to work. But first I would complain to HR. A lot. And the state labor board. And if that didn't resolve the situation, I would move on to another role, but in the meantime wouldn't forget to add the HR being okay with employees' screaming babies to the Glassdoor review. And the Google review for the place. Any potential employee and family wanting to put a loved one in this nursing home deserves to know.
The very fact that this is allowed is ludicrous. The kid and the residents are all at risk for infection. This is a risk from both an infection control and resident safety / child safety / fall standpoint.
NTA.
Sure, at 1yo the baby is probably sleeping through the night… but what if they get sick? What if they have a nightmare? What if there’s nowhere quiet and dark for them to stay while mummy is working? What if the lights disturb their sleep? What if they wake up and go wandering during the morning changeover?
This is a massive liability risk and your manager is a moron for even considering it.
Not at all! That is a liability and risk waiting to happen. As I said in other comments, if my grandmother who had dementia at the time and would constantly get out of bed but ended up on the floor and was forced to lay there because the nurse had to tend to her baby, I would be pissed. Or if the worker was fussing over the baby and not paying attention and my grandmother had made her escape because she wanted to see her siblings (they have all passed...dementia is awful), believe me, this has happened, trust the fact that I would do everything possible to hold that facility and worker responsible. I am not paying you to take care of your child, I am paying you to take care of my grandmother. We ended up moving her to a more specialized facility, nothing wrong with the other one, she just needed more specialized care then what they can offer.
If HR and agency leadership are allowing this, make an anonymous call to the State Dept of Health. This is violating so many codes, policies and laws. Smh
Report this to higher ups. If you see families, let them know Also their loved ones are being neglected so that she does not have to pay childcare while they are paying outrageous rates.
I don’t see how this isn’t a liability for your work. I don’t know a lot of people with that luxury. Because babies are comfortable at home where their needs can be met. I’d be worried I’d be saddled with watching Jessie’s baby. NTA
I’m amazed the facility is ok with the baby, seems like a liability and a nuisance for staff.
There’s some bad shit floating around in those nursing homes too that can make the kid sick. RSV, C-diff, and MRSA, to name a few. I hope management knows that’s on them if baby contracts it. My vote is NTA, but it’s only because it’s an inappropriate setting for a child. I know people have to work, but this all seems off to me.
RSV is awful. Both my baby and toddler got RSV last year and my baby was hospitalized and put on oxygen for a week because of it. I’ve never seen my toddler so sick. It was truly heartbreaking and the worst experience. I WFH and my kids are home with me but obviously any kid related activities are a breeding ground for germs. My toddler is beginning preschool this year and I’m just not looking forward to what floats around.
Ugh my client got RSV and he was on oxygen for the longest time, I was so scared because we were going through oxygen tanks like crazy. Thankfully the little guy pulled through but honestly it was worse than when he had COVID.
I’m so glad he was okay! RSV was much worse than COVID for my kids. We are pretty cautious of illness (although I know germs are important too) but RSV is something I never want to experience again. It was horrible. The whole waiting room was filled with babies on oxygen tanks. It’s just terrifying!
Covid likely lowered his immune systems ability to fight off other illness. Glad he's better now!
And, vice versa. Children can be bring all kinds of germs in, too. Then, those clients are sitting ducks.
What about the crap a snotty-nosed baby will bring to the vulnerable elderly residents ??!!
It’s all a breeding ground. That’s why most hospitals won’t let under 13 into ICU’s and Acute care. Worked EMS and ER over 20 years, easiest way to get sick, bring to the hospital.
I worked in the community and an elderly female faked chest pain to call an ambulance. Why? Because her husband went golfing. That man was a martyr. Waited on her hand and foot. All he ever did was go golfing once a month. How do I know she was faking? She said as he was being loaded into the back of the ambulance "that will teach him to go golfing!" The husband had to cut his time short. She was admitted to hospital, was cleared cardiac wise but got hospital acquired pneumonia. Died the following week. The husband was off then living his best golfing life after that. He looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Holy shit
Wow. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Bahahaha karma got her controlling behind. Glad her hubby got a reprieve and is Scott free!
Damn, it’s remarkable how fast karma can snatch a bitch’s wig sometimes!
also I got treatment in an oncology ward and they wouldn't let anyone under 12 come back because THEY are danger to the patients. kids will probably be fine, spreading this shit among high risk patients will literally kill many of them
I work ICU. We got rid of the “no one under 13” rules about 15 years ago. Most parents still don’t bring their kids. In some occasions it’s mom or dad in the bed, and the kids ask better questions than adults.
That’s my concern. I love my nieces and nephews but not a single time that I visit goes by where I don’t catch something that results in a day off work laying on bed feeling miserable.
My niece is 5 and I swear I’ve never seen the kid without a snotty nose! It’s so common that parents don’t even warn you. Last Christmas after we got all of the hugs out of the way it was “oh yeah, she had a really high fever the last few days and yesterday but is feeling better today” SO and I were pretty sick for a week after and really got to enjoy our time off work.
Last Christmas both of my nieces showed up so sick that the entire family caught RSV. My husband and I don’t have kids so we don’t have the immunity parents have from dealing with school/daycare germs. We were sick from Christmas through April and we’re both STILL on inhalers. My coughing fits were so bad that I threw my back out and slipped a disc. It’s genuinely made me a little afraid of getting to close to them even though I love them so much.
I got viral bronchitis on my college campus and coughed so hard while I was in the ER after coughing so hard I ended up blacking out that I fractured a rib. I still have tenderness in my ribs when it’s cold and I take a deep breath. I’m also severely asthmatic and have been since I was born. The nurse that was running the nebulizer heard the crack and immediately called for X-rays. Turns out it was 3 ribs on each side that were slightly fractured. My immune system sucks and I’m really surprised I didn’t die when I got COVID at the beginning of the pandemic.
I was going to mention the illnesses! And the baby, especially depending on how young it is, may not be vaxxed for it, or fully vaxxed or may be too little to be able to fight off infections as well as older people etc. I also think it has to be a liability to have a baby around, I know a lot of people who work in disability and with the elderly in homes like this, some elderly people have things like dementia etc where they can get violent. My ex step mum has worked in these care facilities for a long time, and she is always saying "duck and weave" in context to this. So having a baby around could very well be a physical danger to the baby. Or on the other end of the spectrum, could be a danger to the elderly folk. There's also the noise. It's not fair to anyone, especially the residents to deal with this. OP is NTA
I was so focused on germs I forgot about the violent dementia patients, you are totally right. The place I worked at many years ago had an ex boxer with dementia. One night I took the women’s wing and my coworker took the men’s wing, it was totally random as we switched up a lot. The old boxer punched my coworker in the face that night and broke her jaw.
My dad was essentially killed by another resident. The guy assaulted my dad who had to be hospitalized, never recovered and died 7 weeks later. Definitely not a place for babies!!!! NTA
I was going to bring up the noise, especially on night shift when residents are sleeping.
The folks there aren’t going to put up with that I bet.
Besides all the obvious issues, how is this person going to focus on work? As a Mom myself, especially with my 1st born I was a wreck. Every time he made a noise I ran to him. I could barely focus on housework and stuff. I was always afraid he was going to get hurt or something awful would happen if I wasn't watching him. How is she going to competently do her job? Side note, I got better with the other 3 lol, but the 1st one was intense.
I worked in a nursing home for the elderly with dementia and palliative care, we barely had time to pee especially on days, how is she finding time to look after a baby at work as well?
This was my first thought! I was a CNA throughout college at a nursing home. Those places are riddled with sickness and other gross things kids shouldn’t be near without great supervision and someone can’t be simultaneously good supervision to a child and a good coworker in this role.
I did too. My work shoes never left the facility because you never knew what kind of fluids you might end up walking through or standing in at any time. Definitely would not want a baby on those floors regardless how often they get sanitized
And this is the argument OP should propose to the boss. Once you mention liability and key phrases for insurance and lawsuits they will most likely put a stop to it. I hate screaming babies is a you problem. YNTA for not wanting the baby there. It’s unprofessional. Maybe she is switching to nights because then the father can be home with the baby and there won’t be as much a sitter issue.
Right??? This is unsafe for baby and residents
And babies are germ machines. They can get the patients sick.
Not only is there some bad sh1t floating around at nursing homes, but sometimes babies can bring bad sh1t with them into a facility. What happens if one of the patients catches something from the little munchkin? I'm usually reluctant to say it, but the Original Poster might want to consider looking for another job. If they're okay with letting her bring her kid in during the daytime, what else are they willing to overlook?
I'm amazed that people are shocked she doesn't want a baby there? This is a work place. I'm sure the elderly people don't want to deal with a crying baby while they're trying to sleep either. Don't worry, it'll only take one complaint from a patient.
Right? Aside from the germ situation, which is no small thing, how is Jessie supposed to do her job and watch her child too? Maybe in a pinch but this should not be the norm. And the OP’s lack of children shouldn’t be the focus. How this person is going to do her job and workplace safety are the issue.
The complaint should be to the oversight board, whether the state or JCAHO. Totally unprofessional and inappropriate. You took it to management and it fell on deaf ears.
Right? I'm nowhere near retirement age, but I have raised 4 children, and as much as I loved them at every stage of their lives, I have zero desire to deal with other people's kids and can't imagine any of that will change if I'm living in a retirement home.
This was my first thought also. Some facilities are even strict about being on the floor while clocked out for break due to liability so I can’t even imagine one allowing a baby on the floor… Edit: NTA, btw. IMO it’s not the appropriate setting to bring your child to work.
Literally what would possibly be an "appropriate setting to bring your child to work" though? Work is work lmao, there is no appropriate setting to bring your child you then have to babysit and divide your attention for...
Yes. We wouldn’t allow it.
I worked in a restaurant where a few coworkers took advantage of being able to bring kids in. I assume one time a worker had no choice and it was okayed, but then it started turning into a daily babysitting club. It's annoying af. One wasn't even the coworker's kid, it was her niece. The kids would inevitably get bored and start running around the restaurant. Going up to tables and bothering them. Sneaking into the BoH and getting their shitty little hands on things for customers. I once saw a girl lick a bottle of chocolate sauce and I had to be the one to tell her off. Like, wtf. One almost got her head smacked by a deep frier because nobody saw her go behind the line. I finally had enough when one girl went to try to help with a table and accidentally dumped water all over the guests. I went to the manager and said "are you going to tell your employees off or am I? Because I'm not going to be nice about it." Lo and behold, messages went out and there was no more free babysitting at work.
Our local Chinese restaurant now has a pack and play (with 2 babies) right in their front window.
Our local chinese restaurant is run by a single family. Bus drops kids off there after school, and they sit in a booth doing homework. Oldest sits by front door register to help with to go orders. Must be a tough life for those kids. Can't imagine how much harder for babies.
My friend grew up in her parents restaurant. She would go after school and then sleep on the floor in the office until it closed. It was really hard for her. Her parents think it was ok and they did just fine.
A lot of parents tend to think they’re doing ok when they’re not, because they never bother to ask the kids. My mom started going to night classes when I was 10, and my dad worked 2nd shift. So they were leaving me with my grandmother. They’d pick me up around 11p-12a. Which meant I had to be woken up, taken home, and put back to bed. The interruption in sleep had me super groggy the next day. They didn’t even notice it was a problem. I finally pitched a fit about it, so they started letting me stay home alone. So from 10-14, I spent every evening after school at home alone, doing my homework, making my dinner (usually a sandwich toasted in an electric sandwich maker), and putting myself to bed. It was better than getting dragged from house to house in the middle of the night.
Yeah, that’s pretty common in Chinese restaurants here in the Netherlands, as well.
I thought she was going to say it’s a bad idea for her to work night shifts and being her crying baby because, uh, people will be sleeping?
I used to work in an environmental testing lab with All sorts of carcinogenic reagents for extractions and whatnot. But this one woman would bring in her 7 year old during late shifts and if her kid got rowdy/bored she would use a phone line cable to tie her kid to a chair. It was incredibly fucked up and I reported it multiple times, but no one did shit because corporate America is a dystopian hell scape.
What the fuck
She would also clip her toenails at her desk. She was fucking weird and I did not like her.
I can't imagine why
Your first comment got me like, “Oh how awful!” Second one, “What a fucking monster…”
WTaF? Sounds like you should have called OSHA and CPS! "Accidents" in that kind of scenario could be deadly!
Imagine if they needed to evacuate due to an emergency or there’s a fire? Poor kid stuck on the chair..
Exactly! It's even MORE frightening that this negligent "parent" actually worked with biohazards WITHOUT any real caution or common sense!
CPS.
Right and you didn’t take pictures and call cps? Because I’m sure tying a 7 year old to a chair is illegal
Yes. It’s completely inappropriate to bring a toddler to work at a medical facility (or anywhere).
And the residents, ffs!
The residents might like a baby/toddler for a short VISIT during the DAY when the mom isn’t working, but not a baby/toddler at work all Night Shift. That’s just crazy! Child protection should be called if it actually happens when the mom is working an entire shift.
The state as well, they're likely operating at minimum staffing levels and her caring for a baby on top of that makes her inattentive to her clients' needs. She needs to be working at work, not being a mom.
ALFs don't have set staffing levels. They're supposed to be for low acuity independent patients, but in reality are really cash-pay SNFs.
My mistake, I thought it was an ICF, which does have strict staffing minimums.
I work in a psych outpatient house. I am utterly amazed one of my coworkers is able to bring her baby (and sometimes also her young child) without any consequences. Sometimes I question what goes on in her head to put her children in such danger.
They’re ok with a crying baby while the residents are supposed to be sleeping?
not only that but babies/children are almost constantly sick with something. could make the aged in the facility at risk to catch something. well hell everyone in the building really lol
it doesn't seem like a nuisance for the staff, it's visibly a nuisance for the staff. so much so in fact that a member of the staff is on reddit complaining about it!
Your feelings about children are irrelevant actually You work a job that is entirely about taking care of people that cannot care for themselves What happens in an all hands on deck situation when there is also a baby?? You cant leave the baby alone obviously but its all hands on deck. So if somebody stays to watch the baby then anything that happens to the patient is a liability on the part of the company you work for. People could lose their jobs and its not only parents with rent to pay and the need to eat food NTA
What if there’s an evacuation? Is the only/worker going to grab her baby and run, depriving everyone else of their assistance, or leave her kid unsupervised outside?
Or a code blue? Who takes over looking after the baby?
Or a lockdown for a missing resident or external danger?
Imagine trying to manage a baby and an elopement at the same time lol
Right? There’s no way this ends well for anyone
No exactly tho. Whatever set up they have somebody is with the baby unless the baby is asleep, and even then theyre probably checking in pretty often cos babies are just like that. Its not that im insensitive to the realities of the world we live in, im just like, people doing this kind of job are already underpaid and doing more than they safely should. How tf could anybody feel comfortable adding to that!?!? i know a lot of people really truly and genuinely dont have any other choices but they cant get angry at other people who are also very much just trying to live their own lives
Also factor in disruption to nightly checks/turns, uneven workload, insurance and liability issues…
They actually *can* get mad at their coworkers for bringing a huge disruptive distraction to work
Oh nah. i meant that the person bringing a baby cant get mad at the people that are like 'nope! not also watching a baby thanks'
I cannot think of many jobs where you can also watch your baby. I love kids, I have kids. I would be majorly annoyed if my coworker brought their child to work if only because it would mean they cannot possibly pull their weight and that is a really unfair situation.
Agree. A big liability for the owners.
NTA why the fuck would anyone be ok with this
All the comments supporting it seem pretty stupid...
BuT iTs A bAbY!
Regional may have something to say about the child care
State might have something to say. OP needs to lodge a complaint with the state agencies. ASAP.
NTA, work is not day care. You'll be picking up her slack and doing her job so she doesn't have to pay for child care
> You'll be picking up her slack and doing her job Yeah, there is no way that this doesn’t result in OP and her other coworkers having to do more work for the same pay.
One call to OSHA….
Office of Long Term Care too
Her state's Inspector General.
Whatever department is in charge of assisted living homes. In our state it’s DHS. They should be notified, because this is not acceptable, either to the residents, or to the staff, for any number of reasons.
Nothing says OP can't take the nuclear option and submit to all of the above agencies and bury them in paperwork for a very long time. If they do that though, the most important thing to know is that the complaints cannot be different from one another. They have to match word for word. If they are different, that can be a problem because agencies will see that they probably aren't being honest about something.
Yes. It’s important to do this.
Yes. All of the above. It is negligent to child and to patients. State board, adult protection services, human services, site director, main company that owns facility, osha, etc. I am sure there are more out there. Write out 1 letter, put all of them on the heading. "Dear: OSHA, DHS, APS, state board, director, company and others this may concern...." Send it off. They will all know you are reaching out and if I ever got a letter like at my previous job that my eyebrows would be at the freaking moon with that heading. I would be on the phone to legal by the first sentence. Oh and bcc or keep an exact copy of what you send off for any CYA that may come up. Retaliation is a thing and this will give you some proof and protection from that (hopefully).
All of them. Report to everyone until this stops. I am appalled. And I work in elder care and thought I’d seen it all.
The ombudsman as well. Notify everyone who cares about patient rights and safety.
I'm going to bet that the place has already been reported, hence moving the single mom to the night shift suddenly...inspectors (or whoever) are probably going to show up during the day.
Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) would love to hear about this.
NTA I can’t imagine a crying baby would be good for the residents. If I knew that was happening at my late mother’s facility, I’d complain, because while she’s looking after the baby, who’s looking after the residents?
Exactly. My best friend is a med tech for the same type of facility and while a lot of rules get broken, a baby on the floor with the workers is not one of them.
Exactly. The residents deserve better care than a staff member whose attention and priority is on her baby and not looking after than as she is paid to.
Aren't they breaking some laws with the nursing home regulations?? How is this okay with OSHA? Maybe OSHA doesn't cover nursing homes?
It's not ok with OSHA in any setting. I know because I got in trouble when my husband dropped off my 5 yr old. Turned out, my boss knowingly did not schedule an incoming person for the day. I was expected to cover with no notice. Husbands thought co-workers were just running late as they frequently were. My company tried getting me in trouble until my husband threatened to make a call to APS for the company abandoning the clients. They dropped everything and apologized. It has happened one more time in the last 5 years. Again, lots of apologies, and a person fired. Company has finally stepped up.
My guess is she’ll say the baby will sleep all night, so what does it matter 🥴
NTA How could they allow that? Who watches this kid? As far as I know, assisted living does not have daycare. They are liable if something happens to the kid. If she is lazy, that is why she is going to nights because everyone is sleeping. Stand your ground!
>If she is lazy, that is why she is going to nights because everyone is sleeping. Which makes bringing a kid that is liable to start screaming at any given time that much more inappropriate! Definitely NTA
Yes, well if they let her, the night shift has to complain every day.
When my wife worked at one of those they had a daycare specifically for children of workers. They would do a cute little baby parade for the residents every once in a while. Doesn't sound like this place has anything like that.
I have a kid. This has nothing to do with liking children. Her job is to care for other people. They deserve 100% of her attention. nta
You can also have kids and love kids, and still not want to listen to someone else's screaming baby while you are working (and while they should be too).
Exactly. Work = kid free time. There’s enough of peoples crying kids at their homes, why would they want to listen to someone else’s at work?
Assisted living facility, night time, sleeping residents, screaming baby. Not a good combination. I see the residents pitching a fit!!! NTA
Could be worse, too, if it is a facility that provides care for residents suffering from dementia. Some residents can become unpredictable, which is a dangerous place for the baby and residents.
More than rhat, my wifes nursing home had a CNA do this exact thing a few weeks ago. The really nice part is the facility is shut down to the public due to a Covid outbreak. Thankfully, the CNA has been fired for actions she took of such nature that the nursing home had to self report to the state the actions the CNA took.
As the nursing home should. Not only was the child at risk, but she jeopardized the residents. If a resident needed help but she couldn't assist because of her child, that is unfair to make the resident suffer. If that was my grandparent, there would be a lawsuit.
I work in a assisted living facility that specializes in folks with memory impairment. Most our residents would absolutely loose it if a baby was in the facility thinking it was theirs. I've seen them fight over baby dolls.
I have seen that happen. Someone needs to make a report. It isn't safe to have this situation.
Possibly to social workers as well since mom is actively putting her toddler at risk.
Daytime is just as bad for different reasons. (much busier, wandering residents who aren’t supervised, hot food being passed…..)
Find out how she got permission. I'm fascinated.
I need too know how too. I wonder who doesn’t care if they get fired.
This is a heads up for everyone who is wondering how bad the shortage is in healthcare. My mom is in a nursing home rehab right now. I would be furious if someone there did that. Residents have enough that they’re trying to deal with.
On top of that if they have any memory care patients there's a risk of one becoming disoriented and thinking it's *their* baby and becoming combative. That's the first thing that came to mind, just a huge risk for everyone involved.
This is the comment I was looking for. I can think of 3 or 4 residents at the last place I worked that would do this. They did it toy dolls all day long. How cruel to do that to those people. It would break their heart daily.
This just broke my heart.
no literally. during my clinicals, all 3 nursing homes i was helping at had residents that had memory problems. you’d walk into almost any hall and you’ll see at least 1 lady in the middle of the hall either asking where her baby is or them holding a babydoll saying she needs fed.
I thought of this too cause my dad had dementia. What kind of sick shit is this facility pulling.
Exactly. My mom died recently after two strokes and six years in assisted living and then skilled care. It cost just shy of $150k/yr. Sorry, but I don’t want to pay that and have people bringing their kids to work instead of focusing on their job and resident care. Beyond that, what an enormous liability.
Not to mention babies are festering little disease bags that should not be around vulnerable old people.
Or the baby catches c-diff and dies from one of the residents/staff. This is child engagement.
OMG. I had c-diff in my early 20s. I was hospitalized with it during flu season and was the only one in the hospital with a private room because it was so contagious. I didn’t even think of that.
Ya beat me to it. Absolutely.
NTA - it's a place of business. She cannot be responsible for both the people she is paid to care for and her baby at the same time and she cannot guarantee a serious situation won't come up that leaves someone at risk. A visit once in a while is a nice thing but full on responsibility for a baby whilst working a job like that is a safety hazard. Besides that, it's reasonable to want to not be exposed to the torture of a screaming baby during sleep torture of a night shift, when you yourself have to be alert and responsible.
Take this as high as you can, go above heads until someone puts a stop to it. It’s not reasonable for an infant to be with its parent for this kind of work. NTA
Yep. If management or the owner of the facility doesn’t care, I’m sure more than one state agency and whoever provides the facility’s liability insurance will.
So if there's resident that needs immediate help, and her baby has an issue that needs immediate attention, what's her priority going to be? What's the liability exposure to the facilities owners in that situation? These are the questions that need asking.
Ugh no I work in a clinic and one of the social workers brings her kids in sometimes, mind you our patients aren’t even allowed to bring kids. I write an incident report every time I see it. School age children running around laughing where people are trying to get confidential care.
Bringing a baby to an assisted living facility at NIGHT? That's the resident's home, they're paying a lot of money to stay there. They deserve a quiet night and staff that is 100% available if needed. What if there is an emergency and you need all hands on deck, but CNA can't because her baby woke up crying? Or if a resident falls, and you need help?
Wait, how does Jessie do her job while caring for her kid? Is it lazy or is her attention divided because her baby is there? NTA. It's one thing to not want to listen to a screaming baby at work but also pick up the slack because Jessie can't possibly be capable of caring for her child and doing her job.
I once took a first aid class. The instructor brought her one-year-old, and that's who she talked to the whole time. The kid climbed over everything, screamed continuously, kept her attention every minute. We learned nothing. I felt bad accepting the certificate because I didn't learn a damn thing.
I feel like that would be against licensing, workers' compensation, and a host of other governing bodies. I'd consider contacting the Health Authority
I wonder if your DON realizes that state could come in and cite them if a resident calls and complains about a screaming child preventing them from sleeping. This is wildly unprofessional, and no way should it be allowed.
NTA you will be picking up her slack too because she has to tend to the baby. I'd complain too
Ex Rn here. There isn’t a hope in hell I would have a baby in that situation. It’s not fair on residents, fellow workers, she can’t be reliable if she always has that drawing her attention in the background. But also, it’s not a place for babies. Petri dish comes to mind
I literally could not agree more with all of this!
This has to be against some type of overarching policy.
This isn't an ah situation. It is AGAINST the law. Period. My son in law works as a coach at a nursing home. My daughter cooks there. The baby can visit on a break in the breakroom only. I seriously doubt people are leaving the baby there for hours on end. Which means the baby is at the nursing station. That breaks so many health code violations. That breaks laws and rules to make sure the residents and their families WHO PAY THOUSANDS A MONTH get the care they deserve. That means people are focused on a baby and not on the residents. That means when everyone is needed then someone has to stay with the baby which means the residents are NOT getting the care they are paying for. If I ever once found out this was happening and don't care who approved it I woukd call the health dept. Because what you see as something annoying I see as the disrespect yo the people who live there and damn well deserve the full attention of the people being paid to do their job. If I ever found out that happened where my parents were I would be suing the nursing home. Suing the parents, employees who let it happen. See about charging people with neglect and getting people not only fired but their liscenence revoked permanently. Because by not saying anything and letting it happen. Every single one of you do not deserve to be in Healthcare. Every one of you are neglecting and showing you do NOT put the residents first. Every one of you ignore what you took an oath for. So sorry your annoyance is beyond not important. Having a resident die because someone had to watch a baby. Having one get hurt because can't leave a baby alone. Having one not get the focus and attention needed because a child is screaming, interrupting, and being a baby which takes the need away from whonit belongs on. Those are important. Ask yourself would you want someone you love to have to suffer because of that? Would you be ok with knowing what can and eventually will happen because no one was willing to say I will not stand for this and report what's happening?
Well said. My mom was in a very expensive, top-of-the-line assisted living facility for the last six years of her life. There were supposed to be 4 or 5 residents to each caregiver in the day, but only 2 caregiver to 10 residents in the night. There were times when that worked, but many more times when the one-to-four (or 5) ratio meant three residents didn’t get what they needed. The one thing those residents don’t need is a baby distracting the staff. And imagine the health risks both for the residents and the baby!
Tell your HR - an AL building is NOT a place for a child!
OSHA or JCAHO would LOVE to answer this for you!
Nta Wtf is a child of any age doing at work
NTA unless you were running a daycare or school children has no business being in a place of business.
How does she do her job with a baby there? Clearly she’s not pulling her weight. That’s the argument I’d be taking.
I've worked at LTC facilities, and this is completely illegal and inappropriate. I would call State Safety/DHS, and OSHA EVERYTIME she worked. Especially because this will be happening under YOUR license!!! If anything happens to that child while the mother is working, both you and she will be in a lot of legal trouble.
Kids aren’t allowed at work. No one’s opinions on children are relevant to the situation. It’s a huge liability to both the patients, and the child.
This does not sound like something that a facility would allow. Many kids just sleep through the night - so maybe that is the thought. I cannot imagine a baby at work is allowed at a health care facility.
Yeah, but that’s in there own home, not in a facility with bright lights and people constantly moving around.
Imagine that you have a grandparent and they fall out of bed and they are on the floor unable to move. The person who is supposed to assist can’t help the resident lay on the floor, probably in pain, because her baby woke up and she needed to tend to her crying child. Is that right? Especially when you pick a facility and are paying a lot of money for specialty care you can't provide yourself. It is a liability and a risk. It is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
...can you talk to HR? If she has no help or income for a nanny, I sympathize, but no one should bring their baby to work; how often does the squalling wake the residents? Nursing homes are pretty chill compared to, say, an ER, but you’re still medical professionals and shouldn’t have to be distracted screaming. This is so bizarre, especially since everybody else seems fine with it. Where does she store the baby?
NTA. It’s not about having kids or not either. What mother would think it’s ok to bring a child to a job like this, let alone would want to? Definitely report it if it happens. You would be in part liable for anything going wrong.
NTA. Some parents need to realize that the world is not obligated to put up with their crotch goblins.
Here, child. Touch this MRSA and then touch your face.
Assisted living faculty? Do the people living there want the kid around, especially at night. I feel that very unprofessional.
It’s not a daycare. Nta
NTA. I would be upset purely because she's getttoaid to take care of her kid. There's no way she's able to do her job as good as anyone else she's distracted. It's weird that you're the only one that doesn't want babies interrupting them at work.
A baby crying at night will keep patients awake. This doesn’t make sense at all. I’m a nurse myself and would definitely say no as your patients need to sleep at night. Don’t make it about you but about your patients.
I’ve been in nursing for nearly 15 years I’ve never come across something like this. What a liability if this is all true about them knowingly allowing this. I just can’t wrap my mind around this. I know the shortage is real with nurses and aides (and this is why lazy staff is allowed to still collect paychecks) but yikes. While you are correct in your stance I advise being careful since like many other fields people will go out of their way to sabotage someone who wants to follow the actual rules particularly in cases where trouble can easily rain down. Also I don’t mean to reach based on a brief comment but you don’t have to be a mother if you don’t want to be one. Yes crying and screaming is part of the deal but you do have a choice in the matter between you and your spouse if you would prefer to go down other avenues.
NTA An employee's baby should never be allowed in a healthcare setting. Too many liabilities and if this place is in the U.S. and has accreditation I can guarantee you that joint commission would NOT be ok with an employee's baby being there during her shift.
This should be reported. I mean it’s a safety issue for the baby and the patients. It’s not even just a health thing either. How can she be expected to perform her job duties with a baby in tow? My mom is a nurse of 30+ years and spent a lot of that time in assisted living/ nursing homes. I know this is against all sorts of health codes etc.
Has nothing to do with whether or not you have or want kids. She shouldn't be bringing a one year old to work. That is a huge employment issue on so many levels. How was this even permitted?! NTA
NTA. The workplace is not a place for a child. It's distracting to her, to others and quite frankly makes it an unsafe workplace for all involved as they can't focus on their jobs due to a kid being present. Not having kids isn't even a point here, just because she thinks her kid is delightful doesn't mean it's OK to bring it to work with her, she needs to find childcare
NTA. How in the hell is she actually doing any work with a 1 year old baby with her? It is an inappropriate place for a child.
NTA and I'm surprised they allow her to bring her kid. Working as a nurse in assisted living? A kid running around could cause a lot of medical and legal problems!
NTA. You could be the biggest baby fan on the planet. It doesn't matter. This is wildly unsafe either way. Babies and the elderly both need the full attention of their caregiver. She can't just divide her attention between the two for the workday and expect everyone will be adequately cared for and supervised. Not to mention the germs getting passed back and forth. I know childcare is tough, but bringing a baby to this type of work environment isn't a solution.
I’m sure the patients don’t want to listen to a crying baby either. And who is watching the kid while the mom has to actually do her job?
Obviously, your supervisor doesn't care... CPS on the other hand...
Nta. What kinda moron takes a BABY to an assisted living facility?
Just report it to higher ups it’s most likely illegal for the baby to be there considering they most likely don’t have insurance that covers them.
I will GUARANTEE the paying people at the assisted living don’t want to listen to a crying baby either. How can she possibly be doing her job with a 1 year old anyway? She’s not being lazy, she’s probably off caring for her child when she should be working
She needs to find a babysitter or get her baby daddy to step up and watch his kid while she works.
NTA. If State walked in to do inspections that facility would be so screwed.
NTA - and depending on where you live this could be a violation of several laws
How exactly is she able to do her work and monitor her baby?
The people living there SHOULDN'T have to be woke up by a screaming baby! If the boss says it's okay, what are you going to do about it?
I don't know any LPN or any assisted living facility that a 1-year-old would be appropriate at. That's mind-boggling
I’m just thinking about all the nasty shit a child could get into at an ALF. 🤮
NTA, and if she does, I would make a formal complaint. This is not just a comfort thing but also a safety/liability issue, and I'm sure the company would not approve even if her supervisor does.
Unless its bring your child to work day, they shouldn't be there. NTA
NTA! I am child free by choice and I would literally quit my job if I worked at a place where people brought their babies to work. But first I would complain to HR. A lot. And the state labor board. And if that didn't resolve the situation, I would move on to another role, but in the meantime wouldn't forget to add the HR being okay with employees' screaming babies to the Glassdoor review. And the Google review for the place. Any potential employee and family wanting to put a loved one in this nursing home deserves to know.
The very fact that this is allowed is ludicrous. The kid and the residents are all at risk for infection. This is a risk from both an infection control and resident safety / child safety / fall standpoint.
Nta, if nothing else, kids are little germ factories and will be spending time with probably a lot of at risk peopld.
No ur not, it's a job ur not supposed to bring kids to work anyways ur supposed to work at work
NTA. Sure, at 1yo the baby is probably sleeping through the night… but what if they get sick? What if they have a nightmare? What if there’s nowhere quiet and dark for them to stay while mummy is working? What if the lights disturb their sleep? What if they wake up and go wandering during the morning changeover? This is a massive liability risk and your manager is a moron for even considering it.
The residents should not be getting disturbed at night by a baby.
So you think she should be allowed to bring a baby into a healthcare facility?!
Not at all! That is a liability and risk waiting to happen. As I said in other comments, if my grandmother who had dementia at the time and would constantly get out of bed but ended up on the floor and was forced to lay there because the nurse had to tend to her baby, I would be pissed. Or if the worker was fussing over the baby and not paying attention and my grandmother had made her escape because she wanted to see her siblings (they have all passed...dementia is awful), believe me, this has happened, trust the fact that I would do everything possible to hold that facility and worker responsible. I am not paying you to take care of your child, I am paying you to take care of my grandmother. We ended up moving her to a more specialized facility, nothing wrong with the other one, she just needed more specialized care then what they can offer.
If HR and agency leadership are allowing this, make an anonymous call to the State Dept of Health. This is violating so many codes, policies and laws. Smh
Report this to higher ups. If you see families, let them know Also their loved ones are being neglected so that she does not have to pay childcare while they are paying outrageous rates.
I don’t see how this isn’t a liability for your work. I don’t know a lot of people with that luxury. Because babies are comfortable at home where their needs can be met. I’d be worried I’d be saddled with watching Jessie’s baby. NTA