General Chat

It has been decided now that it is not appropriate to call patients Love, Dear, Darling, Pet ...ect
They have to be called Mr or Mrs unless permission has been given to be called by their first name by the patient.
What is the world coming to...Has political correctness gone too far?...What do you folks out there think....I for one would like to turn back the clock 25-30 years and live in a normal world again at least we were a damn sight more sociable in those day's.

I have to disagree I'm afraid.

Everyone who knows me calls me Jill. My full name is Gillian which is what I am called if ever I'm in hospital. Really and totally cheeses me off. Quite happy for them to ask what I would prefer being called. (Quite happy being called "oy, you, Mrs Grumpy - so long as they ask first!)

My mother, when in hospital aged about 70, was quite miffed at being called Alice by all and sundry. I think she would have been OK with this if they had checked with her first but she said it made her feel like a little girl ...

Jill

A friend of mine told me about this , she works in a care home looking after people that have Huntington's. It is yet another ridiculous new political correctness rule.
As if people who work in the care sector haven't got enough on their minds they have to be able to remember every persons name. Next thing will be making the patients wear name badges all the time I suppose..........the worlds going mad.

Love, Dear, Darling, Pet ...ect is patronising.

Mr or Mrs is fine by me. It is about time that respect was brought back.

I can understand the name part,
however what is wrong with" would you like a cup of tea love," or "do you need your pillows fluffing up sweetheart"
Nothing is wrong with local terms of endearment. everything has now got to be so clinical.

Does that mean we can't call Alistair Darling darling ?

I trained as a nurse many years ago and we always gave people the respect of their title and name - that's how it was then. Nowadays we ask people how they would like to be addressed.
When I am out and about shopping I hate to be addressed as dear, love, darling ..........or the worst one 'me duck'!

Maybe we should all have a number on our foreheads so then nobody can get confused.

I think its respectful to be addressed correctly by a health proffesional/carer etc until the patient expresses a preferance to be called by their christian name.

So do i if i were in a consulting room or having a diagnosis given by a doctor, But we are talking about everyday nursing and ward duties. Although it did state on the radio that it was the older generation who were more particular about the correct title thing, Older i mean the over 60's

I agree with Mildred that everyone should be addressed as Mr ... or Mrs ... whatever initially, and thereafter, by their christian names if the patients so desire.

What concerns me is Amanda's comment - is she suggesting that careworkers/nurses call people 'love' or 'dearie' because they don't know their real names?

Angela

I think it would depend (in Amanda's post) on how big the care home is and how many staff there are. If there is a high staff turnover it could be difficult for the staff to keep track. If it's a larger home with a high patient turnover the same might apply.

Personally I think name badges would be good. Would save any confusion.

If I am in my confused dotage one day and someone is trying to ask me questions and calling me Gillian I would ignore them anyway in the same way I would ignore it now - so a name badge saying Jill would solve that problem. No worries.

Jill

when I went for my pre op meeting the first question I was asked was "What do we call you? What do you prefer?"
I was happy to be called by my first name.
Ann
Glos

And why don't staff know the patients real names?

They could call me what they liked as long as the operation went o.k.

Had a pre-op form to fill in last week - first thing do you wish to be called Mrs.............. or christian name? Never got asked all this when had my accident end of April - discovered that staff called me by christian name whereas drs/surgeons called me by my married name.

The staff might know the patients real names but not necessarily know what to call them unless somehow it's made very clear to them.

I can think that agency staff, temporary staff, part-timers might well have trouble keeping up with everyone ...

So when I go to visit my 91 year old aunt, in a care home, I cant call her Aunty **** which is her name, even though most days she doesnt know me fron a stranger walking down the hall?
Get a flipping grip!!! these are People with names , not numbers!

Jill

I agree. My mum's name is M??? but she is known as J???. If called M??? in hospital she ignores them. Name badges (if correct!) would solve the problem.

I remember, when my mother-in-law was dying, the nurse kept calling her E??????. I thought that's not her name, why are you calling her that? It was her real name, but she was known by another name.

Angela

That's what we mean Taff - people need to be called by the names that they are known by. These may not be the same as their "official" names. Plus, older people might like to be asked what they prefer to be called.

My ex m-i-l was for most of her life known as Teddy - everyone called her Teddy. Her real name was Doris and I doubt that she would have answered to Doris in hospital (or anywhere else come to that).

Jill