This ^ is accurate.
CNAs or whatever they are called there are paid near or minimum wage. They may only have the training provided by the facility they work at. It could be that aides first week. Make friends not enemies.
I am an RN and no that behavior is not acceptable. I find it hard to imagine that the aide thought it was.
PS. My well wishes to your wife and yourself. I know she didn’t volunteer for the title, but she IS a hero.
Jeebus. I’m. Not a medical professional either, and “don’t dunk the urinal in the toilet and set it on the lunch table” seems pretty damn obvious to me.
Damn, this. The urinal should never be rinsed in the toilet water, ferchrissakes. It doesn’t matter if it’s been flushed and the water is supposedly “clean.” Depending on the facility, there may be a tap right at the toilet, so it can be rinsed out with clean water and dumped back in the toilet. But at a minimum, after dumping the urine in the toilet it should be taken to the sink and rinsed. And it should never be placed on a surface. As mentioned in the OP, it should be hung on the bed frame by the handle.
(never mind)
Really, it’s more fundamental than this seemingly obvious conclusion: the phrase “rinsed in the toilet” should never occur EVER.
Because, really, WTF? I don’t even leave the toilet brush “rinsed in the toilet.”
Sorry to hear that, Sailboat, and best wishes for your wife’s recovery! Hope the hospital heeds y’all’s complaints!
Here’s hoping Sailboat’s next post is “I spoke to someone and already the urinal has come back clean and hung on the bed.”
Good god, dude. What a shame 
Wait, where do you rinse a toilet brush? In the sink? That seems far more horrible than just rinsing it in the toilet after you’ve used it.
I’m happy to hear your wife is on the mend.
Which is why you need to watch this place like a hawk. I agree that a nice smile and being pleasant goes a long way, but the more you’re around and letting people know you’re aware of what’s going on the better.
This is also a good reason to have other visitors keep an eye out for you. However, your wife’s circumstances are atypical. You mentioned at one point there was a guard for patients affected by the incident, is that still in effect?
OK. Urinals do NOT go on the tray table. They should, as you stated, hang on the bedframe or be on some surface OTHER than where food is served and personal activities take place.
When you make your polite, rational complaint please point this out, that placing a urinal where food trays are placed at other times of the day is not good hygiene.
You need to bring this to the attention of the facility. The proper people - nurse managers, ombudsman, patient advocate, have all been mentioned.
Be calm and rational. Focus on problem solving.
If I was doing this I would, as noted, point out that this is not a hygienic practice. That the staff member needs to be retrained and stop doing doing this. Your wife’s tray table should be sanitized. Don’t mention lawyers and suing.
The hospital where my late husband spent entirely too much of his final months had a device attached to the toilet (a sort of wand) that allowed rinsing of such things at the toilet without using the sink OR the toilet bowl. It could be that this staff member was told to use such a wand and misunderstood. As noted, this could be a new person. In any case, the facility would VERY much want to know about what’s going on because this sort of thing can most certainly lead to lawsuits, but they want to learn about it in a non-confrontational manner. Approach it as “there’s a problem that needs to be fixed” rather than WTF IS GOING ON HERE?!?!
Probably nothing - this sort of misconduct is not the norm (thank Og!). However, a little paranoia is understandable at this point and not entirely uncalled for. Frankly, a little paranoia in a medical facility is always a good tactic Your wife should feel free to question any aspect of her care, as should you.
If it has not already been made official, get legal documentation that you are your wife’s health care proxy and able to speak/act on her behalf. This should not be difficult, in my state it’s a one-page form, and make sure all health providers have a copy. Keep your eyes open when you visit the facility. Ask questions. I’ve found it’s best to frame them as “I just want to understand this better…” or “This seems to be a problem, can we talk about how to resolve/fix it?” rather than going in guns blazing.
Not if you clean the sink afterwards. Which is the proper order of operations.
Geez, people, do I have to do all your thinking for you?
Yeah, this was what I meant. It swings down over the bowl and is meant for washing bedpans, urinals, and other such devices without contaminating the sink.
Well, the rehab center management reacted strongly enough to our complaint to mollify my wife, who is feeling much better. The offending nursing assistant has been put on restricted duty and training has been ordered for the floor staff.
I did go over and assist her in bathing (after rubbing down the shower chair with antiseptic wipes).
We are still keeping a polite eye on everything.
Thanks for the sympathy, all.
Glad to hear it!
Excellent! Chances are the other staff know this nursing assisting has been messing up, and they’re glad someone spoke up, because they really can’t. Many hugs to both of you.
Good that management reacted well. I hope things go better.
Excellent. Keep it up until she’s released, which I hope will be soon.
I’m glad to see management taking this seriously.
Poor health worker antiseptic practice is a huge source of nosocomial infection. Your case seems to be the most egregious case of “poor antiseptic practice” I’ve ever heard of… I’m glad they’re turning it around. I hope everyone involved will take the lesson professionally. To me, it’s sad that a lot of folks involved in medicine aren’t really professionals, just trying to earn their minimum wage (sometimes with minimum effort).