When a resident’s family does their laundry

We have a few residents here whose families do their laundry. However, some families do not realize how much laundry a resident can use in a few days. Many times clothing is not returned to the resident quickly enough. Last week a female resident had to wear her pajamas during the daytime. When I asked the aide why, she said the resident’s family had not returned her clean clothing.

I am sure some families do not want their loved ones’ clothing washed in the facility laundry. But the laundry staff can do them quickly and return them faster than the family can.

It would be better if families only did the nicer clothing or clothing that needs special care. For instance, it is difficult for the facility laundry to wash cable knit sweaters. That would be something that a resident’s family could do.

One of the aides brought up a bad story this morning. She was getting clothing for a resident whose family does the laundry. When she opened the closet she was almost overcome by the smell of cigarette smoke. Apparently that resident’s family member never realized that their cigarette smoke would be inhaled by an aide here.

There are many things to consider when a resident’s family does their laundry.