Nurse Francesca O’Grady, 22, reveals the real reason she’s always covered in bruises

A young nurse who is constantly questioned over suspicious looking bruises has revealed exactly why she’s black and blue at the end of each day.

Francesca O’Grady, 22, said elderly dementia patients are to blame.

‘They do know how to leave a mark,’ she joked.

And other nurses agreed they have been left bumped and bruised after a long shift on the dementia ward.

‘Love them to death but good Lord they are ready to fight every second of the day,’ one nurse agreed.

Another one agreed and said ‘they will not go gently into that good night’.

Others shared details of ‘fights’ they have had with their own patients.

 ‘A 98-year-old hit me in the head with a remote and made my head bleed because I took her to the bathroom because she asked me to,’ one woman complained.

‘I got punched in the eye last night,’ said another.

‘I got kicked in the face right before seeing this,’ laughed another.

‘I have had patients dig and scratch me with their finger nails. I manage to back up and avoid the punches most of the time though,’ added another nurse. 

Others said they had friends concerned about domestic violence, after starting in aged care.

‘I got asked if everything was okay at home, home yes. Work no,’ one woman said.

The conversation, which was had on a TikTok video, then turned to why the elderly patients all appear to have ‘superhuman strength’.

‘The strength they get from being in a constant state of fight or flight is unmatched,’ one woman said.

‘They don’t have the mental barrier anymore – that thing that stops you from eating your own finger – it is gone,’ said another.

‘Fact, I work with dementia patients and they are all damn strong,’ agreed a third.

Others joked that turning up to work was like heading to fight club.

And it’s not just the nurses who ‘get it’.

One woman explained she had to sit her confused grandma down and beg her not to bash the nurses anymore.

The nurse often posts videos talking about her time at work, and has built a huge following 

‘Grandma, you can’t just punch people in the face,’ she laughed.

Relatives of nurses also chimed in.

‘My mum came home one day with a black eye. one of her ladies got scared and hit her in the face with the thing they use to get out of bed,’ she said. 

While most people were focused on the bruises others begged the young nurse for her skincare routine, she revealed she loves the Plum Plump hyalauronic cream and always uses SPF.

Francesca has over 15,000 followers on TikTok where she often shares stories from her time as a nurse.