Page 10 - Mid Valley Times 1-7-21 E-edition

Thursday, January 7, 2021 | A10 | Mid Valley TiMes
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The Backbone and the Heart in Caring for Seniors.
Back in the ‘70s, when I worked as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home in Kansas, I did not need to be certified. I got my training work- ing alongside another nursing aide and soon I had my own set of resi- dents to take care of. The nursing assistant to- day is better trained and
Now What?
has a fuller understand- ing of nursing practices. Certianly, the pandemic highlights their value in care. There is a grave concern since training programs for new aides have been sparse due to COVID-19 spread is- sues.
As part of being a long-term care ad-
By Ro Linscheid
ministrator, I have been spending a lot of time in the Nursing Care of Sierra View Homes following the Certi- fied Nursing Assistants (CNA). This gave me the opportunity to look at what their day con- sists of and, believe me it is not always easy. These paraprofessional members of the health- care team take care of the personal needs of people who for one rea- son or another cannot take care of himself or herself. The CNA helps the residents to get up in the morning, go to bed at night, and take care of any and sometimes all personal needs. At-
tentions to the resident’s hygiene, bathing, dress- ing, and toilet use assis- tance are all part of the daily routine for a CNA. CNAs make sure all residents get to eat three meals a day. If a resident has trouble getting the food to their mouth, the CNA is ready to assist. Skin integrity is a pri- ority as the CNA gives care and they report any skin break down they encounter for follow up. If anyone is feeling ill or just not as perky as he or she was yesterday, it is the CNA who picks up on those changes and alerts the charge nurses. The list could go on and onbutIamsureyouget the picture.
Because there was no formal nursing aide training in the past, there were no set stan- dards. The state of Cali- fornia took a hard look at the lack of standards and created a new man- date that nursing aides
had to take a state-ap- proved course of 100 hours of classroom edu- cation and 50 hours of internship. This educa- tion covers basic nursing skills, resident’s dignity, vital signs, basic reha- bilitative services, per- sonal care skills, and safety and emergency procedures. Once the course and clinical work is completed, there is a state exam that must be passed for the nursing aid to earn the certifi- cation. The amount of education required and the need to renew one’s certification has greatly improved the quality of care in nursing homes, hospitals and other medical facilities.
CNAs are the front line of any nurs- ing home. They must keep their skills sharp to be able to handle each resident with confidence and empathy. In order to keep their certifica- tion current the CNA
must have continuing education. They have to prove to the state every two years that they have had hours and hours of continuing education in order to retain the certi- fication.
As I watched the Sierra View Homes CNAs, I became in- terested to find out why they do this kind of work. A number of people told me they have always wanted to be in nursing. That car- ing for people is what they find meaningful. One CNA talked about how she felt she was making a difference in these residents’ lives. “It is rewarding to take care of people who cannot do much for themselves.” She talked about trying other medical fields and found that being a CNA was the right fit for her. Another CNA spoke of
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