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Nursing assistants ease elderly's burden |
| Channels » Home » News » Nursing assistants ease elderly's burden |
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November 8, 2003 |
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This article by Daniel Przbyla was reprinted with permission from the Nov. 8, 2003, edition of the LaPorte (Ind.) Herald-Argus.
Certified nurse assistants (CNAs) are the frontline in nursing homes, accomplishing the many routine tasks for residents that are taken for granted.
Bathing. Brushing teeth. Brushing hair. Dressing. Feeding. Helping into bed. Helping out of bed.
These basics require little thought for most younger people. But for the elderly in nursing homes, they can be monumental tasks. That's when people like Elana Neibergall and Teresa Disse step in and provide their indispensable service.
Both CNAs at Continuing Care Center of LaPorte Hospital, Neibergall and Disse are well aware of the challenges that come with the physically demanding work. "They [residents] may not know what's going on around them so we have to help them understand," Disse, 32, said.
Whether it's helping to pull up residents from their wheelchair into bed or changing soiled beddings, CNAs seem to look beyond what can be unpleasant aspects of their job.
They sometimes must keep a stoic face on the outside while maintaining a warm glow on the inside. Being a part of these people's lives on a daily basis, it's common for the CNA staff to develop strong bonds with them. And when the inevitable happens -- residents die -- it can be difficult.
"There's nothing you can do about it. You have to be strong for them. You have to stand there. Sometimes you have to hold their hand and watch them go," Neibergall, 19, said. She knows the fifth floor of the hospital is likely the final place for many.
"You are making the difference in the last part of their lives. You have to be strong for them," Angie Makina, 22, said.
But with the sadness comes the joy of the job. It's common for relatives of residents to give thank-you letters, hugs and other forms of appreciation, like candy, for the hard work they put into making their mother or father comfortable.
"I have never had a job I've been appreciated more," Paula Beehler, 40, said. "They are very appreciative of our care."
Healthcare officials say it takes a special breed of person to be a CNA. "There's great satisfaction in helping people you know need help," Neibergall said.
Life changes dramatically for seniors who have left home for long-term care. "Once you can't do it anymore, you are hoping one of us is there to help you," Disse said.
But not everyone is fit to be a CNA. Art Logsdon, president of the Indiana Health Care Association, said CNA turnover is a concern among nursing home administrators. "Finding quality staff is the number one thing that keeps them awake at night," he said.
And the sometimes low pay doesn't help. "CNAs could be paid the same as someone flipping burgers at McDonald's. They feel like they are the low man on the totem pole; job satisfaction is low."
For some, the demands put on CNAs by regulations are too much. "There are a lot of rules to follow and some people have a tough time coping with those absolutes," Jill Brennan, director of nursing services at Fountainview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, said.
Fountainview executive director Debbie Tanksley took it one step farther. "You have to treat people right and respectfully or you are out of here," she said.
Administrators agree that it takes a special individual to be a CNA. "Most do what they do because they love their job. They aren't doing it to get rich," Cookie Porter of Michigan City Health Care Center said.
The staff of Continuing Care CNAs said though they are paid well it's not enough for the hard work. "We are paid well once we get the thank you letters," Makina said.
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