PRESS RELEASE: June 12, 2007 For Immediate Release
MEDIA CONTACT:
Beverly Crowl, Public Relations Specialist
Tel: 302 547 1816
Em: bcrowl@delawarehospice.org
Delaware Hospice CNA recognized on the occasion of National Certified Nursing Assistants Week
National Certified Nursing Assistants Week, June 14-17, officially recognizes the commendable work of some of the most dedicated members of the healthcare profession.
At Delaware Hospice, the needs of patients and families are met by a multi-disciplinary team, which includes a Medical Director, Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.), Counselor, Chaplain and a Volunteer.
Delaware Hospice’s Team Leader, Claire Walsh, described the role of C.N.A.’s involved in hospice care: “They’re the backbone of what we do and very valuable to the organization. C.N.A.’s are typically in the home five days a week for personal care. They may be the first to notice changes in the patient, for example, if someone is too weak for a shower or if there’s a skin rash. We depend on them to be our eyes and ears because they’re so intimately involved with the patients and see them more often than the rest of the care team.”
CNA’s need a good measure of confidence and credibility to perform their jobs. Claire wondered, “How do you walk into new folks’ homes, introduce yourself, and then disrobe them and give them a bath? Few caregivers have had experience in providing personal care on an adult. They don’t know how to change an adult diaper or change an occupied bed, or how you start with a bath and not end up with your whole room in disarray.
“Our C.N.A.’s visit the home every day and become the source of expertise that the family looks to for help with daily personal care of their loved ones. For example, transferring someone from the bed to the bedside commode is huge—where do you put your feet? Are you going to hurt them when you lift them? Our C.N.A.’s do a lot of teaching as well as reassuring the caregivers and patients that they can get through the next 24 hours until they come back.”
Lisa Hartley of Lewes, Delaware, has worked as a C.N.A. for more than 30 years and as a Delaware Hospice C.N.A. for the past three years. She described a typical day.
“We do the personal care, which, depending on the stage of the illness, might involve standing there while the patient takes a shower or it might be a complete bed bath. We’re also the intermediary between the patient, the family and the nurse, as sometimes we see things that the nurse doesn’t. Our cell phones have become our best friends. I call my nurse 3 to 4 times a day to update her on the patient’s condition or to let her know that she might need to schedule an earlier visit.
Of course, there are some patients who really don’t want you. One patient got red in the face, yelled at me, and told me he’s going to have me arrested for trespassing. I said, ‘If you’re going to yell at me, you say hello first.’ And that took some of the wind out of his sail. You try to joke them out of it; sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But it can be challenging to go in as a stranger and take them into the shower.”
C.N.A.’s who enter a new home are immediately analyzing logistics. Lisa explained, “When I go in a new place, my attention zeroes in on the spaces. Is that hall wide enough for a wheelchair? Can I get a wheelchair through that doorway? I’ve been in bathrooms where if you put the patient on the commode, you can’t wash them because there is no room for another person to stand and pivot and turn. This is true in both new and old homes.”
Claire said, “Our C.N.A.’s visit five days a week under a specific care plan, but they often end up doing extra things for a family or patient.”
Lisa said, “You can’t help but go out of your way for people sometimes. One woman wanted to go to a Christmas party, so I went over on a Saturday to shampoo her hair so she could feel good going to the party.”
“We all go out of our way for the patients. If I know they don’t have a way to get places, I’ll bring over some shampoo and rinse, or if I know they want fresh squash, I’m going to pick up some fresh squash—it’s just the right thing to do.”
Lisa talked about what motivates C.N.A.’s to do their work each day. She said, “We meet great people, we really do. And it’s worthwhile because we give people so much satisfaction and support when they need it the most. Once you become intimate with someone, they feel free to confide in you and tell you things they won’t even tell their own family members. Of course, they also feel free to vent and throw temper tantrums; but you learn to never take it personally and to remember how frustrating it must be for them.”
Lisa has developed a unique perspective on her work and her relations with patients since her recent diagnosis with cancer. “I’ve had a lot of younger patients in the past year and I still don’t know what to say when they ask me questions like ‘Why me?’ With my last one, I told her the better question might be ‘Why not?’ There’s nothing that special about any particular individual that says you, out of everyone else in the world, is never going to have anything bad happen to you. You’re not a bad person. Neither is anyone else I’ve ever met in this program--except for a particular little mean man who used to call me names. This woman was the first patient with whom I shared the reality of my own cancer. I told her what helps me is just to go through every day, not dwelling on my illness, but keeping normalcy in my life.”
Lisa, in fact, refused to stop working and continued through chemotherapy treatments with only a few weeks rest. She praised Delaware Hospice staff, “They’ve been absolutely fantastic with their support and understanding, offering to accompany me to the hospital and to doctor visits.”
Claire had nothing but praise for Lisa Hartley. “Lisa is remarkably calm and methodical in her work. There has been no situation that has ever really thrown her, and that attitude carries over to the family and patient, assuring them that they’re just going to get through it. She has been an inspiration to all of us these days with her courage and determination as she faces her illness.”
On the occasion of National Certified Nurses Assistant Week, Delaware Hospice would like to acknowledge and express appreciation for the immeasurable contributions of Certified Nurses Assistants.
About Delaware Hospice
Since 1982, Delaware Hospice has provided exceptional care and support to 26,000 patients and their families. Its mission is to help each patient, each day, live the fullest, most comfortable life possible. Delaware Hospice is the largest and only licensed, nonprofit, community-based hospice serving New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware and southern Chester and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania. For more information about Delaware Hospice’s programs and services, upcoming events, or employment opportunities, call 800-838-9800 or visit our website,
Delaware
Hospice is accredited by JCAHO.
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