Frontline Caregiving and CNA Satisfaction
By:
David S. Barmak, JD
Porsche, a CNA in New Jersey, shared with me that in her home country, Nigeria, there are no skilled nursing homes, only acute care hospitals and maternity hospitals. While she was growing up, her grandmother lived with her family. She saw how lovingly and kindly her mother cared for her grandmother when her grandmother became ill. Porsche said that throughout Nigeria, when the elderly or young are ill and come home from any type of hospital, they are taken care of by their family. When family members become old, it is expected that the children will take care of them. Porsche’s grandmother died at the age of 89. As her health declined, Porsche helped bathe her, and she saw how wonderful her grandmother felt when Porsche washed her face and hair. Providing this care to her grandmother also made Porsche feel very good about herself.
Porsche’s mother had a preschool in Nigeria, and when Porsche was old enough, she became a teacher there. At the end of the school day, the teachers, including Porsche, would wash all of the preschoolers and redress them, after changing the children’s diapers. She felt so good about herself when she took care of the children.
Porsche loves being a CNA because it makes her feel good to help the elderly in the nursing home with chores and tasks that they, the residents, can no longer do themselves. She keeps in mind that these elderly residents once led interesting lives and were able to fully care for themselves when they were young. She reminds herself that the residents once were able to walk and travel to their jobs. Now, because of age and illness, they are not able to do any of those activities and are completely dependent upon the CNAs. Porsche finds that residents are so appreciative of the little things the CNAs do for them.
When Porsche looks back at her childhood and her own youth, she sees that all of her experiences led her to appreciate and value helping people, particularly the elderly, and directed her to becoming a CNA. She gets great satisfaction from the reactions of the residents she helps.
The value of our frontline workers should never be underestimated. Every single day, they make a significant difference in our residents’ lives. The reward is not just experienced by the resident who has received quality care, it manifests itself in the satisfaction that CNAs experience, knowing they have helped others in need.
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