Lisa*
Lisa is a 44 year old Hispanic woman employed as a full-time home care attendant.
Lisa first worked (years ago) as a Certified Nurses Aide in a nursing home. She left the nursing home after witnessing and reporting a resident being abused, and nothing being done about it. Following that, she was needed at home to care for her sick husband, who passed away in June 2003.
Upon re-entering the job market, Lisa worked for several different places "to keep herself busy". She worked during the day providing home care, and in the evening at a facility for Alzheimer's patients. Each place allowed her to work with older adults, and Lisa found that by helping them improve their quality of life, she was able to start her own healing.
Lisa completed 32 hours of Care for Elders training. Because she is a small woman, she found the Proper Movement Classes, including how to properly use a gait belt, to be the most helpful in preparing her to care for her clients. She is now able to transfer and assist her clients safely, and without putting strain on her back. She is also able to alleviate any pain she might have caused her clients when transferring them from the bed to a chair.
Over the years Lisa has worked with clients from all walks of life. In November, she started taking care of a Korean client, and believes that the cultural sensitivity training she received during Care for Elders orientation gave her a better grasp on the cultural needs and expectations of her client. Even though she no longer serves that particular client, Lisa was motivated to learn more about the Asian culture and voluntarily attended the two hour continuing education class about cultural sensitivity of the Asian Community presented by the Chinese Community Center.
Lisa is also a recipient of Care for Elders worker recognition program, receiving a $25 Starbucks gift card. Her supervisor felt that Lisa deserved to be recognized because her clients are always praising her work and she never hesitates to report a problem concerning a client's care. Although Lisa does receive recognition from the family members of her clients, she found it very rewarding to receive a card signed by all of her co-workers thanking her for "going above and beyond".
Nora*
Nora is a 40 year old, African American employed as a part-time home care attendant.
Encouraged by her grandfather, Nora became a C.N.A in 1996. Over the years she has worked with many older adults and feels that her caregiving skills come from her heart. She takes care of each of her patients as if they are family. Nora is currently a family caregiver for her mother who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In addition to taking care of her mom, she works for two home health agencies and is an on-call EKG Tech.
Nora completed 32 hours of Care for Elders training. After completing the CFE classes, Nora feels that the training offered to C.N.A's is inadequate, and does not provide the basic knowledge needed to take care of older adults.
After taking Susan Wittjen's CFE class on End of Life issues, Nora and her mom completed the Medical Power of Attorney form. The class that Nora found to be the most fascinating was on Substance Abuse among the Elderly, presented by Pat Pullins with The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. She describes the information presented in this class as "an eye opener" - it had never occurred to her that alcohol and drug abuse was so prevalent among older adults. Nora felt that the materials provided were very valuable, and she often reviews them and the notes she took in class.
Brittany*
Brittany is 67 years old, African American, and started working for Sheltering Arms Senior Services (SASS) in October 2006.
Brittanys first experience in elder care came when her parents moved in with her in the early 80's because her father need more care then her mother could provide. She then went to work for SASS in 1983, but had to leave her position when her husband had a stroke and she had to care for him. In May 2006, Brittany was able to return to work (outside the home).
Brittany works with two clients who have Alzheimer's disease. She completed 32 hours of Care for Elders training, and overall, found each class to be relevant to some aspect of her job. Although she is a C.N.A, Brittany learned many new skills through the CFE classes, especially the ones about dementia. Just as the instructor had encouraged, Brittany now spends time learning as much as she can about her clients. Every morning she walks with her male clients, and uses this time to learn more about their interests and families.
Brittany has also found that she pays more attention to the physical aspects and "cues" from her clients as result of the CFE training. She's learned to gauge the length of her walks with her clients, to make sure they don't become too fatigued. Most important however, Brittany feels she has become more patient with her clients and she uses many of the techniques taught in class to alleviate her clients' frustration when they are unable to "find words" or communicate clearly - problems often associated with Alzheimer's and dementia.
*Name have been changed
