Published: June 06, 2007 06:30 pm         

Week set to honor nursing assistants

TERRE HAUTE — June 14-21 is National Nursing Assistants Week and VistaCare will honor its certified nursing assistants and shine a spotlight on the critical role they play in caring for end-of-life patients and their families.

VistaCare’s Terre Haute office includes more than 17 CNAs. “We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated team of CNAs caring for our patients,” said Kerry Wilson. “They have the privilege and responsibility of working directly with our patients and their families on a daily basis. The services they provide truly make a difference in the quality of life of the patient and his/her family. We are pleased to give them special recognition and a pat on the back during this annual observance.”

CNAs work side by side with physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains and others. They not only provide personal care to the patient – baths, back rubs, oral hygiene, shampoos and changing bed linen – they also prepare meals, feed the patient, and watch over the patients’ well-being by making sure they are turned and positioned appropriately and that they use any adaptive equipment such as foot stools and rails properly.

VistaCare CNAs also perform patient care activities such as taking and recording temperatures and pulse and respiration and assisting the patient with ambulation and range-of-motion exercises. They also support family members by performing light housekeeping duties and doing the patient’s laundry when it is a part of the plan of care. In addition, all CNAs are certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

According to the National Network of Career Nurse Assistants, certified nursing assistants are instrumental in promoting and safeguarding the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being of their patients and their patients’ families. They are trained professionals who collaborate closely with other health care professionals to provide quality care and to elevate the status of their chosen profession.