CNA teaching aids

[pabner33j]

I am the "receipe" for a kit which I can use in my CNA instruction class. Years ago, my nursing instructor showed me a "kit" she had made. (It was a baggie.) It contained some items like a needle/thread, something to look thru (that would distort vision). The idea of the kit was to show the student how difficult it was to thread a needle if that person had cataracts.... There were other items in it, but it was so long ago, I simply to not remember what else was in it. Can someone help?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

put vaseline on the glasses to simulate cataracts. Use a wheelchair in a rocky area or when confronted with steps and stairs. Cover hands and fingers with tape to make them bulky, then try to open jar, use eating utensils, buttoning shirt, etc. Put ear plugs in a try to hear a conversation. Wrap body with enough padding to make patient large and bulky then try to turn in bed, get off floor, wipe their backside! I bet you can find more on the internet.

[amoLucia]

Put an UNpopped popcorn kernel in a shoe. Cotton puffs could be used to distort hearing.

Taped a couple of fingers (on dominant hand) together to simulate hand dexterity dysfunction.

Have staff be totally wheelchair-dependent for the day's (total day or half-day) class activities like having to navigate around the classroom, cafeteria, hallways, doorways, etc. And they had to use the whch to go to the bathroom - couldn't really check to see if they really did try to transfer to the toilet, but it did simulate the cramped quarters.

Could also make staff some be totally walker-dependent. It really slows one down when you have to 'step-step-move walker', 'step-step-move walker'. It like takes a third action-motion to move the distance after the 2 steps to keep going forward.

Staff could then exchange whch to walker for more realism.

Have staff use a "grabber/reacher" to pick up some things off the floor.

And the 'piece de resistance' was to have staff actually feed one another some drippy food like a bowl of cereal, or a PB&J sandwich.

I did the same activity as a staff inservice so this is more expansive than just the 'baggie' kit. Called it something like "instant Aging". It really raised a lot conversation & discussion.

[amoLucia]

Am just guessing that you're Staff Devel at a LTC place. You could could really super develop the "Instant Aging" training using Therapy & Social Service. I think they do similar training exercises for their disciplines.