Am I too sensitive?

[Libra_mjs]

I have read alot of threads about CNA's to prepare me for when I finally get a job. Most have been very informative and give me insight on what I'm getting myself into. Yes most of these threads have scared me but not enough to make me want to give up on being a CNA, I am a very caring person and I want to help those who need it!!

Anyway I have seen topics on almost everything from how to deal with feces to vomit on this board but none on how to deal with death. Like I mention in the title I am very sensitive and death is one of those things I have a hard time dealing with and I know in most nursing homes most residents are at the end of their lives Being the caring person I am I can't help but get attach to people I meet even if I've only known them for 2 days, especially if they're kind to me. It will be very hard for me to watch or hear about one of my patients passing away, and no matter how I prepare myself I know I would probably break down in tears. I have a CNA friend that says its not that bad but I just wanted to know how everybody else experiences was with death. Am I too sensitive to be a CNA,? How do you deal with the lost of a resident?

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Everyone initially is heartbroken when someone to whom one has become attached dies. But in time you will come to see death, for these folks, as a welcome release from infirmity and debility.

I think you are precisely the kind of person who should be a CNA.

:)

[CoffeemateCNA]

The first death you experience is often one of the hardest. You have no idea what to expect and have almost no preparation for it; it just happens. I was extremely distraught when my first resident died, even though it was someone I had never really been that fond of. Many of the other CNAs I worked with were newbies, too, and I just remember all of us standing around and crying for quite awhile. We had no idea what we were supposed to do and feel.

Death is always hard. Sometimes it is easier for the resident, the family, and the staff, if the resident is "ready" and the family is supportive and comforting. Other times it can be much more difficult if the family has a lot of unresolved anger and issues from the past.

I have been a part of MANY deaths. Some affected me more than others, but each resident leaves something with you. The "long-timers" are often harder to get over, because they have been a part of your life for so long. They are the ones the staff cries and really mourns for. Then there are the transient people who may have only been transfered to the facility for a few days for hospice. We all feel sad when they pass, but it's not the same level of grieving as for the long-term ones.

I'm like you, I tend to get attached. They tell you in school you are not supposed to get attached. But when I'm in a nursing home, I want staff members that truly care about me and like me, not ones that go around like emotionless robots. :)

[Libra_mjs]

Thank you, your replies really put me at ease :redpinkhe