Do you feel like a housekeeper?

nlitened · Oct 20, 2014

Well, in the preop and PACU areas those patients usually don't need a lot of tending to. Maybe try to snag a position on a Med/Surg floor? And with your home health patients, I don't see why you couldn't help them in an occupational therapy sense, ROM exercises, etc. I have worked with a stroke patient and we enjoyed playing Scrabble, putting puzzles together, going outside and taking pictures of things and then have him not only tell me what it was but a story to go along with it. To a stroke patient who is having trouble finding his words...this is therapy. Plus going outside for a walk and pictures is a good way to sneak in exercise;) OH! And Words with Friends! We play Words everyday. But it doesn't have to be all about the cleaning. You can sneak in things to help them recover, live a safer/healthier life, entertain them. Just an idea. Hope I helped a little.

Missingyou, CNA · Oct 20, 2014

This is why I don't do home care. Too much sitting around or doing cleaning. I've tried all the "let's do a fun activity", but all they want/need me for is cleaning house or the client wants to sleep or it's too cold/hot outside....etc.

So now I work in a LTC facility where I run my tail off every night and I love my job!

mvm2 · Oct 20, 2014

Yes if you want to get into Home Care there is a lot of household chores. But here is the thing....Some CNAs I feel just do not get it. This is a home like yours. Things still have to be done to have this place run and be clean like anyone elses home. MAny people get to a point that they can not physically clean there homes and yes they hire some people like a home health agency to not only take care of THEIR physical needs but the needs of the house. Regardless that you were not taught to clean windows in CNA class does not mean that these are not important tasks that need to be done.

I always say if you don't want to do house work find another avenue to go into because for us Home Health Aides many times we do have household chores to do. If you only want to be giving baths, and rolling poeple around in their wheelchairs all day extra then there are many places that you can apply and like Missing You be very happy. But don't be a home health aide and complain about the housework. It is part of a home health aides job discription and people who hire home health deserve those that are willing to help them keep their home feeling like home. Home health is not cheap for these people and I feel for what they pay cleaning a few dishes or doing a load of laundry is not a big deal. It is part of being of service to your clients. Why can't CNAs find the value in it? I personally can feel just as good after moping a personals floor as I do giving them a shower, and I do not feel my CNA skills are being waisted at all. I find personal satifaction that with me helping my clients keep their house clean it is just another reason that they can stay home and not be in a nursing home. And many times they are always very greatful when they can see and smell a fresh clean house. Doesn't everyone?

Missingyou, CNA · Oct 21, 2014

Well said mvm2!

Each of us have our talents and our calling. For some of us, it's in a home, for others it's in a hospital or LTC facility.

Johndough, you just need to find setting where you're most comfortable so you can do your best.

mindofmidwifery, ADN · Oct 25, 2014

Yes if you want to get into Home Care there is a lot of household chores. But here is the thing....Some CNAs I feel just do not get it. This is a home like yours. Things still have to be done to have this place run and be clean like anyone elses home. MAny people get to a point that they can not physically clean there homes and yes they hire some people like a home health agency to not only take care of THEIR physical needs but the needs of the house. Regardless that you were not taught to clean windows in CNA class does not mean that these are not important tasks that need to be done.
I always say if you don't want to do house work find another avenue to go into because for us Home Health Aides many times we do have household chores to do. If you only want to be giving baths, and rolling poeple around in their wheelchairs all day extra then there are many places that you can apply and like Missing You be very happy. But don't be a home health aide and complain about the housework. It is part of a home health aides job discription and people who hire home health deserve those that are willing to help them keep their home feeling like home. Home health is not cheap for these people and I feel for what they pay cleaning a few dishes or doing a load of laundry is not a big deal. It is part of being of service to your clients. Why can't CNAs find the value in it? I personally can feel just as good after moping a personals floor as I do giving them a shower, and I do not feel my CNA skills are being waisted at all. I find personal satifaction that with me helping my clients keep their house clean it is just another reason that they can stay home and not be in a nursing home. And many times they are always very greatful when they can see and smell a fresh clean house. Doesn't everyone?

I agree with you but at the nursing home I work at, CNAs do a lot of "housekeeping" as well as assigned CNA duties. I know it's not the same but it's a lot to do when the place is already understaffed.

johndough · Oct 31, 2014

I know my comment is a little late. I do respect the home care field, but here is an example of why I felt like a maid rather than a CNA. I was give a client (adult teen) who had some sort of GI related disease. This client is nowhere near as incapable as those of the frail senior citizens. He lived with his parents and siblings. He played soccer, drove to school, and attended events. He is basically a typical teen living his life in his parents' lavish home. He can only consume formula because of his GI problem.

So, I was given this client and was told that he needed homemaker help, just to clean his bed and bathroom. His bathroom is shared with his 4 other siblings. This is nowhere near "light housekeeping." Clothes were everywhere on the floor and everything is literally everywhere.

It was obvious that the parents are using their insurance because they are not able to manage discipline their kids' cleaning habits. Their son has a permanent disease so they somewhat qualified for a home aid once a week. 80% of their problem would be fixed if the parents would just literally tell their children to put the dirty clothes in the hamper and put the dirty tissue in the trash can. The trash can was not even filled and the trash is just around it.

Missingyou, CNA · Nov 1, 2014

Sounds like you might be happier working in a LTC facility.

In a LTC you do 95% direct care and tidy up rooms as time allows in most facilities.

You CONSTANTLY are moving and doing something and it does not usually include cleaning a room other than maybe taking away the trash and putting away stray items.

You will spend the majority of your time changing briefs, making people comfortable, feeding residents, toileting AGAIN, showering people, doing range of motion and walking them, encouraging them and reassuring them when they are upset or confused.

You will hear their stories of when they were young and other amazing stories while you provide care. You will also probably be the first one to notice something is wrong with a resident because they are acting differently.

You will use all the skills you learned and THEN some.

You will have challenging moments when a scared and confused resident hits you when you are trying to help them.

You will be exhausted and drained emotionally and physically on many days and other days you will just be sad because you lost a resident you cared for. Sometimes, you will wonder WHY choose to be a CNA in the first place!!! You will also be uplifted when you are able to calm someone who is frightened or get someone to eat who hasn't been eating.. You will remember that you made someone more comfortable and you helped someone.

Home care wasn't for me and neither was working in assisted living because I didn't like the cleaning and the down time.

I LOVE my job in a nursing home.

Try it, I bet you'll like it! :)

valliloves · Nov 4, 2014

It sounds like it is less about what you are doing and more about a resentment of how they are choosing to live their lives. Or maybe you are just bored and you are the type that needs challenges to stay motivated. Go to LTC and shine! I am sure those people would love to have you wanting to take care of them and improve their quality of life :)

Mouse10 · May 10, 2018

As a cna who does home health i do not mind doing light housekeeping. However i feel sometimes we are taken advantage of. Ive been sent to houses where all they needed was housework. Which was fine at first but i want to do more of what i trained to do. Like actual hands on care.

When I first started as a cna i didn't know the meaning of light housekeeping so i basically did whatever was asked including lawn care and cleaning windows once.

I learned fast that like any job there are boundaries.

When I was asked to clean windows a second time and i refused the client cancelled her services.

She never needed hands on care either.

From now on i wont take a client unless they need hands on care of some type. If all they need done is cleaning then they need a cleaning service not a cna.

Wannabenurseneko · May 15, 2018

I actually had a family assume I was the maid/house keeper / nanny one, client made me watch her kids and another tried to leave me to watch her house; While she went to the hospital , when I told her I was supposed to accompany her to the doctor she seemed to not like that and the next week I was fired .

I get that cleaning usually comes with home health, but when you are asking me to do things that's not part of my job it gets very outlandish .