New Cna Stressed Dementia

[Viviann]

Hi Im sorry if this is long but I need to vent. I just finished my Cna class and started working at the facility(Ltc) I was trained on. I was placed on the Dementia/Alzeheimers unit and I absolutely hate it. I talked to them and they told me to try it out and I did. The first week I was already crying in the bathroom. I get out of work and I feel depressed, I dont sleep thinking about the next day. To make it worse the other aide makes me feel bad.

Prior to this while I was doing my clinicals I loved the other units I was excited and couldn't wait to start working.

I just can not see my self on this unit. One person is really deadweight heavy for me and another is combative so I need help with these two but I hate asking the other aide for help there's been so much going on and tension. I just feel awful.

This is just really getting to me I know I wanted to be a Cna I just can not see myself on this unit any longer. I feel so sad I cry every single day. I even hold my tears at work. Please what do I do. I need to work but I do not want to work in this unit. Please I want to look for another place but I dont even know if I can put up with 2 weeks or a day longer..help please.

[Missingyou, CNA]

As far as any resident being too heavy to move, you MUST ask for help and NOT feel bad about it. It's to protect yourself and the resident. If you don't get help and they are careplanned for 2 assist, you will likely lose your job if they fall. If that person is care planned for 1 assist and it's too much on you, ask that they be reassessed.

When you ask another CNA for help, ask them who they need help with as well.

With any resident who is combative, you just have to get to know them and you will find what works for them. Sometimes it means leaving them be for a few minutes. Other times, you just need to change them or reposition them and do it quickly to get it over with and talking to them calmly. Read around this group for ideas.

Always keep your tone of voice in check when working with someone who is combative. Remember they are frightened and you appear to be a threat to them...they can't help it. ALWAYS remember that the resident's are grown adults who probably raised a family...earned a living etc, and you are just a kid to them (no matter how old you are!). Respect them and you will find they are more likely to cooperate and be respectful as well. No matter how advanced their dementia is, a person NEVER looses the need for (and the right to)dignity and respect. ever talk to them like a child just because their mind can no longer understand.

What exactly is it about the dementia unit you are struggling with? You will find the other units will not be much different. They are still people who need help and are afraid to loose their independence and self dignity and, because of that, will sometimes take it out on you since you are the caregiver. This is where patience and understanding come in!

I think the best answer is that you need to just keep at it. You are still a VERY new CNA. Which ever unit you end up on, there will be struggles simply because you are new. It will take a good month to figure things out and learn your way around different situations. We all go through this as a new CNA.

It is worth it to stick it out and learn as you go..

[Tabithaa711]

With the resident who's two heavy; Don't feel bad about asking for help lifting at all! Care is so much easier when you have enough hands. Ask the other aide if there's a good time for you two to go take care of that resident or how they usually do them. Explain that they're too much for you.

With the resident that's combative: Ask the other caregivers to show you what exactly works best for that resident and what they do. See how they approach the resident. With some of my dementia residents, if you call them Patty instead of Patricia (for example, not a real resident), They'll do anything you tell them to. With some residents, if you wait too late at night they're tired and don't want to cooperate and it's better to put them to bed earlier. With some residents, if you know their husband or wife's name, you can mention 'Bill told me you've got to get in your pajamas!'. It just really really goes with getting to know the residents. Sometimes, you can walk away and come back and re-approach and they'll be completely different. Always keep a smile on your face, and take your time.

Once you figure out what works, it's so rewarding. Stick with it!

[neuron]

Alot of times the new CNA's/employees get the worst sections or the sections nobody wants. Your employer probably knows this. Request to go to another unit. It doesn't work with another CNA who doesn't want to help you.

[soapfloats]

Remember these people are sick and confused, and they don't know you.

During my training, there was a dementia patient who was terrifying. She swore, yelled, and even hit me. The cna I was partnered with told me to talk to her, so I tried but I just made her more angry and confused.

The next time I worked with that resident, whenever she started acting out I would just give her a big cheesy grin and say "Hi! Good morning!" And she would calm down. That was all she could handle.

You need to get to know these patients, and they need to get to know you too.