philippians4:13

It sounds like you have had an awful experience as a CNA. I am 40 years old and have been a CNA since I was 20 and I love my job. I cannot work in a nurseing home because I am not strong enough to do transfers. I always strain my neck muscles and I am a wimp LOL. Some girls are strong but not me. I also dont like rushing around but I have never experienced the type of workload you are referring to. I did nurseing homes in my 20's but then I switched to home care and its great. I make $15 an hour and up. I live in Ct. The average pay in Connecticut for CNAs is $10 to $17 an hour. In homecare you only have the one client and you go to their home. I dont have to do lifts or transfers at all. I usually have alzheimer patients and they are ambulatory and can use the toilet unless they have an accident. No big deal. That doesnt bother me. My old lady cries if she soils herself. She feels bad. I help her into the shower and get her cleaned up and changed, throw the laundry in the washing machine and shes good to go. Sounds like you have allowed yourself to be taken advantage of and am now angry about it. If I was in a job like yours I would have left right away. You often get what you tolerate and I agree there are bad places to work but that holds true in any profession. I wouldnt trade CNA work for anything else. I have a friend who is an LPN and she doesnt make much more than me and she is paying on a student loan of $15 thousand dollars now. I dont want the debt or the added responsibility of her job. Im happy right where I am and if your thinking of being a CNA I think you should go for it and dont let anyone discourage you because there are great jobs out there, just dont settle for a bad one. No matter what you decide to do.

You are definately not an idiot for goodness sake. This job can take a toll on someones self esteem. Especially if you like to make things good and want life to be fair and everyone to be happy. Not Possible. Theres only one you compared to 12 to 16 residents you care for. Prioritize. I had to leave LTC because I could not get a grip on the fact that I would have to neglect my residents in order to get the important things done. Depressed and stressed me something awful. Some aids are better are accepting that fact. I cried and felt worthless. Now I work in homecare and I love it. I go to someones home and have just thyem to care for. I presently work 3 days a week on a 12 hour shift. 8am to 8pm on thurs,fri,sat and I really like the hours and the pay is $5 an hour more than in LTC. Dont stay too long if its not for you. Know yourself and find a job that suits you so you can feel good at the end of the day and not depressed or stressed. Homecare might be a good alternative for you if LTC doesnt work for you. Good Luck. The better you take care of yourself the better you can take care of your responsibilities. April

Well I actually had a panic attack during my last skill test when I was dressing the dummy. I tried to rush cause I was shaking and almost knocked the dummy off the bed. The testing woman got up and left the room and I finished up and went to the bathroom and cried. When I came out she told me I passed. I wanted to hug her. I dont know what happened to me in there. I was worried over nothing because I did everything right and scored 100 on my written test. I did it to myself with my worrying. Be nice to your self. Starting now.No more negative thoughts. You will pass.

I wouldnt want to work on my own as a newbie. But...if you are at a facility then there are nurses there so you dont have to worry . Your not solely responsible for the patient as you would be if you were going to peoples homes. If the agency does send you to peoples homes then ask for only non medical clients untill you feel more confident. I liked dementia clients in the beginning because there were no medical conditions to be concerned about and they couldnt report me if I did something wrong. Ha Ha. No seriously, I just felt more comfortable because I wasnt being judged I think. They were just happy to see me and I muddled along till I got the hang of it and confidence in myself. If your in a facility you will probably be helping out the staff so you will be told what to do and when to do it and then you can ask questions. Offer to help the aids and they will help you in return if its a nice place. Agencies do pay a lot better and thats why I work for one too. I do home care and I dont take on clients with serious medical issues because I am alone there with them and dont like that. A nurse should be around but often a family cant afford that so they stick you in there instead. Dont do it. Your registration is on the line and you could lose it. Do what you feel comfortable doing and dont sway from that. I have been a CNA for 20 years and I dont do what I think a nurse should be doing and I wont take on whats over my head. Not wise. Good luck. I think you will be just fine. April

Thanks for clarifying this for me. I will not contact the family.

Ok. That makes sence. The staff nurses were uncomfortable because the patients vital signs were weak and like you said, his breathing was slowed down. I did not know that was a side effect of the morphine and maybe the nurse was expecting him to expire so hospice was called in. Could be he is still alive. All the family was called in to say goodbye but I wonder now. I would like to know if he died. I have the wifes cell phone number and I think I am going to give her a call and ask her how things are going and if he passed then at least give my condolences. I was only there twice but she was hanging on me a lot and needed lots of hugs. She kept saying how helpful my presence there was for her so I think it would be ok for me to give her a call. So being snowed means that the morphine gets upped and maybe is too high for the patient to tolerate so the patient expires? Is this ever done on purpose? Does a doctor ever think a patient is not gonna make it so they up the morphine to keep them comfortable , knowing it will probably kill them? I would rather be comfortable if I was dieing. He was struggling with his breathing before they upped it and had to sit straight up or else felt like he couldnt get air. poor man. Maybe the doctor knew that upping his morphine would kill him but had to choose this in order to keep him comfortable. The guy smoked all his life. What a horrible way to go. Thank GOD for morphine.

I am a CNA and was recently sent to a retirement home to care for a man with lung cancer that had spread to his brain and stomach. He was in good spirits, wearing a morphine patch, but not completely out of it. The following week when I went back the mans wife was very angry and said that the doctors had decided to kill him today. She yelled at the nurses and told me that the doctor "snowed" her husband without telling her. Now I asked my agency what that meant and we both are assuming it means that they upped his morphine in order to speed up his death. Would somebody please ellaborate on this for me. I was replaced that day by hospice. Is it common practice to not notify the family when this is going to be done.? Thanks April

I think everyone in the world believes they deserve better pay . In health care, pay is based on education. Its just the way it is. I wouldnt expect a higher salary unless I go back to school which I am not interested in doing. My son makes the same amount of money I do and he is an apprentice in plumbing. He comes home every day too with an acheing back and people giving him a hard time all day but he keeps up his classes and putting in his time so he can make better money someday. He will still come home with an acheing back but he will have a fatter paycheck. The only way to make better money is school. CNA is the first rung on the ladder. A CNA job is never going to pay much because we are the laborers in health care and it will always be that way.Thats what the job is. We never advance in this position. We are always the laborer unless we learn new skills and keep going to school.We do matter and we are very important but theres no education involved so we will never ever have higher pay. Its not about your importance , Im not refuting that. Without us the nurses would be swamped. But theres no money in this position. I wouldnt break my back over it. Thats why Im in home care now but I cant forget about girls like you and all those residents I had to neglect years ago so I could get the job done and not get fired. Its not right. If you live in a state that pays ridiculously low then I can understand. In Ct a CNA earns between $9 to $12 an hour and can earn a lot more in private duty. This sounds fair to me. I only went to 4 weeks of classes.I am not advanceing in medical skills in any way. This is it. I think you may feel taken advantaged of because you are working way too hard for your pay and thats why we need to try and resolve this ratio problem. How can we ask for more money when we arent advancing? Id love to make more too but I dont want to go back to school. Thats my choice. Thanks for posting. Please dont think I dont have the highest regard for CNAs. They are a godsend to the elderly. WHat would they do without us. Dee

Thanks for taking the time to write. We have a voice whereas these residents do not. Thank you for speaking up. Dee

Wow, 20 residents to one aide is unbelievable. The most I saw was 16 and I couldnt believe that. Please please write to your state senator. I have been in contact with our here in Ct and just today in our town paper I saw that he visited a convalescent home and met with some board members and the dept of ageing to discuss concerns. I have been in contact with the health department and listed my concerns about ratios and patient care. Its horrible how we have to treat these old people lke an assembly line because of time constraints. They suffer and so do we because we have to treat them that way and live with that on our consious. Caregivers are people like you who love working with the elderly and we are grossly taken advantaged of by the facilities. We have to speak up. Not just for ourselves but for these poor elderly. The hourly rate you get paid is sickening to me. I hope you'll write your senator. Dee

If anyone has acess to the Voices News, which is the newspaper for Woodbury, Southbury,Middlebury,Oxford,Seymour,Bethlehem,Preston,Washington,Roxbury,Bridgewater,Monroe,Sandy Hook and Newtown Ct you will see on page 31 that Senator Rob Kane has gone to the Lutheran Home Convalescent home for a meeting with the leaders of elder care organizations which included the alzheimers association,The not for profit providers of aging and several other board members of the Lutheran home. Your letters to the senator make a difference. I started writing just before the election and he wasted no time checking out the concerns we as CNAs have about ratios in the facilities. I am curious to hear what he has to say about this. As soon as I hear from his legal aid I will post it. I am hopeful that he will take this concern to heart and make some changes. His office knows about this thread so if theirs anything you would like to post about the ratios for nursing homes please do so. The more insight he has to this problem the better. Let him know how the ratios affect you personally at work and the residents by either your own personal experiences or by what you have witnessed with other CNAs. This is not about ratting on anyone. Its about getting to the root of this problem and finding solutions to make patient care safer and more thorough as well as protecting yourselves from job burnout and injury, so please no names. Thanks Dee

I meant to ask you, what state do you live in? I am in Ct. and the rate is average $10 an hour , give or take depending on what area you are in. The highest I make with my agency is $17.50 and then time and a half for holidays. The lowest I make is $13.00. This is Litchfiled county. When I first started out as a CNA 20 years ago I started at $8.25. I cant believe you are only making that now. Not that I dont believe you its just hard to believe the pay is that low in some areas which is why I am curious where you are from. Thanks Dee

I'm not going to give a business lecture, but I'll stand by my statement that the average person, let alone a CNA Yes, let alone a CNA. You just had to add that right? For what reason? Nothing personal to insult a person . Ok. Whatever you say. Please dont post on this thread unless you can leave your own personal predujices out of it. Thanks Dee

First of all I would never work as a CNA for $7.50 an hour. That is your own doing and choice. Get a different job because you can make way more than that in other fields with just as much training. You had the same training as I . Its only a 100 hour course. Nomatter how you stretch it out. I went full time so my course was shorter but same hours. Most CNAs I know get $10 an hour and for 100 hours of training that is fitting. It goes up with additional training and experience. What your really upset about is the work load and that is what I am trying to address. The patient to aid ration makes the job demanding but as far as "skills" goes it is not that demanding of a job. I am not putting you down, just being real. I have been a CNA for 20 years. I know. Dee

I read all these responses and I thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. You say most CNAs dont seem to understand finances ( Im assuming you are suggesting that they are uneducated) but I understand very well. My husband and I own our own home and I run a business of my own. I use the money from my business for investing and I work as a private duty CNA for spending money. Its a low stress job and allows me the energy for my own personal interests. Im not wiped out come the weekend nor do I have any stress related problems. I love my job. As a private duty CNA I am making almost what an LPN makes, I am smart. So dont worry about me not understanding finances. I can do the math. One suggestion I am making to the health department is for higher staffing at busy times. Or for a few part time aids to come in who would just do showers. Anything would help. Your wrong about the problems of abuse and neglect staying the same. I have worked in low ratio facilities and in high ratio facilities and the patient care differs in that the more stressed the CNAs are the rougher they are in patient care. Its adrenaline. You cannot work as an Aid in a facility without adrenaline if you want to be able to get your list done and not get fired. Thats the bottom line. Nobody goes into CNA work cause they want to abuse frail people. (could be a few sick exceptions) They go into it to help people and then find that unless they are fast,neglectful,cold and uncareing...they wont last. I know many CNAs and they have all talked about this because I've asked them about it. To GWAPALICIOUS... I know how it feels to have to witness what you saw. But I say we owe it to those who dont have a voice to be their voice. We could report those CNAs every day but you and I know it wont ever stop untill something changes. That is what I want to do. I have to try. I do pray that GOD sees and helps but we are GODS hands on this earth. Pray instead that he gives you the courage to try to change things. Dont pray that GOD does the work for you but that he works through you. Pray for wisdom and and discernment. People will tell you it cant be done. People will tell you that their are more important matters to handle right now with the state of our economy. But I bet you anything that if those people were laying in those beds they would be soo grateful that you took the chance and the time and the energy against all that negativity to try to make things better for them. Im not upset. Im heartbroken about what I have seen. Dee

Its interesting that you believe that their is no money for better care. There are facilities that exist with lower ratios. They seem to have the money. Maybe their profit is not as high, I dont know, but seems funny to me that some ratios are low and some are high. I dont think its lack of money. I think its more like Greed. Why is it not a crime when elderly are neglected and treated like an assembly line? Can you imagine treating children like this in a daycare center? It doesnt have to be that way and it shouldnt and its wrong. I am not asking for better pay for CNAs. Its a 1 month course. The pay fits the training. But ratio is way off. 12 residents to one CNA. Higher in some places too. I saw 16 at one place in Waterbury. COme on. Thats just plain nuts. How can there be any excuse for that. I dont accept the excuses given and if more people stopped accepting them then something could change. It would have to. Thanks for your opinion. Dee

Hi, my name is Deidre. I live and work in Ct as a CNA in homecare. I love my job but that hasnt always been the case. I use to work in LTC and moved around a lot between facilities untill I found out about homecare. I would not be a CNA today if it wasnt for homecare. I have seen a lot of abuse and neglect over the last twenty years infacilities. Some I have reported (and been thrown out once for doing so) I contacted the family before I left. Other times I would just quit. The nurses hands were tied. At times I was faced with neglecting residents myself and I knew I had to leave. There was just no way to provide quality care when the ratio was so high and the other aids were so busy with their long list that nobody could help you with lifts or transfers. It was a nightmare and I couldnt do it so I left this work for many years. Now that I have been working once again as a CNA I have in the short span of 6 months witnessed several cases of severe neglect. SO now what? Well, thats why I am writing. I am tired of the abuse and neglect going unchecked. Something needs to change. The ratio of residents to CNAs is a huge problem . I have contacted Senator Rob Kane about my concerns and what I have witnessed over the years and he , through his legal aid Kate O'Keefe , has put me in contact with Diane Smith RN from the Ct. Dept. of health. I am corresponding with her now and I am asking that if any CNAs or nurses have anything to share about this ratio problem and how it has affected you personally, I would love to hear about it and possibly share your story with Diane Smith. Something has to change. One day we could be the ones who end up in LTC and I fear by then it will be much worse. I will never forget the 92 year old lady who screamed in my ears and held on to me wth all her might cause she was afraid I would drop her on the floor. I wasnt even moving her but she had been dropped before. I knelt down on her bed till she let go of my hair and whispered reassurance to her. When she calmed down she looked in my face and said, "when I die I am putting in an order for pink fluffy wings for you." This is for you Margie. There is more that I can do about this than just offer temporary assurance. I want to see the patient to aid ratio changed. We have to speak up. You can remain anoymous if you like. I know the threat of losing your job is real and the last thing I want to do is cause any problems for health care workers. I have been learning a lot about the politics of health care and if anyone wants to give me a heads up as to why they think things are so bad I would appreciate that too . Thanks. Dee

Hi, my name is Deidre. I live and work in Ct as a CNA in homecare. I love my job but that hasnt always been the case. I use to work in LTC and moved around a lot between facilities untill I found out about homecare. I would not be a CNA today if it wasnt for homecare. I have seen a lot of abuse and neglect over the last twenty years infacilities. Some I have reported (and been thrown out once for doing so) I contacted the family before I left. Other times I would just quit. The nurses hands were tied. At times I was faced with neglecting residents myself and I knew I had to leave. There was just no way to provide quality care when the ratio was so high and the other aids were so busy with their long list that nobody could help you with lifts or transfers. It was a nightmare and I couldnt do it so I left this work for many years. Now that I have been working once again as a CNA I have in the short span of 6 months witnessed several cases of severe neglect. SO now what? Well, thats why I am writing. I am tired of the abuse and neglect going unchecked. Something needs to change. The ratio of residents to CNAs is a huge problem . I have contacted Senator Rob Kane about my concerns and what I have witnessed over the years and he , through his legal aid Kate O'Keefe , has put me in contact with Diane Smith RN from the Ct. Dept. of health. I am corresponding with her now and I am asking that if any CNAs or nurses have anything to share about this ratio problem and how it has affected you personally, I would love to hear about it and possibly share your story with Diane Smith. Something has to change. One day we could be the ones who end up in LTC and I fear by then it will be much worse. I will never forget the 92 year old lady who screamed in my ears and held on to me wth all her might cause she was afraid I would drop her on the floor. I wasnt even moving her but she had been dropped before. I knelt down on her bed till she let go of my hair and whispered reassurance to her. When she calmed down she looked in my face and said, "when I die I am putting in an order for pink fluffy wings for you." This is for you Margie. There is more that I can do about this than just offer temporary assurance. I want to see the patient to aid ratio changed. We have to speak up. You can remain anoymous if you like. I know the threat of losing your job is real and the last thing I want to do is cause any problems for health care workers. I have been learning a lot about the politics of health care and if anyone wants to give me a heads up as to why they think things are so bad I would appreciate that too . Thanks. Dee

Good for you!! I love my job as a CNA. I am not interested in surgery or passing out meds or doing treatments. I love spending time with my clients and making sure they look good and are clean and healthy. Its so rewarding knowing that their basic needs are intrusted to me. I would never humiliate an elderly person that was incontinant or bowel or bladder. They deserve dignity and respect. We will all be in there shoes one day. Sounds to me like that RN is far from understanding her own fragility that is one day to come. I hope she has a CNA like you to care for her that will gently wash her private area so she doesnt get UTI's. Who will make sure no gunk is stuck in her dentures so that she doesnt end up with mouth rot. Someone who will make her feel cared about and respected and not humiliated and ashamed. That CNA would be yopu and you will make a great one. What would happen to the elderly without woman like you. You are a blessing to humanity! Dee :heartbeat

:grn: Hi, my name is Deidre. I live and work in Ct as a CNA in homecare. I love my job but that hasnt always been the case. I use to work in LTC and moved around a lot between facilities untill I found out about homecare. I would not be a CNA today if it wasnt for homecare. I have seen a lot of abuse and neglect over the last twenty years infacilities. Some I have reported (and been thrown out once for doing so) I contacted the family before I left. Other times I would just quit. The nurses hands were tied. At times I was faced with neglecting residents myself and I knew I had to leave. There was just no way to provide quality care when the ratio was so high and the other aids were so busy with their long list that nobody could help you with lifts or transfers. It was a nightmare and I couldnt do it so I left this work for many years. Now that I have been working once again as a CNA I have in the short span of 6 months witnessed several cases of severe neglect. SO now what? Well, thats why I am writing. I am tired of the abuse and neglect going unchecked. Something needs to change. The ratio of residents to CNAs is a huge problem . I have contacted Senator Rob Kane about my concerns and what I have witnessed over the years and he , through his legal aid Kate O'Keefe , has put me in contact with Diane Smith RN from the Ct. Dept. of health. I am corresponding with her now and I am asking that if any CNAs or nurses have anything to share about this ratio problem and how it has affected you personally, I would love to hear about it and possibly share your story with Diane Smith. Something has to change. One day we could be the ones who end up in LTC and I fear by then it will be much worse. I will never forget the 92 year old lady who screamed in my ears and held on to me wth all her might cause she was afraid I would drop her on the floor. I wasnt even moving her but she had been dropped before. I knelt down on her bed till she let go of my hair and whispered reassurance to her. When she calmed down she looked in my face and said, "when I die I am putting in an order for pink fluffy wings for you." This is for you Margie. There is more that I can do about this than just offer temporary assurance. I want to see the patient to aid ratio changed. We have to speak up. You can remain anoymous if you like. I know the threat of losing your job is real and the last thing I want to do is cause any problems for health care workers. I have been learning a lot about the politics of health care and if anyone wants to give me a heads up as to why they think things are so bad I would appreciate that too . Thanks. Dee

Where do you go for training to be a dialysis tech in Ct? I dont see any schools in CT that offer this. Thanks. April

I am a nurses aid and was wondering where would I go in Connecticut for training to be a dialysis tech? Thanks

Boka, Your experience is the experience of so many CNAs. We go into this line of work to do hands on care because we love people and helping the elderly. Because our hearts are in it and we derive great satisfaction from the "job." Then we graduate and have our first real life work experience and its nothing like we thought it would be. You find out that if you dont neglect or abuse your patient then you wont last in the job. By abuse I mean this... disregard their feelings and needs. Emotional and physical. Rush them and hurry them. Dont communicate to them because theirs no time so they are just an object in a bed to you. You abuse yourself once the guilt kicks in. You skip your breaks so you can brush someones teeth or clean feces out from their fingernails. You eat lunch quick so you dont have to fly someone through a shower. Anything to free up more time for your residents so you dont feel like such a monster. Then you burn out. Have anger and resentment. Are overworked. I have seen so much abuse because aids were tired and overworked and had to dehumanize their residents in order to get the work load done of careing for 12 residents. This makes me physically ill as well. All to keep their job because it pays above minimum wage and is easy to get through school. One month training to make above minimum wage and great job security too. So they do whatever it takes to keep their job. Not everyone can do it and thats the great news. Not everyone is willing to dehumanize a helpless human being. These are the aids who end up quitting. Sadly. These are the aids that are a blessing to the facilities and the facilities end up losing them. Everyone loses. I completely understand your dilemma. How awful that you had to be in that situation but also how wonderful. You got to see first hand what goes on and I just pray that you will feel driven to do something about it. Any small way can make a difference. Write a letter and expect a response. Dont quit till someone responds. Our voice is the only voice these elderly have. I realize that now. I need to try to change things. It doesnt have to be this way. It really doesnt. I think you would enjoy work in homecare. Dont give up CNA work. You have the heart for it. GOD Bless. Deidre

I am glad that you have decided to write your letter and not be like the thousands of nurses and aids who turn their heads and say, well thats just the way it is. Yes, thats true. But the reason it is the way it is is because nurses and aids are afraid of losing their jobs if they speak up. I was scared too. I did lose jobs for speaking up. But I got another job. A better one. Maybe nurses and aids feel like they cant make a difference. Thats true in some way too. One person on their own would have a very hard time changeing anything but everyone together would definately succeed. Maybe the hesitate ones need to ask themselves this question. How do I want to be treated when I am elderly and frail? You or I could end up in a nursing home and that to me is a very scary thought. Not to mention the people already in there. Thanks for careing enough to stick your neck out there. I am thanking you for all the elderly who cannot thank you themselves. GOD bless you. Deidre

My son is a plumbers apprentice. He is strong but anytime he has to lift or move anything the guys all get together and help out. He has never gotten bruised or banged up at work because he uses safety equipment and the guys all help eachother. Nobody wants to hurt their backs because then their goes their health and their ability to work comfortably. So why is it that CNAs and some nurses too, knock themselves out for such a measly paying job? I saw on this board that some CNAs make only $10 an hour. I dont understand why anyone would tolerate such deplorable work situations. !6 patients to one aid? I would never do that and I have been a CNA for 17 years. I would never let anyone treat me that way or put my health in jepordy like that. It sounds like a lot of job stress. I dont know. I worked in a convalescent home for a few months when I was a new CNA and I thought it was horrible. Even in home care at times I get sent to a home where a patient needs a transfer and they weigh more than I do. No way would I attempt it. They arent worth hurting my back over. The family should pay for two aids to come in and do the transfer if they want me to do that. They wont attempt it themselves, why should I. Do they think CNAs are stupid? I have never lacked work. I just refuse to be treated like a mule. I read on here how awful CNA work is and I just wonder why you girls let people treat you that way. What would make you take a job like that? You only get one body and if you let others abuse it and you dont take care of yourself then you dont get a replacement. I think if CNAs stopped letting facilities treat them that way then things would definately change. They would have to or else there would be noone to do patient care for these rich owners of health care facilities. Imagine if all cnas went on strike? Things would change super fast!!! 6 patients per aid. period. Or forget it. If you let people treat you poorly you will always be treated poorly. I just feel bad for the aids who work their butts off for $10 an hour. You cant even make a decent living on that yet you risk your health every day. I wouldnt do it. Why do you? Just wondering. April