short cu0o\ts for giving care?

casi, ASN, RN · Nov 30, 2007

It all depends on what shift you are working and where you are working. The first thing you should do when you walk in a room is turn your water on full blast, wake up the patient (if am shift), and then gather/organize supplies in the room. If the water still isn't hot offer them a toothbrush and toothpaste first. Most people don't brush their teeth with hot water.

Are there any specifics situations you need help with?

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Dec 1, 2007

One tip I learned as a CNA a long time ago is how well shaving cream works in getting a soiled pt's crusty perineum/butt clean. Just slather your washcloth with it, scrub away, and rinse off.....works every time.

pumpkin92356 · Dec 4, 2007

Here are some shortcuts I learned over the years. When you come in for your shift get your shift report from the shift getting off . Do walking rounds in the rooms with the cna who was working with these residents the previous shift this technique works well as long as you remember to respect the resident. "Dont look under their blankets to see if they are soiled or something" Then if you are familiar with your assigned residents then organize the order in which you start getting them up (am shift) or putting them to bed(pm shift) etc. Try to make it a habit to remember the ways they like to be assisted with cares like if they prefer brushing teeth before breakfast in bed or up in their wheelchair etc. and try and get your resident if possible to do as much of this for themselves.This not only cuts time for you to assist the more needy patients but also provides self esteem to the resident. When a resident can take care of some of their own personal needs it can bring a sense of self worth for them. Remember that most of them are there because they weren't able to do for themselves.Make sure they feel secure in the fact that you are there if they need help. The main issue with just about every resident I have ever cared for is attention unique to their own situation. Nobody wants to feel like they are not special in some way. Most residents want to be treated like a normal person not a number on the assembly line. This may sound kind a strange to some people because when you are in school to be a cna you are not taught so much people skills as you are taught how to properly brush teeth or position a resident etc. More emphasis needs to be placed on the fact that these residents were once like you and I and they have feelings like everyone else in most cases. Residents dont come with a training manual or a shortcut book. Balance out the residents who only need setup assist with the ones who are full assist. Example( you have 2 residents in a room one can brush her own teeth if assisted to the bathroom sink this resident can be doing her own teeth while you are doing the teeth of the other resident who is full assist its the old "Killing two birds with one stone" theory and if a resident can make her own bed and doesnt mind doing it let her it will save you so much time and your resident will feel usefull. I have worked with as many as 12 residents on one shift and have used these methods with them and had a very easy but busy day. This may not work with certain residents who have dementia or other mental issues but for the majority of alert residents this has pretty much worked quite well for me. Try it out you might be pleasantly surprised at the time you save without sacrificing quality of care.

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2007

One tip I learned as a CNA a long time ago is how well shaving cream works in getting a soiled pt's crusty perineum/butt clean. Just slather your washcloth with it, scrub away, and rinse off.....works every time.

Yes, that's a good one. I use shaving cream for that, too.

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · Dec 4, 2007

I work days 6a-6:30p in a hospital. The first thing I do after report is organize and write down on a sheet who is a total care and who is not. That way I know who I am going to bathe first and who can wait. After that I pass linens (this is at about 7a). If the pt is awake I will say good morning and ask them how they are doing. This little exchange is a good indicator of how my interactions are going to go for the rest of the day with this person (psychology/mood).

There are several shortcuts that I use but generally if a pt is a/o and is able to feed themselves, I will have them do their own oral care while I set things up for the bath. Saves a lot of time.

If you have a pt who is ambulatory, set them up in the chair for breakfast and strip the bed and put the new linens on all while the person is doing their am cares such as washing their face/hands and brushing their teeth/dentures. Also if they need some assistance with bathing (partial bath) after breakfast is a good time to do this. People are much easier to bathe in a chair than in bed IMHO.

They key to most shortcuts is letting the pt do as much of their cares on their own as they can. Some pts don't want to do this and will whine but you need to be tough with them and make them do it.