Archive for September, 2009

Here I Grow Again: Democracy in Action

Posted by on September 23rd, 2009 at 3:33 pm | 8 Comments »
The DCA's DC contingent for EWA Hill Day. That's me in the middle

The DCA's DC contingent for EWA Hill Day. That's me in the middle

If you’ve read my earlier stories for this blog, you know about the journey I’ve made from “the mouse in the corner” to “the lion that roared.” Well, last week I was reminded of why that journey mattered when a legislative staffer in Washington, D.C., asked me to provide wording for a possible amendment to a Senate bill.

I was in D.C. on September 14 and 15 to participate in the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA) Hill Day. This time around I felt pretty comfortable, since I knew what to expect — at least, I thought I did.

At a training on Monday evening, we were briefed on EWA’s mission and the “asks” they wanted us to make the next day on Capitol Hill. The next morning, I was paired up with Mike Malone, a geriatrician from Wisconsin. We talked about the meetings we were scheduled for that day over breakfast, practicing what we wanted to say and what order it should go in. Then we jumped in a van to catch a ride to the Capitol.

Our first visit was with a Wisconsin senator’s staffer. Mike and I introduced ourselves and explained the importance of an adequately prepared elder care workforce and how the need for workers is only going to increase as the baby boomers enter the long term care system. We explained that our elders deserve a workforce that is trained and prepared to care for them.

My mind was racing as I sat there. I knew I was there to represent direct care workers. “It’s now or never,” I thought. “Open your mouth and speak!” Continue reading »

Bankrupted by Health Care Costs, CNA Cindy Ramer Shares Her Story

Posted by on September 19th, 2009 at 3:16 am | 3 Comments »
Cindy Ramer with a photo of herself and her husband

Cindy Ramer with a photo of herself and her husband

A moving story in the September 7 issue of Iowa’s WCR Courier traces the troubles experienced by long-time CNA Cindy Ramer because she and her husband could not afford health insurance.

Rising medical costs forced the Ramers to file bankruptcy in 2003. Two years later, Cindy tells the paper, she lost her husband to a heart attack – and she still can’t afford to buy him a tombstone.

“It’s really a very, very sad commentary on our society when the very people that are providing care don’t have access to care themselves,” says Iowa CareGivers Association President Di Findley.

Ramer is a graduate of the 2009 Voices Institute National Leadership Program.

CNA Renee Tillman Makes News

Posted by on September 19th, 2009 at 3:02 am | No Comments »
Renee Tillman

Renee Tillman

CNA Renee Tillman, a hospice worker and a contributor to this blog, was the subject of a feature story in the August 10 Killeen Daily Herald.

The article, titled “Tillman Makes a Difference in People’s Lives,” outlines the background that led Tillman into her career and the events that kept her working as a nursing assistant, though she periodically made plans to attend nursing school. “Every time I got ready to go to school, it was like our Lord guided me a different way. And I always rose up as a CNA,” she says.

The article also outlined the work Tillman has done to help professionalize direct care work, including her founding of the Texas Association for Nursing Assistants. “This is what I’m supposed to be doing,” she told the paper.

Direct Care Workers: Essential to Quality of Care and Quality of Life

Posted by on September 19th, 2009 at 2:48 am | No Comments »

This blog post was adapted from a paper (PDF) published last month by NCCNHR at the request of The SCAN Foundation.

Sarah Wells

Sarah Wells

Direct care workers (DCWs) are essential to determining the quality of care and quality of life experienced by long-term care consumers. DCWs serve as a liaison to the nursing staff, reporting on the medical and emotional status of the person receiving care. They may also be the person’s key connection to the outside world.

Consider the following scenario:

You are an older adult receiving long-term care services who needs assistance with almost every aspect of your life. It is morning and you await the DCW assigned to you, who could decide the following:

  •   When and whether you get out of bed;
  •   How long you have to lie in wet pants;
  •   If you get to decide what you want to wear;
  •   Whether your teeth are brushed, your nails filed and your body washed;
  •   If the curtains are closed so that no one can see you naked;
  •   If the nurse is notified of the red spot on your heel that could easily become a bedsore;
  •   If you have enough to eat and are positioned correctly so that you will not choke;
  •   Whether the water by the bed can be reached and if there is a straw that you need;
  •   If you are taken to any morning activities;
  •   Whether you start your day hearing a few kind words;
  •   If you are rushed or relaxed; and
  •   Where you are able to call for help with a call bell or phone in reach.

Continue reading »

Direct Support Workers Launch New NADSP Affiliate

Posted by on September 19th, 2009 at 2:20 am | 1 Comment »
Shannon Gilbert

Shannon Gilbert

It’s official! The Direct Support Professionals of Indiana, better known as DSPIN, is the newest affiliate of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP).

We submitted our contract agreement to NADSP on August 17. Before long, we were on their website, listed as one of their state affiliates.

But there was a lot of work to do before that happened, and there’s a lot more to be done.

I told you about our first meeting, where we had a kind of informal focus group, talking to the direct support workers and others who showed up about potential obstacles to setting up a state association and ways to get around them.

At our next meeting, we came up with our name and our first board of directors. I got elected president – I tried to give it to someone else, but they all said “No, you have to do it; you’re the one with the idea and all the information.” After that, people stepped up to fill in the slots and do what needed to be done.

There are 10 board members, and they’re all direct support professionals from around the state. I’ve never met any of them before they showed up for our meetings. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of the agencies some of them work for. That’s how distant we DSPs are from each other, most of the time. The more we work together on this, the more we share our stories and realize how much we have in common. It’s a really good peer group connection. Continue reading »

What I Told the IOM about Direct Care Workers and Swine Flu

Posted by on September 19th, 2009 at 12:43 am | No Comments »
Jane Lipscomb

Jane Lipscomb

If you’re a direct care worker who may be exposed to people with swine flu, you should be fitted for a respirator and use it as needed to protect against becoming infected yourself. That’s what I told an IOM panel on August 20.

In a report that was published on September 3, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended that health care workers use fit-tested respirators to reduce the risk of infection from swine flu.

Testifying before the IOM panel was another opportunity to explain why direct care workers should be included in the list of essential personnel who receive this protection article. This June, I made the same case in an article I coauthored for the American Journal of Public Health. Continue reading »

Poems by Direct Care Workers: In the Men’s Locker Room at the YMCA

Posted by on September 18th, 2009 at 7:48 pm | 1 Comment »
David Moreau

David Moreau

Donnie yanks his bathing suit around his knees
then forgets what he’s doing
cause he sees a guy from the Water Fitness class
taking off his suit as well.

Like a good support person, being a role model and all,
I avert my eyes and hope Donnie’s gonna do the same.
But Donnie stares right at It and points and laughs
and points down at himself and laughs some more. Continue reading »

Voices Institute Welcomes Another Remarkable Class

Posted by on September 10th, 2009 at 5:06 pm | 8 Comments »
Angel Saylor (R) with home care aide Kelvin Jefferson at a DCA focus group

Angel Saylor (R) with home care aide Kelvin Jefferson at a DCA focus group

The Direct Care Alliance’s signature program, the Voices Institute, is about to hold its second National Leadership Program. The week-long retreat is an intensive learning journey, and this year’s class is another remarkable group, which will surely join the pioneers from the VI inaugural class to leave its mark on the direct care worker movement. We are returning to the DeKoven Center, where the roots that were planted at the first Voices Institute National Leadership Program will again thrive.

This year, we are welcoming men and women who care for people of all ages in a variety of settings, including nursing homes, hospice, group homes, day programs, assisted living, and home- and community-based programs. Consistent with the DCA’s objectives to build a broadly inclusive movement of empowered direct care workers, the class of 2009 represents a wide spectrum of direct care workers. Continue reading »

Stimulus Funds Earmarked for Health Care Workforce Development

Posted by on September 9th, 2009 at 2:11 pm | No Comments »

As recommended in a DCA policy brief published this March, the federal government has earmarked part of its economic stimulus funding for strengthening the direct care workforce. Organizations that train or provide career paths for direct care workers have until October 5 to apply for the funds, which are being granted by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOL ETA).

About $125 million, in grants of $2 to $5 million each, will fund training, education, and job placement aimed at preparing workers to enter the health care field.

Related Materials

The DOL ETA grant description and application information

A PHI fact sheet on how to apply for the funding, which summarizes the DOL’s criteria and application process

 The DCA’s Using Recovery Act Funds to Improve Direct Care Jobs and the Quality of Direct Care Services policy brief (PDF)

Career Advancement and Supervisor Training Improve CNA Retention

Posted by on September 9th, 2009 at 1:39 pm | 1 Comment »

win a step up“It appears that the investment that North Carolina is making in quality improvement initiatives is having a positive and significant impact on nursing home performance and the stability of the nurse aide workforce,” says Workplace Interventions, Turnover, and Quality of Care Report.

The June 2009 report analyzes three workplace interventions aimed at improving turnover rates and care quality in North Carolina nursing homes:

  •   The WIN A STEP UP program. This gives nursing assistants an opportunity to advance in their careers and earn additional money by completing a 30-hour curriculum. They also commit to staying in their jobs. In addition, the program provides coaching supervision training for the CNAs’ supervisors.
  •   Culture change initiatives. 15 North Carolina nursing homes a year are granted civil monetary penalty funding to transition from medical-model care to a more homelike environment.
  •   Quality improvement collaborative. About one in five North Carolina nursing homes participate in this effort to improve reduce the rate of pressure sores and the use of restraints.

Continue reading »

« Older Entries