Lee High School

Essential Question

How can a Certified Nurse Assistant impact a patient's health?

Nursing

Doris Parra

Senior Capstone

Peter Foote

March 24, 2017

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Doris Parra

Senior Capstone

Peter Foote

March 24, 2017

Relax we are here to help

Start each day with a good heart. Certified Nurse Assistants reflect tremendously with

the quote, they reflect by having a big heart to accomplish their job, a job not everyone would be

able to do. They care for residents who are in the hardest times of their lives. As a CNA helping

change and better the lives of the residents will bring accomplishment. They have a chance to

change someone's life, the life of someone who needs help even with their health. A CNA can

impact a patient's health by helping with their physical, mental, and emotional, medical

needs.

A CNA can impact a patient's health by helping them with their physical medical needs.

Most of the time a CNA will take care of the patients physical needs. First of all, a CNA must

check the patient's care plan to know what kind of physical help they will need to give. During

the interview a lot of helpful information was gathered about some physical needs patients will

need. Some of the things a CNA will do in the morning shift are take care of things like getting

patients up in the morning, dressed, teeth brushed, ready for the day, monitoring vital signs,

walking patients, changing them, helping them to the bathroom, getting them food, feeding them,

getting them to activities, and back from activities. The CNA also has to be physically strong to

be able to transfer patients from place to place, and the CNA will have to have good time

management to get to each patient on time and attended (Chapin). A CNA will make sure that
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when taking care of a patient they conduct observations on their bodies to see if they find any

cuts or bruises they can report to the nurse. It is important for the CNA to observe the patient

physically in case the patient does have a condition on their skin so it can be taken care of as

soon as possible. These are some ways a CNA can impact a patient's physical medical needs by

changing their everyday routines to be better and easier for the patient not to struggle with their

lives and with the things they need to do. The patients will feel happy knowing someone is there

to help them which impacts them.

Also, many times patients are in physical need, but one must realize not only do they

need physical help but also mental help. A CNA will help a patient who needs reassurance with

themselves (VanManen). Many times patients give up and think about how their lives are

meaningless because they cannot do anything on their own anymore, but that is a situation a

CNA can intervene in and reassure them that there are many reasons they should live and keep

thinking positive. Trying to help the patients and not letting them fall into their thoughts and

drown in them. Many times patients that go through Alzheimer's have a rough time

understanding what's going on or why is it happening to them. [They wonder] why cant they

remember? (Oosterveld-Vlug). The CNA will step in and explain to them the situation talk to

them about their disease so that the patients can calm down and understand what's going on even

if they don't fully understand the patient will feel better knowing the information is being

explained to them. Patients often around their senior ages take lots of medications which help to

treat their medical needs it keeps them stable for the day and focused they are mentally attached

with whats going on, so that is a helpful thing a CNA will do. Giving the patients their

medications helps them tremendously with their mentality (Independent Nurse). Those were a
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few ways that CNAs can help patients with their mental medical needs. A CNA impacts their

mentality by letting the patients know they are not alone and they have someone there to help

them out when they need it.

Lastly, patients will get tired of their everyday life being the same especially if they are

living in a nursing home which most of the time elderly are, so their emotional feelings can get

chaotic. The residents self-esteem goes down because they are becoming depressed of the same

routine every day. Sometimes the patients will feel worthless, they become angry, they gain

anxiety so the CNA can step in and create activities for the resident also known as the patients so

that they can have a better quality of life and distraction. Encouragement is given to make the

patient feel better about themselves giving them attention so that they do not feel lonely if

enough time considering the CNAs busy schedule. Motivation is one of the biggest ways a

CNA will boost the patient's emotional stage, making them feel like they are doing something

great can keep them motivated (Kuk). If the patient feels overwhelmed and upset a CNA will

usually go over and try to talk it out with them so they can feel better or try to get them busy by

having them interact with another resident as well so that way the resident can keep their mind

busy from what was bothering them. Because the patients cannot do many things on their own a

CNA will encourage as much independence from the patient so they do not feel like they cannot

do anything on their own (Collins). Many times patients start to feel like they lost their dignity

because the CNA will help them wash up and feed but it is an important job for the CNA not to

allow the patient to feel that way. A CNA will provide privacy so no one can see what is being

done and the patients will feel more comfortable asking them if they'd like to wash up or use the

bathroom and if they need help. Having them feel like they got choices helps a lot with their
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emotional stages (The health care system). These are a few ways CNAs can help impact a

patient's health by helping them with their emotional medical needs. The patients are impacted

emotionally because they grow attached to the CNA to the point that they will trust them and feel

like they can go to them if they are not feeling well and won't feel like they are bugging the

CNA.

In conclusion, a CNA help to impact a patient's health by helping them with their

physical, mental, and emotional medical needs. Having a big heart is very important for the job

of a CNA. You will be doing things that not many other people would do. CNAs help patients

with their physical needs such as helping them feed, dress, wash up, get up, get ready for bed,

etc. As a CNA being physically strong is very important because there will be plenty of lifting.

Helping patients with mostly everything in their everyday lives takes a lot. This way the CNA is

making the lives of a patient much easier. Also helping them with their mental needs is a very

important job a CNA will help impact on. The CNA will conversate with the patient if they are

feeling mentally drained and need advice. Letting the patients know the procedure that the CNA

will cover is giving them mental stability the patient will feel like they still got a say in their lives

in which they do. A CNA will also help with a patient's emotional medical needs. By having the

patients involved in activities there mind will be too busy to think about any bad thoughts that go

through their minds. Talking to the patients when they are emotionally unstable will really boost

their self-esteem up. Having the patients participate socially with another resident will keep them

distracted and feel more comfortable to be there. A CNA will impact the lives of the patients by

showing them they are not alone, and they can feel comfortable and stable around them. This

way the patients will grow attached and will always trust the CNA when it comes to treating
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their health. So this is how a CNA can impact a patient's health by helping them with their

physical, mental, and emotional medical needs.

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Works Cited

Collins, Susan. "Protecting Access to Home Health Care for Our Seniors." Academic Onefile.

Davis L., 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

Chapin, Christie. "Certified Nurse Assistant." Personal interview. 20 Mar. 2017.

"Independent Nurse: Opinion - We Can All Help with Mental Health." Academic Onefile.

Haymarket Media Group, 28 Apr. 2006. Web. 24 Mar. 2017.

Kuk, Nienke, and Mirre Den Ouden. "Do Nursing Staff Encourage Functional Activity among

Nursing Home Residents? A Cross-sectional Study of Nursing Staff Perceived Behaviors

and Associated Factors." Background 17 (2017): n. pag. Academic Onefile. 14 Jan. 2017.

Web. 26 Mar. 2017.

Oosterveld-Vlug, Mariska. "Nursing Home Staff's Views on Residents' Dignity: A Qualitative

Interview Study." Background 13 (2013): 353. Academic Onefile. 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 28

Mar. 2017.

The Health Care System. N.p.: OECD, n.d. Academic OneFile. OECD, 2000. Web. 10 Apr.
2017.
VanManen, Kathleen. "Certified Nurse Assistant." Personal interview. 29 Mar. 2017.
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