Im taking care of an elderly man and I need some advice!

BBB, Don't do any lifting that will injure your back. There are methods to help people out of bed, and I'm sure any nurse can help you with the necessary information on how to care for the aged. Good luck!

Try this LINK.

wowsah! Doesn't the agency provide any training? I've no experience in what you're describing. Maybe a PM to shewolf would be in order...

yes, Ive gone thru intensive training, Im just a home health provider. Hes not bed ridden or anything...i just need to help him get ready in the morning.

wow..

This seems odd to me.
You are a home health assistant , yet you were not taught how to lift?
So then you are not a nurse aide, or a clinical assistant, you are a HHA.
Correct?
There is a legal diffrence between the three.. but Im sure you know this.

Well, for any of the three positions above, there is no extensive training. Just a few weeks ( less then 4 on average) of very basic medical information given to you.
Depending on what position you will be going into , you should receive a simple body mechanics segment in the class.
And you didnt?

If I were you I would be barking at someone!
OR, you are about to do something you are not supposed to.

When I was in home health care, I had 2 different types of assistants under me.

The certified nurse aid who was taught, and allowed to be moving , turning, dressing, bathing and helping with ADL's.

Then there was the HHA who often times got stuck with the job of the CNA, wich I hated to see.
But the HHA was only there for personal company.
The point of contact if something were to happen. They were there to make sure that the client took their meds, but did not give it to them.

Helped with simple things like phone calls, making food, doing laundry, some simple house cleaning etc.

Never, was any HHA allowed to do anything physical with the patient. Simply because the HHA 's training did NOT include proper body mechanics. Nor did it include simple things to watch out for that would raise a red flag.
Like urine color, skin tone and texture, and other basic medicinal side effects.

If you are a HHA and being asked to move a patient, you need to speak to your boss because the one time something goes wrong, YOU CAN BE SUED.

let me repeat that.

YOU CAN BE SUED.

It would be like the receptionist at a doctors office, giving you some medicine.
You are not supposed to do this. Please dont let people tell you other wise.

The one thing I hated about alot of my CNA's was that they were so quick to pass of their tasks to the HHA's that , you could never tell the difference between the two.

both jobs are taxing and positions most people will never understand.
There is no way to explain what it is like to help someone 3 times your age change their diaper while they try to rub feces in your face.

Honey, i feel for you.
And that is why I am saying to you-
If, by definition you are a HHA and not a CNA do NOT lift that man.

but I will get off the preachy soap box.
I dont think that was what you were asking for.


2 questions-

Can this patient stand on his own?

Does he use a walker/cane etc?

What country are you in?

Shewolf, I know it is scary to think about, but when I was working in home care there were often people thrown into situations like this without any training.

Some were downright scary. On more than one occasion, I had to deal with staff - who were supposed to go on to administer meds, you name it - who did not even have a basic knowledge of math and literacy skills, nevermind the other essential knowledge.

So, it may depend on where she is at and what type of agency she is working through. A co-operative? One funded by the gov't?

Regardless, if you feel like you need further training, either go to your boss or go elsewhere to find it before attempting anything!! Not only because of legal reasons, but because you could injury either yourself or this man.

this is scary on so many levels

WHO was it that said "I hope I die before I get old?"

Well, I dont think the poster will return.. but THIS is what got me..


To be just a home health provider, in america, there is no intensive training.

To be a CNA in america there is no intensive training.

Unless you go to some small college advertised on TV then they put you in to a 6 month course.. maybe..

And, in those classes you are TAUGHT how to help someone physically IF that falls into your scope of work.

So, maybe she isnt in america.
Then I have no clue.


Then again.. as I said in my post.. it might not even be her fault.
Someone could be pushing what should be their job onto her. Someone could be telling her it is ok to lift, even though she is only a home health aide. And for them IT IS NOT OK.

There are three levels of 'aides"
You have your home health aide - essentially a very basic assistant. House cleaning, conversational company, dressing assistance, meal prep etc.

You have your Certified Nursing Assistant.
They take care of the bed bound people. THey give bathes, change diapers, can help with OTC meds, do charting, assist with therapy (occupational, physical, speech etc ) and are taught about simple signs of sickness to call the nurse or doctor if they see. A pinch hydration hand test, urine colors, medication side effects, BP changes.. etc. Basically, they are the 'nurse' with out the power of actually administering medications and no power to change treatment plans.

Then you have your LVN.
They are nurses . Yes. But in the totem pole of healthcare, they are seen as pee on's for some reason. But dont get me on that soapbox.
They do everything.. except prescribe meds, surgery, and pronounce death.


Having been in school for each and every one of those steps myself, I know for a fact, here in america, if you are not taught how to lift a patient, you should not be doing it. And that would be the HHA ( home health aide)

And that is why I say, she must be being put into a position by someone else to have to actually do that as part of her job.

BUT!
Just helping someone stand, if they can stand on their own is NOT a big issue. Everyone does it. Simply because everyone, even 20 somethings get stuck in a sitting position and need a hand.
What Im talking about is actually lifting someone from a bed to chair or to a standing postion. And privately, the lines are blurred more often then not in nursing.

As a CNA I was giving meds when I shouldnt.
As an LVN I was changing treatment plans in places I shouldnt.
ANd people are ok with that. Espically if you have proven yourself before as knowledgeable .

There is such a shortage that most people look away from the boundry issues such as those just to get the job done.


but im derailing the thread..

It takes two years at school (minimum) here until you are allowed to do such

Just looked it up:

the English translation of that profession would be "geriatric nurse" (3 years schooling) or "geriatric nurse assistant" (2 years).

They do any kind of "home care", though.

Then the original poster cant be talking about the positions Im referring to.

The ones I am talking about are 6 months or less.

And yeah, it is sad that they do that.

I personally hate america's idea of health care of elderly.. but I am in no position to change it.



Taken from a question answer page about CNA's
http://nursingassistantcentral.homestead.com/NursingAssistantFAQs.html


And these people , taught only for a few weeks to maybe a few months are essentially responsibe for the health, happiness, and life of up to 32 people at ONE TIME.

but, I wont get worked up about this so early.

I'm a CNA. There are only 75 hours of training actually required to be a CNA, but you also have to pass a certification test, which includes a written test and a skills evaluation. It's actually quite a bit of studying and hard work considering the low pay and S***ty (literally) work conditions.

But my point is this: I agree wholeheartedly that there are big problems with a lot of nursing homes (a lot of this has to do with nobody wanting my job), but lack of training, in my experience anyways, has not been one of them. I'd say 75% of a normal shift consists of things they couldn't possibly train you for. You can't teach compassion, and that's what makes a good CNA.

And I wouldn't go so far as to say we're "responsible for the health, happiness and life" of our residents. My favorite description of my job is: I feed one end and wash the other. It's mostly taking people to the bathroom, washing them, feeding them, and helping them in or out of bed. I'm not prescribing them meds, or deciding if they need to be on oxygen. The nurses, who obviously spend more than a few weeks or months becoming nurses, are the ones responsible for the residents' lives. If something comes up that I can't handle, I'm only responsible to get my nurse.