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Celebrating CNAs

Did you know that:

• There are more than 600,000 nursing assistants nationwide?
• They support more than 1.4 million nursing home residents?
• They provide a median of 2.4 hours of hands-on care per resident per day?
• To become a certified nursing assistant, clinical training hours are required as well as classroom hours?

Certified Nursing Assistants (or CNAs) are a key part of Charlesgate’s ongoing success as a five-star facility as ranked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. As noted by the National Association of Health Care Assistants , a CNA “assists patients with healthcare needs and cares for a patient who is ill or recovering from a surgery or disease.” While under the supervision of a registered nurse, CNAs may help out with daily living, bedside care including basic nursing procedures, as well as monitoring and documentation. Perhaps one of their intimate care duties is to be empathetic and compassionate.

Anyone who’s visited Charlesgate knows how special our CNAs are—and how amazing they are all year long. We celebrated these dedicated, caring team members for the entire week of June 20-25. Our theme was “Our Staff Are LifeSavers!” and everyone got involved with the festivities. Residents made signs to express their gratitude to our fabulous front-line team. Lunches were served. Raffles were held with great gifts handed out. Special snacks were provided throughout the week – including LifeSavers candies, of course!

Everyone enjoys a party, and this weeklong celebration was no different. CNA Week is another way for Charlesgate to honor these employees’ continued commitment to residents and patients, even in a pandemic, and show how much they are an important part of this community.  

The message has gotten through, because who doesn’t love being showered with appreciation? One team member said, “Thank you so much for this! It means so much to feel like an important part of the team.”

A special thank you to a few people who ensured CNA week was a success.  Fran Davenport procured the quality nursing team bags and ”Caring Together” pens. Dietary leadership John Ladish and Tonya Cartwright ensured that there were wonderful snacks and special meals throughout the week.