Dianne George
Nursing Aide
Conestoga View, Lancaster County
I started nursing care 24 years ago. You learn about the residents, their needs and it doesn’t take long to love them all.
We have elderly and several young residents. These residents all had productive lives, fulfillment, and families, and now they require our love to provide dignity and current fulfillment.
The reason I am a nurse aide is the return and fulfillment I get by seeing the gratitude and appreciation in the eyes of the resident and family.
Throughout the many years I have worked as a nurse aide, I have seen and adapted to many changes and challenges in providing care to our residents.
For example, because of increased regulations and monitoring, we spend a significant amount of time throughout the day documenting the care we provide. While this is important, it takes time away from our one-on-one time with our residents.
In addition, over the years, the types of residents we see and care for has changed significantly.
We are caring for residents of varying ages, backgrounds, and cultures. This includes a special population looking for dignified existence in the face of a debilitating disease or traumatic injury early in life. This makes care for them more involved and time consuming. They require and deserve special attention to their needs.
In spite of challenges, the most important aspect of this job is that the resident comes first – no matter what, they rely on us for care, comfort, and love. Everyone at some time or another will deal with a friend, family, member or loved one requiring services of a nursing facility and we would expect them to be given the best care.
Our love for the residents is free. Unfortunately, healthcare is not.
I am asking our Governor and state legislators to make adequate funding of nursing home residents a priority in next year’s budget.