Nursing home palliative, hospice care provide CNAs new opportunities

Nursing home palliative, hospice care provide CNAs new opportunities
McKnight’s Long Term Care News
December 7, 2023
A lack of end-of-life training may leave certified nurse assistants unprepared to work with patients receiving palliative or hospice care, but nursing homes must do more to cross-train and build their confidence. That was the message this week from Karl Steinberg, MD, CEO of Stone Mountain Medical Associates, and certified nurse aide Telisa Green, who addressed barriers to quality, end-of-life care during a webinar hosted by the National Association of Health Care Assistants. The speakers recognized that education in this care area can be hard to come by for CNAs, who are broadly trained in vitals and other care-taking tasks. “Almost all of the palliative care skills that CNAs learn are on-the-job training,” Steinberg acknowledged. “I absolutely will advocate for increasing the availability of palliative care training for nursing assistants.” ... Both presenters emphasized the importance of prioritizing a patient and their family’s comfort over too much devotion to a formalized care plan, as well as being an advocate for the patient’s well-being—especially in end-of-life and hospice settings.