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TASK FORCE FOR MALE NURSING ASSISTANTS
Men as Well
A New Avenue for Staffing in Nursing Homes
and Other Long-Term Care
Settings
Abstract: Task
Force of Male Nursing Assistants - Males are an important avenue for
staffing of frontline positions in long term care and for helping to
create more normal social environments for Person Centered
Care. But many artificial barriers exist for the male who
wants to work in a nurturing role. The aim of the MNA Task
Force is to identify specific issues relating to benefits,
recruitment, retention, acceptance, training needs of males as
caregivers; and to promote the acceptance of males in the care
setting. Recommendations are provided to CMS (HCFA) and others
– see attached forms.
Background: A critical question being asked today is "Who will take
care of Mom or Dad?" Finding and keeping frontline workers is
becoming more difficult, and many facilities across the country are
in crisis with staffing. People are needed to "make care
happen." It follows that it would be difficult for any
facility to address issues of quality care if they did not have
sufficient staff to meet the most basic care needs of their
residents.
The population served by long term care is growing older and
increasing in numbers, and the demand for frontline workers is
increasing in response to this shift. But the reality is that a
nursing home can no longer depend on the traditional pool of workers
to provide adequate staffing. It is time to open new avenues
for potential workers and to explore males as viable sources of
frontline workers.
The issue of "Assurance of Adequate Staffing" was identified as a
priority by nursing assistants at the Annual National Leadership
Programs in Washington DC (1998-2004). Participants further
suggested that males are an untapped source of potential workers.
They recommended convening a National Task Force of Male NAs to
identify and address issues of staffing; to promote community
understanding of the important role of the male in care settings;
and to make recommendations to legislators and public officials
regarding use of males in care roles.
Purpose and Intended Outcomes: This project addresses a very
critical issue of staffing for Person Centered Care in nursing
homes and has relevance also for home care and other long term care
settings. Frontline workers provide as much as 90% of the
direct care given in nursing homes and are the largest investment a
nursing home will make. Assuring adequate staffing is a major task
for the nursing administration in nursing homes. In addition,
males are an important part of creating a normal social atmosphere
for Person Centered Care in any care setting
An aim of the Task Force is address important workforce issues by
creating a unique list of special needs, issues and recommendations
relating to use of males as nursing assistants in nursing homes. Participants also will develop recommendations as well as individual
and group plan of action for using these findings in their own work
settings and in other areas. These lists will provide a
framework to develop a project of major significance, such as a
conference, or specialized curriculum for recruitment and retention
of males as nursing assistants.
Many male nursing assistant find real satisfaction in nurturing
roles and they also help to create a more normal social environment
for those who live and work in the nursing homes. The need for
competent and capable caregivers is increasing, and males offer a
new avenue for staffing of frontline positions. We invite you to be
a part of this important step to recruitment and wider use of males
in nursing homes.
Task Force Member Responsibilities: Male nursing assistants who
currently work in nursing homes and other long term care settings
are invited to provide input to the group development and the Male
NA Web pages by completing the enclosed questionnaire. You are also
expected to provide input and complete related various tasks
community education tasks through out the year.
Benefits: Our ultimate goal relates to adequacy of staffing and
creating a safer and more normal social environment for the
residents and the workers as well. It is estimated that two thirds
of the residents are female, as many as 90% of the workers are
female, and the probability of visitors being female is very high. It follows that nursing homes tends to be more "feminine." At
best it is difficult for a male resident to reaffirm his masculinity
in this environment. Males can be very effective as caregivers
and also help to create a more normal living environment for
residents.
To participate in this project, contact:
Genevieve Gipson Director
Male NA Task Force, National Network of Career Nursing Assistants
3577 Easton Road
Norton, Ohio 44203-5661
(330) 825 9342
(330) 825 9378 - fax
Email – cnajeni@aol.com
Web site – www.cna-network.org
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