LeadingAge NY Celebrates National Nursing Assistants Week
This Thurs., June 18th, marks the start of the 43rd annual National Nursing Assistants Week. According to the National Network of Career Nursing Assistants website, “Now as never before, attention is being directed to care of our elder and disabled citizens and greater attention also is directed to the workers who provide hands-on-care and caring.” Nationally, the Network estimates that more than 4.5 million caregivers provide hands-on care to our most vulnerable citizens in nursing homes and other long term care settings.
LeadingAge NY wishes to take this opportunity to highlight the invaluable role that nursing assistants play in the care that our members provide here in New York. Whether it is at home, in a nursing home, in a hospice, or in another care setting, nursing assistants are critical members of the care team. There is no doubt that the work they do is physically, emotionally, and intellectually demanding, but it is also highly rewarding. They are part of the critical frontline in knowing and understanding the needs of the individuals being served. The care that the nursing assistants provide makes an immediate and important difference in the quality of life of countless individuals.
From noting a critical change in someone’s gait or how they are eating to helping select the right outfit for the day to just being a friend when someone is feeling alone, nursing assistants do it all. There is no doubt that it is challenging work, but it is also a call and a vocation to make a difference in the lives of others every day. LeadingAge NY honors our nursing assistants for all that they do.