FADONA

Congratulations!

To FADONA's 2006 CNA Essay Contest Winners

First Place:
Why I like being a CNA
(A Poem)

Why do I like being a CNA?
Helping those unable to help themselves day to day.
Yielding to time that has taken away their youth.

I am always right beside them, encouraging them to improve.

Lending a hand, an ear, and most of all my heart.
I think of them often, whether I’m with them or we’re apart.
Kindness and appreciation towards me, it is shown.
Even though they only wish, they could do things on their own.

Being there for them gives my life much more meaning.
Evolving as a caregiver, but more importantly a finer human being.
Increasing their morale, always letting them know they are important.
Never treating them in a way that would be considered inappropriate.
Giving them the love and support, to get them through each day.

Adds joy and reward to my life in many different ways.

Caring for them gives me feelings hard to express.
Nourishing their souls and mine, they do this nonetheless.
A final note on why I like being a CNA,
where else can I go to learn, but by those who paved the way.

By Wendy Langford

Second Place
Why I Like Being a C.N.A.

I have found that the duties of a nursing assistant extend past the basic human needs of comfort, safety and wellness. Once I understood the full scope of the “job”, it became intriguing. Not only do I take care of people in need, but my life is enriched with the knowledge, wisdom and experience of those I care for and likewise, I enhance the quality of their life by sharing my compassion and friendship.
It is satisfying to come to work and know that someone I care for is waiting to laugh and talk with me and show a genuine interest in my life and value my thoughts.
Witnessing the resilience of the human spirit inspires hope and courage to overcome any obstacle in life, taking time to talk with someone who has lived through life changing experiences enables me to gain new insights in my own life, to reevaluate and add to my experience of future care.
Helping others was the reason I chose this profession but it has become some much more to me, I evolve and learn with each new person I care for and that is why I like being a C.N.A.

By Julia Ferrera

3rd Place
“See Through Their Eyes”

When you look a person in their eyes,
What do you see?
Look straight in and feel their heart through your heart. They maybe saying something to you, or crying out to you, saying! Can you help me? Will you help me?
The eyes can tell a lot about a person. A person can see or feel the needs that they have, if they look. A person can see the face expressions that they have. They can tell if they have pain or if they are unhappy or sad.
They also tell you that they are frightened and maybe scared, and if they are suffering –the eyes can tell you if they are not able to speak or move any parts of their body.
What do you do? Look into their eyes, feel what they are trying to tell you. They send their messages through their eyes, we learn to feel with our hearts. We reach out to them with love and compassion. We give them the help they need.
We give them care and attention that they need. Care that they no longer can give to themselves. Our heart tells us through their eyes that they need a friend to give them respect, kindness, and love, also dignity. Everybody goes through changes in life.
We don’t know what life has in store for us. We don’t know what state of mind we’ll be in .We don’t know what body parts we’ll loose, We don’t know that one day we’ll be right where they are if we live to be old, alone, in pain, maybe all in their mind, maybe not. Maybe with arthritis or Alzheimer’s, heart failure, or other sufferings. It can be any one of many different things, some we don’t even know about. We are all going to get old. Some will, if they live, some won’t. They may pass on. We will need somebody’s help or someone’s eyes to look into. We can only hope and pray that the eyes we look into be understanding and caring, as well as a good heart of love.

By Elisabeth Hamilton C.N.A.

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