Daughters of Sarah Nursing Center

CNA Care Planning Initiative

Daughters of Sarah Nursing Center in Albany, N.Y. was the lead agency of a six member consortium for the project entitled, "The CNA Care Planning Initiative". The proposition for the proposal was that the person closest to the day to day life of the resident, the CNA, should have formal input into the care planning process. The plan was to design, and test an intervention which brings them into the process.

An observation sheet was developed to structure and guide the CNAs' collection of information about the resident. In addition, an education and mentoring program was developed to educate CNAs, mentors, and members of the interdisciplinary team in the use of the instrument, and also to facilitate and support the CNAs' new role acquisition. Finally, as a result of this process, training materials were produced for dissemination of the program.

Participating nursing homes included: Daughters of Sarah Nursing Center, Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home, Adirondack Tri-County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Schuyler Ridge Residential Health Care, a part of Seton Health, and St. Peter's Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Goal: More timely and appropriate responses to the symptoms of dementia; also, empowerment and increased job satisfaction for CNAs.