Long-Term Care & Nursing Assistance Role

Long-term care is provided mostly in skilled nursing facilities for people requiring care that lasts longer than that provided in a hospital or short-term rehabilitation facility. Nursing assistants are an integral part of the long-term care nursing team. Long-term care nursing assistants carry out various specific tasks under the supervision of a registered nurse to help residents maintain dignity, restore and maintain optimal functioning, and provide compassionate care to those who are in the end stages of life.

Care Plan

• Each resident in a nursing facility is assessed to create an individual care plan. The care plan is created by a doctor, nursing staff, family, and any other staff required to help the resident regain and maintain quality of life and optimal functioning. Nursing assistants in long-term care help in the day-to-day actions of following the care plan as well as observe and document to communicate with staff about the response to the care plan.

Implementation

• Taking vital signs such as blood pressure is part of the nursing assistant's role in long-term care.

  Implementation of the care plan depends on the entire nursing team of nursing assistants, medical technicians, and registered nurses. Activities such as dressing, ambulation, range of motion, and feeding are carried out by the nursing assistant every day. Long-term care tasks such as emptying of catheters, colostomy care, taking vital signs of blood pressure, pulse, and respirations and turning residents to prevent pressure sores are also handled by the nursing assistant.

Observation

• Observation of how the resident is responding to care is part of the nursing assistant's role in long-term care. Throughout a shift the nursing assistant watches for resident changes in behavior, improvement, illness, or other indications that the care plan is effective or needs modification. The registered nurse overseeing the resident's care and the nursing assistant's work depend on the nursing assistant's observations for accuracy in record keeping and patient care.

Documentation

• Documentation assists with nursing staff communication and consistent resident care.

  Charting medical records is part of the long-term care nursing assistant's duty and is completed during or at the end of each work shift. Bowel movements, urine output, fluid and food intake, vital signs, as well as any other pertinent information are recorded on appropriate forms to keep track of various aspects of the patient's well-being. Documentation completed by the nursing assistant is imperative to resident care, communication between nursing and medical staff, and records maintained by the registered nurse.

Personal Care

• Personal care such as bathing, grooming, dressing, nail, mouth, foot, and perineal care, and assistance with dining is provided by the long-term care nursing assistant. Residents who are incontinent are cared for and cleaned on a regular basis as determined by the individual care plan. If a resident wants a cup of tea, a bed made a certain way, or help finding something, the nursing assistant completes the task.

Companionship

• In the course of the nursing assistant's activities, she also provides companionship.

  The nursing assistant in long-term care is the person who spends the most time with the patient. Residents in a long-term care facility have the opportunity to develop a relationship with the nursing assistant through various tasks and everyday conversation during the completion of daily activities of living. Nursing assistants provide companionship while assisting residents with bathing, grooming, meals, and personal care. Although nursing assistants are among the lowest paid of the nursing staff in long-term care, their role cannot be underestimated.