Sunrise Terrace Nursing & Rehabilitation Center requested the honor of Co-Founders, Lori Porter and Lisa Cantrell, of the National Association of Health Care Assistants, NAHCA, to recognize their community’s caregivers and care team for their dedication to providing high quality, compassionate care for the frail and elderly in their facility.
Following an eventful, “Rocky” music themed, outside rally Lori spoke on several topics; one of which was how to embrace nursing homes, not tear them down. “The only time you hear about nursing homes in the media is when abuse and neglect occur”, stated Porter. “However, I think this is one of the best all-around places to come to – if you want to see quality in action, this is the place.”
Nursing home employees are often criticized for where they work, intentionally, or not. They are often told, “I don’t know how you can do that” or “It takes a special person.” You bet it takes a special person to work in a nursing home – it is the most regulated business in the entire world, second to nuclear power. All employees within the nursing home are held to the highest standards of any business or any other health care related organization. Now that is something to be proud of – they do a job other people won’t do! Nursing home employees are proud to serve their elders, and are the first to assist other elders in the community when they need assistance.
The image is that it is not “cool” to work in a nursing home and this must change. It is the goal of NAHCA’s multi-state tour, “CNAs Caring for an Aging America, Proudly Taking It On” to make a difference and change perceptions. According to Lori, who has been in many facilities across the nation, “If there is anyone who has the ability to be one of the greatest teams out of the 15,000 nursing homes in the country, it is Sunrise Terrace!” “Furthermore, it is rare to find a facility where the administrator has been around as long as Peggy, who still cares as much as she does.”
Porter ended her message with the statistic that Iowa is the 4th fastest growing state in the nation for elders in three categories – 65+, 75+, and 85+. Not only Iowa, but the rest of the nation will need to be prepared to care for these elders. Each facility will need a team approach and culture to address resident needs and it is NAHCA’s goal to make all nursing homes great so that all elders have an exceptional place to live and be cared for.
Lori Porter, NAHCA CEO, speaking in front of our crowd of employees, residents, and family members.
LaVonne Smith, a former CNA and current Sunrise Terrace resident, sat down for an interview with Lori and Lisa. When asked how she become a CNA, she replied, “I needed to do something that I enjoyed. I took a job living in a home taking care of two ladies. I really enjoyed it, talking to them and taking care of them. It just made me feel special. So, then I decided to take a CNA class to get my certification. My care was from my heart!”
