The Special Calling
Ora Jones is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) that resides in North Carolina. She recalls a spark for her passion when her grandfather got sick. She was around 18 years old when he had an aneurysm and had a heart pacer put in. She was taking care of him until the day he passed which she recollected so vividly.
Ora went outside and noticed her grandfather trying to lift the tire. He asked for help, but she stated she was not feeling well, then reminded him that he was not supposed to lift that tire while wearing a pacemaker. He did not want to hear that, so Ora went into the house to tell her grandmother and she responded “he won’t listen to anybody”. Ora returned outside seeing her grandfather lifting the tire and falling immediately after. She ran to him but unfortunately, he died in her arms. Ever since then she decided that she did not want anybody in the older population to die alone and sought out her medical journey.
In 1982 she started working in the nursing homes then worked for the department of social services as a part-time CNA. Shortly after she started her position, her grandmother became ill. She also took care of her just like she cared for her grandfather. She made promises to take care of her grandma and her parents when they got older.
There were major differences when working with the nursing homes compared to working as a private CNA. While working at a nursing home she would take care of several clients at a time and was able to socialize with staff. This can be tiring especially if she had more than one patient that was paraplegic. One con that Ora had with the nursing home was that younger CAN’s that were hired did not want to work and they did not care about the patients.
This made her job harder because she had to go behind the employees and complete their tasks in addition to hers. Working as a private duty CAN she could also socialize with the patients and their families. Workdays can be shorter or longer depending on the patient’s needs. She liked working one on one with the patients because she got to know her patients better. She also liked that it wasn’t physically demanding as opposed to working in the nursing homes. One downside is that she did not receive group support, but her supervisors were able to answer questions via phone.
When she first gains a client, she goes into their home and sets the expectation. She introduces herself, tells the client that if their personalities can’t blend then to call to the office for another CNA, then explains her duty while working in the home. Unfortunately, she has experienced racism from some of her clients but remains positive despite the client’s attitudes. She remembers when clients wanted her to be a CNA and a maid even though in her contract it explicitly states her job duties. There was also a time where the patient did not want her to use her bathroom upstairs. Although this was a hard part of the job, it helped her to overcome racism and prejudice.
She learned a lot about death and does not fear it. She recalls her near death experience when the doctor gave her two medicines that were not supposed to mix. She began to feel nauseous, dizzy, and had a fever. She then saw a light and a young man that told her to follow him to paradise. He stated that she can stay here but she stated that she did not want to stay because her family would be sad. He said “ ok, you can return”. Next, she remembers that she woke up and she did not feel any pain. After this experience the sixty-three-year-old wants others to treat people right despite how they treat you.
Written by Marasri White – 2/4/22