Kalie has been a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) at Angels Grace Hospice & Palliative Care, Illinois for two years.
She has usually less than ten residents at any one time, many of whom live at facilities with some at home. She usually spends the morning with the resident, gets them up and ready for their day, sits with them at lunch, plays cards and does puzzles, as well as spending valuable time with them outside. The facilities’ gardens usually have flowers, plants, insects and birds, which are just pleasant places to be.
She loves how happy they are to see her each time as they sometimes don’t get a lot of visitors or attention, love to get their nails or hair done (the ladies), a clean shave (the guys), play cards, or just tell stories from their past, maybe their war experiences and how they met their wife or husband.
If they are without their partner, they will tell Kalie about who they were, how they met, or about their kids and grandkids.
Some residents are very emotional and they simply miss being at home or miss their families and partners so Kalie spends a lot of time listening and having patience and empathy.
Her role as a Certified Nursing Assistant is so important as it fills a gap between when they have visits from family. She does her best to understand how they might feel with no judgement, just being there for them.