ULULANI A.

I decided to become a caregiver/ CNA about 15 years ago. I have been reading an article in the Kohala Mountain Newspaper about how they face staff shortages in the hospitals. It went on to say that a lot of our Kupuna are dying with bed sores due to lack of being turned. I cried as I read this article. I enjoy working with our kupuna for that fact that I learn a lot from them. These are some of our most brilliant minds and the experiences that they went through we (me) could learn so much from them. Okay ... I am a high school drop out as well as a teen mom. I had my son when I was 16 years old and tried to attend night school. I was supposed to graduate from Aiea High School in 1994. Anyways to make a long story short I have 4 children and am going through a divorce. In 2005 I have been going through some changes and decided that I need to graduate from high school before my son. I completed the G.E.D. prep course at the Workforce Development in Kailua-Kona and passed my G.E.D. test and received my High School Diploma. :) .. I continued to work with my counselor at the Workforce Development (Sammy) and went on to take the C.N.A. classes through the American Red Cross. I passed the course and became a Certified Nurse Aide in 2005. I continued to work and keep my certification until 2013. I have worked mostly in a Home Health setting. I do have experience in assisted living and retirement home as well. I have not recertified my Nurse Aide since then. I have been a Transportation Specialist/ Outreach Case Manager/ Site Manager here at Hui Malama Ola Na OIwi on the Big Island since November of 2012 til present. We are a branch off of the Papa Ola Lokahi systems part of the Native Hawaiian Health Care System. We offer our communities free Health Education, Traditional Healing, Cancer Support, Exercise Science and Specialty Transportation. I love it here as well for the reason that I work with our kupuna and members of our communities.