Atalaya C.

My name is Sherita and I'm a loving, caring and compassionate CNA2, I am caregiver through the State of Oregon. I really enjoy my job and take great pride in what I do. I have been a CNA/caregiver for more than 20 years, I start off caring for my grandmother at the tender age of 9. Then I was ask to care for a family friend mother who had recently been placed on hospice care(I didn't even know what hospice was or what it meant) I was 15 years old at the time. I cared for another family friends mother and before see passed see made me promise to get my CNA before God call her home as she would say. She was a retired nurse and I learn so much from her, she even help me get into a CNA class. And from that time to this I have enjoyed my work and take great pride in my work.

I am patient and realistic. I know that our faculties change as we get older.It can be frightening to loose control of our lives as well as our bodies. I feel I am here to help my clients accept and embrace what is occurring . I have to readjust my expectations daily. I have clients who appear to be fading then suddenly are back to where they were. I am observant, I notice shifts in enthusiasm and attitude. I don't ignore those observations I make note to see if something has gone wrong or right!I understand the need for routine and control of your surroundings, personal items and placement of furniture. I read blogs, magazines and books to keep up on nutrition, medications, benefits, and side affects, and behavior. I am very interested in brain trauma, the effects of stroke on behavior,balance, aphasia. I have worked closely with several stroke survivors. Currently I assist a woman in who experiences aphasia. She is taking part in a study by Portland State University on aphasia and how it affects stroke survivors and their families. I have learned a great deal from her and the study. Previous to this, I worked with a stroke survivor who had a stroke after open heart surgery. When we first met she was unable to sit alone ,she has gone from being unable to sit alone to getting in and out of bed walking for up to 40 minutes with a walker, 6-13-16 she walked alone. I had her do her exercises every day, work on computer games, given by her Occupational therapist. She now removes her own shoes, and can dress her self. I was a caregiver to my mother after a brain injury suffered in a terrible car accident. In 2010 I shared hospice care for my brother who had bone cancer. My thoughts everyday were, what can I do to better understand what is happening, and how can I give him comfort. All of these qualities make me a good caregiver.