A couple weeks ago on November 9th, 2023, Newsweek published an article spotlighting fellow CNA Shelly Hughes and the importance of passing the proposed rule for minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities.
“It’s time to break the cycle of underestimating and undervaluing the care our loved ones need and those who provide it. Care is the cornerstone of our economy and makes all other work possible. Black and Latina women—who underpin our country’s care infrastructure—have been sacrificing themselves to keep our long-term care system afloat for far too long.
Shelly has long known that short staffing undermines quality care, but the understaffing crisis has recently hit a boiling point. On most shifts, she’s one of just two CNAs caring for 60 residents. Residents rely on her for everything from bathing to eating to getting dressed, not to mention daily health emergencies.
Shelly is pulled in so many directions that she must make decisions like whether to leave a resident she’s helping bathe alone when she hears another resident calling out for help, knowing there’s no one else to respond. She often sobs in her car on her way home knowing residents didn’t get the dignified care and attention they deserved that day, despite all her efforts to provide it.”
Read the full article HERE.