Jessica Stratton, PCA, reviews her patient triage routine with a staff member in the geriatric department on April 28, 2025, at Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington.
Jessica Stratton, PCA, demonstrates the use of a blood pressure monitor with a staff member on Monday, April 28, 2025, at Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington.
Jessica Stratton, PCA, reviews her patient triage routine with a staff member in the geriatric department on April 28, 2025, at Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington.
Jessica Stratton, PCA, demonstrates the use of a blood pressure monitor with a staff member on Monday, April 28, 2025, at Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington.
Geriatric and dementia care can be one of the most rewarding areas of medicine. However, understaffing issues are also widely reported, resulting in long waitlists and limited admissions at facilities.
Jessica Stratton is a patient care assistant at Cabell Huntington Hospital in the geriatric care unit. Her day starts with taking reports from other PCƵ and checking patientsƵ glucose levels, then breakfast trays come out. She has nine beds in her unit.
ƵWith our population, itƵs not just putting the tray in front of the patient, itƵs opening everything, itƵs cutting everything,Ƶ Stratton said.
Sometimes patients may need assistance with their meal, and Stratton records how much they eat or drink. After that, she helps them get ready for the day, which can even include helping patients tease their hair or paint their nails. In between all of that, she is answering call lights, helping patients to the bathroom or taking patients to dialysis.
ƵThe patients we get, they stay for a while. They donƵt just get discharged. My favorite part is building a relationship with the patients. TheyƵre so happy to see you and you get to know them and know their stories and thatƵs probably my highlight,Ƶ Stratton said.
This is the reason sheƵs chosen to continue as a PCA for 20 years.
ƵWhatƵs not a highlight is when you see a patient really decline, I think thatƵs tough,Ƶ she said. ƵThatƵs the hard part.Ƶ
The human touch is what makes the biggest difference being a hands-on care provider, Stratton said.
ƵHolding their hand when theyƵre getting vitals, stroking their hair when theyƵre getting blood drawn because theyƵre scared,Ƶ she continued. ƵHuman touch can calm down a patient and soothe them, and they end up trusting you and feeling safe and cared for.Ƶ
Nurse aids works very closely with doctors and nurses. Stratton describes herself as their Ƶeyes and earsƵ monitoring a patient because PCƵ like her spend the most time with them.
ƵMy mom, she was a nurse at a nursing home, and she would take me to the nursing home on Saturdays and I played bingo with the patients and sat with the patients and I just really grew a heart for the geriatrics,Ƶ Stratton said.
Skylar Barnett is a state registered nursing aide (SRNA) at Kingsbrook Lifecare Center in Ƶhland who also was exposed to geriatric care in her youth.
In her role, she helps get residents ready for the day, in addition to helping them with activities, eating, bathing and things in between. Since her mom was also an SRNA, Barnett grew up going to the nursing home with her and helping out.
While she likes her job now as an SRNA, Barnett said she is open to exploring other career opportunities in the medical field in the future.
Pam Bryan is a registered nurse and unit care manager at Kingsbrook Lifecare Center. June will mark her 20th anniversary at the facility. She currently has 35 mostly long-term residents in her unit.
ƵI can remember probably as young as 10, I had a great-grandmother in that facility that my mom would take my sister and I to go visit, and I was just amazed with it at that young of an age and I always knew that thatƵs what I wanted to do,Ƶ Bryan said. ƵItƵs just a calling and I canƵt imagine ever doing anything else, just providing care for residents and just helping them through day-to-day. It is very rewarding for me.Ƶ
She focuses on making sure patients are happy and have everything they need.
ƵIt is a very family-oriented atmosphere, and I feel like overall that makes the whole population here happy,Ƶ Bryan said. ƵItƵs just a very good atmosphere to be in.Ƶ
The COVID-19 pandemic made geriatric care one of the most emotionally difficult areas of medicine to work in.
Stratton talked about how difficult it was and said she hopes something like a shutdown is never needed again.
ƵSometimes you have to be the patientƵs family. I mean, itƵs being there for them. If itƵs their birthday, if itƵs an anniversary, you have to celebrate that with them while theyƵre in the hospital,Ƶ Stratton said. ƵWhen they didnƵt have anybody else, they had us.Ƶ
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