Presidential Candidate John Edwards Works Early Shift at Suburban New York Nursing Home

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

Presidential Candidate John Edwards Works Early Shift at Suburban New York Nursing Home


04-11-2007 1:22 PM
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (Associated Press) -- Democrat John Edwards got a taste of low-wage life Wednesday, rising before dawn to help to dress, shave and deliver breakfast to elderly residents of a nursing home outside New York City.

His visit was part of the "Work a Day in My Shoes" program sponsored by the influential Service Employees International Union, where presidential candidates spend time with health care workers to understand the challenges of their jobs. Edwards was paired with certified nursing assistant Elaine Ellis, an 18-year employee of the Sarah Neuman Nursing Home who escorted him on her early morning rounds.


Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards responds to a question during a campaign town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa, Wednesday, April 4, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)


Ellis, a divorced mother who raised four children on her nursing assistant's salary, called Edwards "a very personable person" and praised his willingness to spend time on the job with her.

"I think all politicians should take a page from his book," she told reporters.

Read more: http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8OEIFHO1&_action=validatearticle

[rocktivity]

1. Yawn

Let's see him live on the worker's salary for a month--THEN he will have accomplished something!

rocknation

[Thor_MN]

3. Have you ever worked as a nursing assistant in a nursing home?

I have. If you have, then you can yawn if you want, otherwise you have no clue what you are talking about.

I feel I can't say enough to express how much I'm impressed by John Edwards doing this. It is one of the hardest jobs I have ever done. I put myself through college working every shift I could pick up during the summer and holiday breaks. That said, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I learned more about humility, respect, compassion and general life lessons doing that job than any other thing I have done.

One could do any of a myriad of low paying jobs, even for a month and learn little. Work just one day as a Nursing Assistant and I guarantee you will learn things you will never forget.

[rocktivity]

4. I'm talking about trying to live on a MEDIAN salary

of $24,893--I imagine THAT'S difficult and challenging, too. A "taste" of low-wage work? He'd "learn" a lot more by getting a taste of the low wages!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Thor_MN]

6. You imagine? I guess you don't know what that's like either...

You can't give him a bit of credit for this instead of ripping him? Can you name another candidate in the past 20 years that has come close to spending even an hour working an job like this? I'm not saying you have to go out an vote for him, but why do you feel the need to hack on him for doing a good thing?

And I call bullshit on learning more by spending a month on low wages. What lesson do you learn other than it sucks to be poor (which I'm sure most people learn early in life) and that you only have a few days left to go back to your normal life? Survive a year on <$25K and maybe you will pick up a few skills, but is it even realistic to expect a candidate to spend a month, much less a year to learn that it's a drag to not have money?

Tell you what, I'll go a week spending less than $478 if you spend 2 hours volunteering at a nursing home.

[emilyg]

7. nursing home

i volunteer twice a week -

[rocktivity]

16. I rest my case--if the work's THAT important, it SHOULDN'T be low wage!

And I'm not ripping Edwards any more than I do any politican who plays dress-up with the little people for photo ops--that's why I yawned.

:headbang:
rocknation

[hyphenate]

5. Working as a nurse's aide myself

right after high school was an unforgettable time, I agree! You learn a lot about people and understand life in general as well--how life and death are inextricably linked together and how death in many cases is yearned for, especially when there is a tremendous amount of pain in continued living.

The facility in which I worked had several amputees (of legs) and for the first week I did nothing but dreaming about them, not being used to that sight. After a couple of weeks, a lot had already sunk in, and I remained in that field for over 4 years. I can say, however, I was glad to get out of it as I went along, and was grateful when I got into an office environment.

Even working just one night is enough to show some people how difficult such a job is. It's one of those jobs where the tired cliche is "It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it!" The pay sucks, the work is dirty, there is little reward, and no one ever really recognizes how needed the aides are. I found when I was in the hospital that the aides did a lot of the work that the nurses wouldn't do, but I tried to have a greeting and a smile for them, since I wasn't in a position to do much more. The phrase "unsung hero" comes to mind for all the good aides who do their best even when there is little reward for them.

[Thor_MN]

9. 20+ years later, I'll still sometimes wake up thinking that I forgot to do something

and someone is waiting on me just to get dressed or to go to the bathroom or to have a shower. Being responsible for caring for 6 - 18 people at a time teaches you things quickly, even if only spending one day doing it. I knew people that quit within a week, but they walked away having learned some lessons.

I still remember the names of many of the people. People that were my favorites and people that were difficult to deal with. One month into being a CNA, Ray, who was VERY demanding, you couldn't do anything right for him, apologized to me one evening for being so hard on me. I told him that it was OK and that it would take me some time to remember exactly how he wanted things done. I finished up with getting him ready for bed and moved on to the next person. Two hours later, they told me that he had died. I feel that at some level he knew.

I too was glad to move on to a job that used my college degree, but I credit that job with making me what I am, much more so than my first couple professional jobs.

[w4rma]

10. If I understand his "son of a millworker" story, he's been there and done that. (nt)

[rocktivity]

17. Then he should DEFINITELY know that the cure for poverty

is money!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Missy Vixen]

15. I guess I'm wondering how much time you've spent in a nursing home

I think it's absolutely impressive that John Edwards would choose to go to work with a nurse's aide, even if all he was able to do was to shadow her during her workday.

As others on this thread have mentioned, he's the only candidate currently running who's even made an effort to find out and to speak out about poverty in America. I think his efforts are admirable. It's beyond me why anyone here would think this a bad idea.

Julie

[quiet.american]

2. I like that. n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. This is what I like most about Edwards...

While the biggest news in other campaigns is about fundraising; he's out here in the real world trying to gain as much understanding as possible of how people live. I get the feeling he honestly cares about people more than he cares about winning the race.

It will be interesting to see who else (if anyone) follows up on SEIU's invite...

[KT2000]

11. Kudos to Edwards

people do not even want to visit relatives in nursing homes.
This is physically demanding work and emotionally demanding as well. I wish all the candidates would do a serious stint in a nursing home and a children's cancer ward.

[wildhorses]

12. good for him!!

i am liking him more and more ...i just worry about elizabeth's health

[Big Pappa]

13. Does anybody

think he actually got in the trenches and wiped some ass. That is about 90% of an aides work on the early shift. I just see him gloved up wiping up pooh. Yeah ok.

[Thor_MN]

14. You are not even close.

In an AM shift, an aide gets 6-10 people out of bed, washed, dressed, fed breakfast and lunch, toss in a shower or two, walking a couple people and make their beds so they can be put back down for a nap. It can SEEM like 90% of the work, but it isn't on the AM shift.

On the Night shift, you might have 3 times as many people and you spent the night changing diapers and taking the people to the bathroom. So the percentage is higher there.

Why the need to disparage this? WTF have the other candidates done? If all he did was stand there and watched the Nursing Assistant (in many cases that's ALL he could do, since he is not trained, nor certified) he learned a hell of lot more than any other candidate about a real job, and apparently several DUers.