Maine CNA key terms

Moving a joint through its full normal arc, either by the resident alone (active) or with your help (passive). Done regularly, it helps keep joints flexible and slows stiffness and contractures.

A permanent shortening of muscle or tendon that freezes a joint in a bent position. It develops when a limb stays still for long periods, so frequent repositioning and range-of-motion exercise help prevent it.

Damage to skin and the tissue beneath it caused by unrelieved pressure, usually over a bony area such as the sacrum or heel. It can start as redness that does not fade and can deepen into an open wound.

A seated-up bed position in which the head of the bed is raised about 45 to 60 degrees with the knees slightly bent. It helps with breathing and eating and is common for residents who aspirate easily.

Turning a resident as a single unit, keeping head, shoulders, and hips aligned, usually with two helpers and a draw sheet. It protects the spine after surgery or injury and prevents twisting.

A wide strap fastened around a resident's waist that gives the aide a firm, safe grip during standing, walking, or transfers. It is not used on a resident with recent abdominal surgery, pregnancy, or fragile ribs without nurse approval.

A record of all fluids a resident drinks and all fluids leaving the body, including urine, vomit, and drainage. Measuring and recording accurately helps the nurse detect dehydration or fluid overload.

A medical order meaning nothing by mouth: no food, water, ice chips, or oral medications. The aide must keep the resident from eating or drinking and tell the nurse if the resident does.

Breathing food, liquid, saliva, or vomit into the airway and lungs instead of swallowing it. It can cause choking or pneumonia, so residents with swallowing problems need upright positioning and careful, slow feeding.

A drop in blood pressure when a person sits or stands up quickly, causing dizziness, blurred vision, or fainting. Aides should help residents rise slowly and stay nearby during the first moments.

Using correct posture, balance, and muscle strength to lift, move, or carry safely. Keeping the load close, bending the knees, and avoiding twisting protects both the aide and the resident from injury.

Understanding and sharing what another person feels without taking on the feeling as your own. It lets a resident know they are heard and supports trust.

Giving full attention to a speaker by facing them, keeping eye contact, nodding, and repeating back what you understood. It shows respect and helps you catch concerns a resident might otherwise not say.

Purposeful conversation that supports a resident's emotional and physical well-being, using open questions, silence, and reflecting feelings while avoiding advice, judgment, or false reassurance.

Encouraging a resident to talk about past experiences, often using photos, music, or objects. Recalling happy memories can lift mood, build rapport, and support identity, especially for people with dementia.

Accepting and acknowledging the feelings and reality a confused resident expresses rather than correcting them. Matching the resident's emotion reduces distress and helps them feel safe and understood.

Recognizing and respecting a resident's culture, language, religion, food habits, and health beliefs, and adjusting care to fit them. It builds trust and helps you avoid misunderstandings or offense.

The set of tasks and decisions a nurse aide is legally trained and allowed to perform. Doing only those tasks, and reporting anything else to the nurse, keeps residents safe and protects the aide's certification.

The nurse assigning a specific nursing task to a nurse aide who is trained and allowed to do it. The nurse keeps responsibility for the resident's outcome, and the aide should ask questions or refuse unsafe assignments.

A written, individualized guide that lists a resident's problems, goals, and the specific care each staff member provides. Aides follow it and report changes so the nurse can update it.

Everyday self-care tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, toileting, and moving from place to place. Aides help residents do as much as they can for themselves rather than doing everything for them.

Facts you can see, measure, or verify yourself, such as a temperature of 101 degrees, a swollen ankle, or a refusal to eat. It is reported in exact, observable terms rather than opinions.

Information a resident tells you about how they feel, such as pain, nausea, dizziness, or worry. Because only the resident experiences it, record their own words rather than your interpretation.

A confidential facility form describing an unusual event such as a fall, medication error, or injury. It records just the facts for review and is not placed in the resident's medical record.

Infection-control steps used with every resident every time, because any body fluid may carry germs. They include hand hygiene, gloves, and barriers for blood, urine, stool, and other moist body substances.

Extra precautions used with certain contagious illnesses, added to standard precautions. They may involve a private room, masks, gowns, dedicated equipment, or limiting the resident's movement outside the room.

Gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection worn to block contact with blood, body fluids, or airborne germs. Put it on before contact, remove it without touching the outside, and wash hands afterward.

A fire-response reminder: Rescue anyone in danger, Activate the alarm, Contain the fire by closing doors, and Evacuate or Extinguish if safe. Residents who cannot walk are moved horizontally behind fire doors first.

The steps for using a fire extinguisher: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep side to side. Aides should only fight a small fire with a clear exit behind them.

When a resident leaves the building or a safe area without permission or supervision, often a person with dementia. Aides watch doors, alarms, and exit-seeking behavior and report a missing resident immediately.

Any device or method that limits a resident's movement and cannot be removed easily by the resident, such as a vest or lap belt. It requires a doctor's order, is used only as a last resort, and needs frequent monitoring and release.

Steps taken to reduce a resident's risk of falling, such as clearing clutter, keeping the call light within reach, locking bed wheels, using non-skid footwear, and answering requests quickly.

A resident's voluntary agreement to a treatment or procedure after being told the purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives in words they understand. The aide's role is to support that right, not to obtain the consent.

A written document made while a person can still decide, stating future health care wishes or naming someone to decide for them. Examples are a living will and a health care power of attorney.

A doctor's written order that says CPR should not be started if a resident stops breathing or the heart stops. Aides honor it by calling the nurse immediately rather than beginning CPR.

Keeping a resident's personal and medical information private and sharing it only with staff who need it to give care. Talking about residents in hallways, elevators, or on social media violates their rights.

The legal duty of nurse aides and other caregivers to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a resident to the nurse and, in Maine, to the proper authorities.

A trained advocate, usually from the state's long-term care program, who investigates complaints and protects residents' rights. The aide should help a resident contact the ombudsman when asked, without interference.

Failing to provide the care, food, fluids, medication, cleanliness, or supervision a resident needs, whether on purpose or by oversight. Signs include pressure injuries, dehydration, poor hygiene, and unanswered call lights.

Federally protected rights of nursing home residents, including privacy, dignity, choice, freedom from abuse and restraints, keeping personal belongings, and voicing grievances without fear of punishment.