Nurses? aides receive AIDS care training
Persons living with HIV and AIDS not only suffer from the disease but must also endure the stigma and discrimination that often accompanies it. Many of these patients are shunned by family and friends who are often just too scared to take care of them. Today, however, the Ministry of Health has embarked on an initiative that aims to reduce fear and provide patients and caregivers with some much needed support. It’s a five day workshop for community nurses’ aides.
Minerva Jolly, R.N., Facilitator, Workshop
?We are going to teach them how to bathe somebody in bed, how to walk them to the bathroom, what signs and symptoms to look out for, when to call the doctor.?
?We have done this class before and we?re doing it because people call us and say I have a relative with AIDS and I don?t know how to take care of them. We have to give care that is safe for both the caregiver and the patient. And we have to make sure that we respect confidentiality, dignity and that we do what?s the ethical thing to do. ?
?We are teaching Belize?s community nurses? aid how to take care of someone who has AIDS at home and our aim is to de-stigmatize, to take away the prejudices. We want these women to leave here feeling like their going to put up a fight and they are going to stand up for persons that have HIV/AIDS. They are going to break all prejudices and speak up when they hear something unjust being said. We are also going to give them a lot of hands on knowledge?
The community nurses’ aides will also be encouraged to educate others about the disease and encourage people to get tested.
