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POSTED: Monday, January 12, 2009

Marilyn Cruz started her professional career as a midwife, helping bring about 25 babies into the world.

               

     

 

Who: Marilyn Cruz Title: Certified nurse aide         Job: Helps care for participants at an elderly day health center

Now she helps people in the winter of their lives, as a certified nurse aide at Maluhia Adult Day Health Center on Alewa Heights.

Cruz came to Hawaii in 1980 from the Philippines, where she had obtained a degree from the Lyceum North Western Institute of Midwifery. The middle of six daughters in her family (the first two being twins), Cruz had wanted an affordable degree in a profession would pay the bills yet be spiritually rewarding.

One of her sisters also became a midwife; of the rest, one is a registered nurse, two are medical secretaries, and one is an accountant.

They all live in Hawaii now, along with their parents, after moving here in stages starting in 1969, when just her father—a “;hard working man, a laborer”;—moved here. He had been petitioned for entry into the United States by his brother, who was in the U.S. Navy.

“;There's more opportunity here than in the Philippines,”; Cruz said last week. “;We worked hard to reach this far, so we were really fortunate to come over.”;

Cruz, 48, is herself a parent, with her husband Rodelio, a carpenter, of two adult sons, ages 25 and 23.

Besides the midwifery college, Cruz, 48, is a graduate of Rosales National High School, also in the Philippines.

She and her husband reside in Liliha, near the base of Alewa Heights, which is ideal, she said, because “;I don't have to deal with the traffic”; to get to work.

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Mark Coleman: What is your job title at Maluhia Adult Day Health Center?

Marilyn Cruz: It's a CNA, a certified nurse aide.

Q: How long have you been working there?

A: I've been working at Maluhia Hospital since 1986. Before here, I worked part time, on call, at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific for two years, and also, for a year, at the Convalescent Center of Honolulu. I also worked, for six years, at Hale Nani Health Center.

I came from the Philippines in 1980, March, and after two weeks I got the job at Hale Nani.

Q: Had you been a nurse in the Philippines?

A: I had been a midwife in the Philippines. I delivered babies. (Laughter) Unfortunately, over here I cannot (be a midwife).

Q: You can't be a midwife in Hawaii?

A: In Hawaii, there's no midwife; it's all gynecologists that deliver babies.

Q: Is being a CNA a requirement to have the job?

A: If you apply in the hospital, yes, you have to be certified nurse aide.

Q: How did you get that certification?

A: I didn't really go to school for it, because of my degree that I have, so they just gave me the certification because I was qualified.

Q: What was your degree in?

A: It was midwifery—I went to the Lyceum Northwestern Institute of Midwifery, in Pangasinan.

Q: Why is Maluhia called a day health center?

A: The difference is the nursing home upstairs is 24 hours. At the day health center, they can go home in the afternoon. They come in in the morning and they go home in the evening. The family will pick up, or the Handi-Van will provide transportation.

Q: What is the general age range of the people who are there for health care?

A: Right now it's between 65 and above.

Q: What's the oldest?

A: The oldest is 103, a woman.

Q: Is she in good health?

A: She's not able to walk. She's a frail, elderly person.

Q: Why is she there?

A: Because her family needs her to be taken care of while they're working. This is all about if the family is not able to take care, they can bring them here.

Q: Do you call them patients or clients?

A: Participants. Our goal is to enrich their lives and maintain their independence and self esteem while providing respite for their families.

Q: What is the general state of health of the participants you work with?

A: Some have had strokes, some have dementia or Alzheimer's.

Q: Are they all mobile?

A: Some are mobile, some are wheelchair bound.

Q: What exactly do you do for these people each day?

A: Basically what I do is, you know, feed them, you know, bathroom, ambulation ...

...Q: Ambulation?

A: Yeah, that's a walking exercise. We also have group activities, and we have to prepare snacks, receive dropped off recipients from the housing nearby, and the Handi-van. And then I do daily documentation of all work done, and I attend meetings, work closely with my RN (registered nurse), and then work with the dietary staff and the managers.

Q: Are the participants all mentally alert?

A: Some are alert. Most of the time, actually. But there is dementia, confusion, and some are not able to talk. So that's the thing, we have to watch closely, because even though they can't talk, we want to let them know we're here, so we touch them, and hug them, to let them know that they are safe, and we give them our best tender-loving care. We do outings, too. We take them to different areas around Honolulu.

Q: Like where?

A: Like we go Ala Moana Center, we go Kahala Mall, we go Windward Mall, we go to Waikiki, we go to Sand Island. Actually it's just kind of around the island. We do that once or twice a week. And we have haircut activities. And we do special programs, like Honolulu Hale during the holidays, or to orchid shows. And we have bingo.

Q: How many participants do you work with each day?

A: It varies every day. The lowest we have is 40-something. Daily it's usually 50 and above. We're open six days a week, Monday through Saturday.

Q: Whom do you report to each day? Is there an a doctor on hand or an administrator?

A: Jeri Takamiya is the center manager. Then I have a supervisor. Her name is Cindy Vineyard.

Q: How many doctors are on hand?

A: We have one doctor; she's in the clinic, the Maluhia Geriatric Physician Service.

Q: What are your general working hours?

A: My hours are from 6:30 to 3 o'clock. So I open the center.

Q: Are you the first one there?

A: Yes. (Laughter) So I open the center first. We open at 6:45, so I have 15 minutes to get ready every day. I make the coffee and tea, and make sure everything like that is set up.

Q: How many other nurse aides are there at the center?

A: Right now we have eight, and we have two RNs, and one RT (recreational therapist) and two RT aides. We have some volunteer senior companions. And then we have more staff upstairs, but that's the hospital.

Q: What are some of the best things about your job?

A: The best thing about my job is that I love my job so much. (Laughter) It's so rewarding to see the participants when they come in smiling and when they go home smiling. It's really rewarding helping to make a difference for my clients and the families that we're helping.

The best thing is, if you have passion, and compassion, for your job, and love what you do, you never get tired. When you have that joy, that inner peace, it reflects in your job, so when you smile, they smile back and enjoy. But I don't give myself the glory, I give God the glory, because I'm just being a servant to my clients, and they're happy with what I do, and that's so rewarding.

Q: What would be a drawback of the job?

A: The hard thing is when you lose them, when they get sick or die. It's a hard time. It's hard, but you have to let go. They're all meaningful to me, because you know, I treat them like my own grandma, so you have to give it your best.

 

               

     

 

CORRECTION         Tuesday, January 13, 2009         This story originally had an incorrect first name for the husband of Marilyn Cruz. His name is Rodelio, not Robelio.