LETTITOR when we’re all beat over the head with sentiment, mush, gravy and guilt: Thanksgiving. For some, it’s a serious thing; a time to reflect; a time to appreciate the people, pets, and things in our lives. For others, it’s a nightmarish glimpse into the future; a nauseating reminder of holidays yet to come. For me, it means turkey at mom’s, small talk with nieces that I love but have painfully little to say to, and an obligatory viewing of /t’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. So, instead of feeding into the spirit of the season by gushing about how awesome everything is, here’s a list of things that I’m very much unthankful for: |: that time of year again. That time Neighbors drunkenly yelling outside my window at 3:00 a.m. There’s not much to elaborate on here. Whether you’ ve got work or class in the morning, or not, sleep is one of those things that we all don’t seem to get enough of on a good day. Add in some painfully asinine commentary, think valley girl “THEN HE SAID THAT SHE SAID THAT HE DID,” from the Rosie Un-Thanksgiving Salute O’Donnell archetype across the way and you’ ve got a zero effort recipe for those oh-so-sought-after under-eye bags and a case of the grumps. Being dive-bombed by a crow (or equally mean-spirited bird) It was the summer of 2010 and I was, blissfully might I add, crossing a street downtown when it happened. In writing this I remember it vividly now. WHAM! It felt like someone had thrown a football at my head—which, to make it worse, only brought back memories of many a failed athletic attempt in my high school days—but, when I looked up to see a crow wobbling mid-air as it recovered from the attack, I knew I was just another victim. I’m pretty sure that it was at this point that I started to run... I think. This was about when the adrenaline kicked in and my memories of the freak event get a little hazy. That crow took something from me that day. Getting “left hanging” We’ ve all been there: you go in for the high-five and get left hanging. While, unlike the other callouts on this list so far there’s really no guilty party, getting left hanging sucks all the same. Add in a group of witnesses to your failed attempt at friendly human contact and you’ve got yourself a one-way ticket to Loserville on the red-faced embarrassment express. Bummer. Being out of milk Be it cow, soya, almond, or rice, whether you’re jonesing for a bowl of cereal or cruisin’ to make a shake, when you’re out of “the good stuff,” there’s little on this world left to console you. Don’t you dare tell me to put juice or water in my cereal. Just. Don’t. The worst part of this for me is how, everytime the carton runs dry and I’ve already dished out my bran, I think back to those old “got milk” ads. They’ re always smiling... smiling at me... because they “got milk” and I don’t. And people wonder why I’m lactose intolerant? Jerks! ..Happy Thanksgiving! B.C.’s efforts to improve accountability and recognition for Health Care oe” Assistants has Douglas College connection October 18 declared Health Care Assistant Day By Liam Britten registered. Nurses are registered. In fact, just about every health care worker is registered — except Health Care Assistants. Health Care Assistants (HCAs) are the health workers who assist people with daily living needs that they cannot fill on their own. They work in nursing homes, in patients’ homes, with seniors, the disabled, and with patients who have chronic health problems. The wide variety of situations HCAs are employed in has hampered efforts to implement across-the-board standards for education and accountability for the 37,000 of them in B.C. But that’s changing. Last year, the provincial government, in consultation with an advisory committee representing unions, regional health authorities, private employers, and private and public post- secondary institutions began implementing a provincial HCA registry that will standardize qualifications and education, but more importantly, protect the patients from abuse. Representing the public colleges and universities on that advisory committee for this registry was Dianne Maxwell, |: British Columbia, doctors are ia coordinator of the Health Care Support Worker Program at Douglas College. The advisory committee she participated in provided input on the qualifications that registered HCAs should have. Having this registry is a good first step, Maxwell told The Other Press — most provinces have no regulations at all — but she doesn’t see this body as going far enough. “T think eventually we have to go to a more standards-based practice,” she said. “Right now, people complete their education, they go on the registry and the only way they come off the registry is if they are suspended or fired for abuse.” Maxwell would like to see HCAs regulated in a way similar to nurses; nurses take exams prior to being registered or licensed, and must show that they’ve been keeping up with practice and professional development on a yearly basis, and the regiStry requires nothing of this sort from HCAs. However, as Dean of Health Science Pamela Cawley notes, the registry does require that prospective HCAs complete approved courses like those offered at Douglas before being registered. “It’s a step up over what’s happening in other provinces,” she said. The matter of using the registry as a regulatory body is complicated by factors like money issues and union aversion to yet another “quality control” mechanism. But Maxwell and Cawley see the registry as less of a system for punishing poor HCAs, and more as one that rewards the majority of them who are interested in professional development, furthering their skills and perhaps advance their careers as health care workers. In addition to registry, the advisory committee secured a royal proclamation from the Province declaring October 18, 2011 Health Care Assistant day throughout B.C. The proclamation, which declares that HCAs “have demonstrated to be an indispensable component in the safety and quality of personal care for patients,” is intended to recognize and increase visibility of the role of the Health Care Assistant. “What I see now with the registry is ... respect for the role, understanding of the role. Understanding of how much work these workers actually do to maintain the health of their clients,” Maxwell said. “We want people that want to stay in this role, so when you give professional development opportunities, when you give recognition for the huge part they fulfill in the health care system, I think that’s really helpful. So I think this proclamation, having Health Care Assistant day is really nice for putting them front and centre and I hope it gets recognized as such.”