How do we ensure quality and continuity of care?
Our founder, Jason Reyes, recently participated in a webinar on Caring for Caregivers: Six Tips to Drive Employee Retention. The webinar focused on understaffed communities, caregiver burnout, constant staff turnover, and operational inefficiency, as well as the need for new strategies to adapt to a post-COVID environment with an increased focus on quality care. This is especially important as the impact of COVID-19 on senior communities has increased fears and staff burnout due to physical and mental exhaustion, prolonged stress, and lack of resources. So, what are the key takeaways to ensuring the longevity of Senior Living Community team members?
Recruit the right people
Take the time to hire people who are passionate about the mission. People who are involved in Senior Living because they love the work and the people they work with. Residents will feel the difference.
Improve your onboarding process
From orientation to starting, have open conversations with your new employees so they know what to expect and how to fulfill their daily responsibilities. Give new employees the opportunity to see how your community performs and how they can add value.
Provide career development and encourage engagement
Learn how to promote from within. Invest in employees who prove they are invested in your residents. Listen to your employees and see what they are looking for and how you can help them, whether that means offering continuing education or a mentor program. And promote engagement within the communities through little things like encouraging employees to eat meals with the residents.
Improve your culture BEFORE the next crisis
Find ways for employees to feel rewarded outside of normal work routines. One idea is an Employee of the Month event, which provides a chance for the whole organization to come together and celebrate the winner, share stories, and enjoy social time together
Pay attention to the numbers
Identify the number of alarms, response times, who is responding, how much time caregivers spend with residents, and details about these encounters. Balancing workloads is very important in the senior living industry. With today’s technology you can use data to understand what is needed and distribute workloads evenly, so your team doesn’t burn out.
By empowering caregivers with simple tools to streamline workflows and improve team collaboration, we can drive turnover rates down and increase continuity of care for loved ones, keeping residents and employees happy and connected.