The team here at AGE-u-cate recently ran a poll on this very question. Of the following options, including online learning, experiential training, peer-to-peer mentoring, and "other". The clear winner was experiential training, coming in at 77%, followed by peer-to-peer mentoring at 23%.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Dementia Live Training, dementia care training, Communication Skills Training, experiential training
We are talking a lot about empathy lately. I see many posts, blogs and articles on the subject because so many feel that it is severely lacking in this current time. Social psychologists are having a field day dissecting what has gone so wrong, and why.
Topics: empathy, Skill Building
AGE-u-cate's CEO Pam Brandon sent each team member a jar containing one inspirational quote per week for 52 weeks. Every Monday, we unroll our scroll and read the message to the team. You may have seen Laura Ellen Christian on LinkedIn every Monday sharing a video reflection on her inspirational quote.
It is time to get serious about changing the onboarding process for new hires, and there is no time to lose. Maggie Keen, Vice President of Corporate Development at MissionCare Collective delivered this impactful message for AGE-u-cate's February Virtual Road Trip entitled, "Building Culture: Rethinking recruitment, onboarding, and retention to drive better care and a better workplace."
Topics: retention, employee retention, employee engagement
Describing empathy as a lubricant creates visuals in my head like the annoying squeaky door hinge that finally gets some W-D40. A lubricant softens rough edges, makes things work better, and a little bit goes a long way. I think the same is true when we approach situations that we encounter in work and life from a place of empathy.
Topics: empathy, Empathy Training, REVEAL Aging, Dementia Live™️, cultivating empathy
I have experienced moments of confusion, like being on a business trip and waking up in an unfamiliar place and needing a moment to orient myself. One time (or possibly more than once), I forgot where I parked my car at a large shopping mall. With so many entrances to choose from, I could not remember which one I walked through to enter the mall. Just a few weeks ago, I went through half of a day believing it was Thursday, and it was Wednesday- an entire HALF DAY!
Topics: culture change, Empathy Training, dementia training, employee training, attitudes, actions
Caregivers are one of the most unheard and underserved groups in our society. Growing at exponential rates, they struggle with isolation, loneliness, and adverse health consequences at a much higher rate than the general population.
Topics: The Faith Community, AGE-u-cate Training Institute, The Family Caregiver, Dementia friendly community, Leader Support, Dementia Care Outreach Education
For as many challenges as we've faced in the past few years, I see a movement stirring around the kindness, empathy, and understanding that I see turning the tides of many organizations' value sets.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Leader Support, Mission, Vison, Values, Senior Care Leadership
I use the term "inside-out" a lot. Maybe too much, but it goes back to my early parenting days when I'd tell my kids that beauty starts on the inside. Then it moved to creativity, integrity, happiness, and so on. I think they got the picture.
Topics: person-centered culture, AGE-u-cate Training Instiute, Mission, Vision, Values, Senior Care Leadership
When you read this, I have no doubt a few hands went up. Who working in Senior Care these days does not need help?
I'm not going to talk about the gravity of staffing shortages. That would be nothing new and not the point of this article. So instead, I hope that our readers pick up a few pointers that help you solve a problem.
From a leader/employee perspective, let's look at the value of the question "Do you need help?"
Last year one of our team members here at AGE-u-cate was caring for her father, who had an unexpected and sudden onset of serious health events. In addition to helping her elementary-age students while schools went virtual, the day-to-day challenges of caring for her father became overwhelming. She is a dedicated team member, passionate about our mission, and was now living it herself. She was exhausted but continued to deliver work with her available time.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Instiute, leadership challenges, Leader Support, Mission, Vison, Values
