Back to Basics and Re-set

This blog title is credited to a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA).  I was enlightened after attending a symposium entitled, "The New CNA Workforce:  Frontline Lessons from the Pandemic" given by NAHCA. 

Career CNA board members and thought leaders shared their passionate pleas for significant change.  It really was quite moving, and frankly, sad.  Sad in the sense that they felt compelled to give everyone a piece of their mind about how, for decades, they have been treated by their superiors and organizational leadership.  

A stern warning was delivered, "We will not tolerate these conditions much longer", and seriously, who can blame them.

Lori Porter, Co-founder and CEO of NAHCA shared this startling reality- there are 425,000 fewer nursing home workers today than before the pandemic, and if serious change doesn't ensue immediately, this number will grow exponentially.

Why must change be driven through threats?  The answer is because nothing else seems to have worked.  

Don't think that it is only about the pay.  Yes, nursing assistants need, and deserve to make much more than they do, but what they also need is to be a valued and respected member of the team.  

I reeled hearing one CNA board member describe how in the middle of rendering care to one resident, a nurse knocked on the door to say that there are two more call lights going off and could she please hurry up. Seriously?  This unacceptable and disrespectful to the nursing assistant, and the care receiver.  

Wake up to Change

Change in this realm will include everything from a long-term national strategy to reform the long term care system to immediate, organization-specific actions.  But, one CNA board member laid it out, "We need to get back to the basics, and re-set."  My ears perked up, because this exact phrase has been our mantra at AGE-u-cate for months.   

We simply must take care of the caregivers, so that they can give their best to their care receivers.  The basics include respect, dignity, and appreciation for all.  When we get back to the basics, we can begin to rebuild a healthy organizational culture. 

It will be up to leaders to work in tandem with all employees create the path to a healthy culture.  Listen to what your staff have to say- you may be surprised how much thought they are giving to the issues at hand, because they deeply care.  So many ideas were shared, but one that stood out to me is the desire for more education and training that grows skills and leads to advancement.  The lack of a career ladder for CNAs is a detriment to the future of this workforce.

I heard so many great ideas from these passionate CNA thought-leaders and I crave more conversation.  We have to give them what they need, so I am grateful that NAHCA Board Chair Sherry Perry has agreed to meet with me next week to continue the conversation.   Sherry's profile on the NAHCA website includes this statement:

"Being a member of NAHCA has inspired me to be the best CNA I can be.  It’s helped me to realize that my voice can make a difference not only for other CNAs but most importantly the elders we care for.”

Thank you Sherry and to your colleagues for speaking your voice- I hope you know that you were heard by many, and I am honored to have been included.

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Pam Brandon shares her personal caregiving story

Are we listening to the Needs of Family Caregivers? Here's My Story.

Although my personal story of caregiving goes back decades, the message has not changed. My sweet mother, Jeanette, lived with Parkinson's Disease for many years. Our journey together as care partners included the highs of our incredible mother-daughter relationship growing even closer and the lows of experiencing the emotional roller-coaster of managing a disease that is ever-changing and often mysterious.

At 85, Jeanette's health had declined significantly due to the progression of her PD and complications from a broken hip. In addition, my sister was taking care of our mom in her home following a rehab stay, and the stress of 24/7 caregiving responsibilities took a toll on her physical and emotional health. It was time for a change, and a decision needed to be made relatively quickly.

Visiting one care community after another, I soon became embattled with my own emotions as I toured beautifully decorated buildings led by cheery marketing professionals. All the while, I was an emotional train wreck. What was truly important? I had some real soul searching to do.

A friend suggested I visit a residential care community that her dad had been in, so I arranged for a meeting with the owners, one of who was a registered nurse. The home was not in the most convenient area to my home, but was adequate for my sister and me to visit with a drive for both of us. The neighborhood was eclectic but safe.  As I drove to the house, my thoughts were on a single track.  

Entering the house, one of the care team members greeted me with a warm welcome and hug. The place was lively and bright, though far from fancy. Sitting areas in the large living room included residents, care partners, and family members.

As I made my way to another sitting room to meet with the owner, I noted the care team busy making lunch and chatting about the new recipe for the day. They stopped to say hello and asked if I'd like to stay. How could I pass up a yummy-looking Mexican dish?

As I sat down to talk, I could feel my emotions bubbling, and sure enough, tears started streaming. My decision of where my precious mama would live out her days played heavy on my heart. What did I want for her, for me, and the rest of my family? After all, we were all in this together.

All of the "things" that I thought were important started racing through my head. Within a short driving distance? Not really. Amenities? Somewhat limited. And this sounds so silly now, but at the time, I thought to myself, "this is just not mom's decorating style."

As I pulled myself from the depths of my crying episode, I felt incredible compassion and understanding embracing me. As I explained mom's health needs and history, it became clear what I was seeking.

Beyond the basics of cleanliness, safety, nursing care, I wanted my mom to be loved when I wasn't there. That sounds like a big ask, right?  

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Senior Living: Becoming the Best Place To Be

AGE-u-cate was honored to welcome Stacy Porter from The Beryl Institute as guest presenter on our October Virtual Road Trip Webinar topic, "Becoming the Best Place to Be."

The Beryl Institute is a global community of healthcare professionals and experience champions committed to transforming the human experience in healthcare.  Many of the institute professionals are Certified Patient Experience Professionals (CPXP) who are turning more attention to the Aging Services industry.

Stacy's presentation was based on their recently published white paper entitled, "Becoming the Best Place to Be:  Elevating the Experience in Senior Living."
 
Culture and Leadership

The Beryl Institute experience framework consists of eight components, with Culture & Leadership at the top. Stacy shared that  the foundation of any successful experience effort is set on the purpose, values and how the organization is lead.  Stacy offered steps organizations can take to begin transformation:

  • Create a definition for resident experience
  • Operationalize your mission/vision statements by bridging your purpose and aligned actions
  • Ensure everyone who shows up to work has the skills and ability to execute on your purpose
Environment and Hospitality

Another component of the experience framework is Environment and Hospitality. The elders that participated in interviews indicated that they really look for a culture of home in their communities.  Warm and fuzzy words come to mind when most people think of the word home:  belonging, love, comfort, safety, relationships. acceptance.  

  • Live up to the meaning of community
  • Take care to address isolation and loneliness
  •  Create transparency around death and dying

Inclusion is an essential to make any of this work.  All stakeholders, most importantly those that live in the community, must be invited to become involved.  Stacy concluded with this:

A fundamental shift in thinking and direction is needed.  There is no normal to which to return.

 

AGE-u-cate is grateful for Stacy's time and valuable information shared on our Virtual Road Trip, and we look forward to continued collaboration.  

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Future Focus: Caregiver Burnout Prevention

Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear or read something about Caregiver Burnout.   The subject seems to revolve around these themes:

  • Caregiver burnout leads to turnover
  • Burned out caregivers impact the quality of care
  • Organization leaders need to pay attention to this issue

We are well beyond the stage of prevention, and it is probably something that should have been addressed very early on in the pandemic.  There is no value in would have or should have discussions. Perhaps the best we can and should do right now is work toward some level of burnout recovery for the dedicated workers who have hung in there.

There are good things that some organizations are doing right now, including but not limited to additional days off with pay, thank you lunches and flexible scheduling.  But, as we crawl our way to a place that feels more like recovery verses trauma, let's give some thought to more systemic and continuous ways to keep caregiver burnout in check.

Future Focus:  Caregiver Burnout Prevention

An effective strategy depends on understanding all of the reasons for caregiver burnout, and there are many. Coping strategies, or lack thereof,  is just one factor.  In other words, staff who are equipped with coping strategies do better- makes sense, right? 

The first step is for caregivers to know what burnout out looks and feels like.  Acute awareness before it spirals out of control is critical.  Next comes healthy and effective coping strategies.  Caregivers who are not educated on how to recognize and employ strategies to alleviate burnout are at high risk for many problems. 

In an effort to offer Aging Services organizations an immediate intervention to address caregiver burnout, we created a one-hour device enabled course entitled, "Coping with Caregiver Burnout."  AGE-u-cate is offering this time limited complimentary course audit here:

IRequest Complimentary Courses

 
 
A hard look at how this industry prepares it's caregivers for the inevitability of burnout is vitally important for the future of the industry, the health of workers, and quality of care provided.   
 
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People with Dementia Can Read? Who Knew!

senior_reading

This is something that should not have come as a surprise to me, but it did.  Persons living with dementia, even in the mid to later stages, can call upon their long term memory and actually read!  Not only can they read, they can enjoy themselves!

It turns out that I was partially correct, in that people with dementia are unable to read text dense, visually overwhelming materials.  I think back to my early days working in the nursing home when we would place a National Geographic magazine or USA Today Newspaper in front a person with dementia thinking that would keep them busy and engaged.  Sheesh.

Created by Susan Ostrowski, MA, MS, CCC-SLP,  Reading2Connect® is a life enrichment program centered on books adapted for adults living with dementia. The R2C® strengths-based program enables a higher level of wellbeing through reading independently, expressing individuality, recalling pasts, sharing humor, and emotionally connecting with peers, family, and caregivers.

This works because reading is a skill that is generally preserved and intact in the procedural memory of an elderly person.  Like brushing teeth or using a spoon, the ability to read is automatic and often remains to some degree functional even in the later stages of dementia.  

Bring Back The Joy of Reading

The Barrington Area Council on Aging (BACOA), located in Barrington Illinois, recently integrated Reading2Connect® with the members of their Adult Day Program.  This testimonial put a smile on all of our faces:

reading to connect #5

"Our Adult Day Program members look forward to our Reading2Connect sessions. The highly readable print with the accompanying photos allows everyone to connect in their own way. The wide variety of themes help evoke conversation. I observe intimate connections, social engagement and expressive language within the group members".

Pam Pellizzari, CDP
Memory Programs Manager
BACOA

Reading2Connect® is a perfect program for Area Agencies on Aging searching for innovative ways to reach isolated elders living with dementia.  Memory and Nursing Care Communities and Adult Day Programs can make life enrichment programming stand out with Reading2Connect®!

 
Learn more today!  
 
 
View Reading2Connect in Action- Take 1
 
 
 
View Reading2Connect in Action- Group Activity
 
 
 
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No Surprise- The Top Educational Priority for Aging Services Providers is...

In an effort to learn about the educational priorities for Aging Services providers, AGE-u-cate® conducted a survey and asked respondents to identify topics most important for staff.  Fifty percent (50%) of respondents represented the nursing home industry, and the remainder was a combination of other sectors and professionals that serve the industry.  Sixteen topics were offered, and 63% of the respondents selected "Preventing Caregiver Burnout" as most important.  

One survey respondent shared,

Caregiver Burnout Quote

The American Medical Association urges leaders to "strive to maintain critical infrastructure and have support in place for staff during this time, knowing that this may require modifications to existing strategies, tactics and roles." An imperative strategy is to educate staff on the signs of chronic stress and how to intentionally employ coping strategies.  

Look no further for an excellent and affordable resource to educate your staff about caregiver burnout.  Reach out to Laura Ellen via the link below to receive complimentary access to AGE-u-cate's REVEAL Aging one-hour device-enabled course "Preventing Caregiver Burnout."

Your feedback on the need for additional topics is invaluable as AGE-u-cate continues to plan for future courses.  Follow this QR code to participate in our 4 question survey.  Thank you!

RA Survey

 

 

 

 

 

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