Providing quality care for your residents in your Memory Care program is not an easy task. We ask our direct care staff to come to work every day and provide compassionate care in sometimes challenging circumstances. In this time of low unemployment, many care workers are opting for other work opportunities.
In a recent McKnight’s Senior Living article, two main challenges facing senior living operators were identified – workforce and occupancy.
We know that our resident care and programming is only as good as our frontline direct-care staff. If talented and purpose-driven staff can’t be hired and retained, it’s almost impossible to build and maintain a quality environment.
CFO’s agree that churning of staff is a huge and unwanted expense – and it affects the bottom-line. Staff discontent and turnover translates into deficient care and customer complaints and moveouts. Have you calculated the real cost of losing a good staff member? Recruitment, vetting, training, and loss of customers are all expensive elements that negatively affect the budget.
Should we be asking ourselves, “Why would a caregiver want to work here?” What is there about this place of work that would attract and keep good care staff?
Wages of course are important. Memory Care staff are asked to do very complex work, and perhaps their wage should be more than they would be paid if they were restocking shelves or bagging groceries. But people stay at a job for more than the hourly wage.
The desire for fair compensation is number 10 on the list of why employees stay at a job according to the business blog The Great Game of Business.
As senior living operators strive to provide quality of life for their residents, is there equal attention to the quality of the work experience for their team members?
To be part of something special, make a personal contribution, be respected, work with a great team, to have the opportunity to be mentored – these are all key reasons to stay at a job. And working in Memory Care could be offering all these valuable items to our team members.
As I work with Memory Care operators across the country, we build a culture of recognizing the value of each team member. Mentors are identified and help welcome and prepare new staff. Ongoing training on communication and personalized care techniques helps staff feel successful in their job. Care staff are regularly recognized for their compassion and new ideas. Establishing career paths for staff is another important component for retaining your best.
If we cut the expense of turning staff over and enhance the skills of your most dedicated team members, your residents and your bottom-line will benefit.
Contact Memory Care Support, LLC for a consultation on staff retention.
