As a leader in senior care, have you tried to measure how “resident-centered” you and your staff are? You already know that resident-centered care is an offshoot of the broader concept of “person-centered” care, and that it’s not a program but rather a philosophy and a different way to view seniors and the work that is done within your care community. It provides a way to reframe life in senior care. With this being said, how would you rank your staff and organization in terms of providing high-quality, resident-centered care?
Multiple Viewpoints
In order to gain some perspective on how well you provide resident-centered care, we need to examine several components and qualities associated with this type of care and ask the question “How successful are we concerning this particular aspect of resident-centered care?” While it may be difficult to provide each and every detail of resident-centered care, the more the better.
Resident-Centered Philosophy and the Buy-In of Your Staff
Let’s start from scratch. The pillars of any person-centered-like approach include offering meaningful choices, treating seniors with dignity and respect and allowing as much self-determination as possible. These are great in theory, but do your employees live and work by these values? Do they believe in providing the best life possible to those they care for?
Now, let’s take it a step further. If your staff feel strongly about these core values, do they know the residents well enough to provide the kind of care and life they want? Do they have deep knowledge and understanding of their residents and their family members? These are important building blocks of another fundamental aspect of resident-centered care – relationships. It would be difficult to provide relationship-based care with little to no information about the resident. Knowing them is one thing. Understanding them is quite a bit different.
How do you rate your staff so far? What kind of grade would you give them in terms of providing meaningful choice, treating residents with dignity and respect, and allowing them to be in charge of their lives? How well do they rank on both knowing as well as understanding their residents? Are they all in?
The Importance of Relationships and Time
A little more time is needed on this topic because it is critical in delivering resident-centered care. It is also a complex topic that involves numerous qualities that can be examined and measured. For instance, any relationship that’s worth having involves quality time between the healthcare professional and the resident. Time itself is important because it can be given, shared, withheld or wasted.
Other important aspects of relationships include:
- Actively listening to what is and isn’t being said
- Holding meaningful conversations
- Creating meaning in tasks done together
- Offering meaningful choices
- Understanding the whole person (physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially)
- Attempting to fulfill their needs, even as they change
- Encouraging social engagement
- Prioritizing tasks around their preferences
Do your employees feel rushed or are they comfortable with the notion of taking some time with their residents? Do they have positive and healthy relationships with those they care for? How often do you catch your staff engaged in meaningful conversation with residents?
Employees Matter
Hiring and retaining high-performance employees who have positive attitudes and the heart for resident-centered care is a must. When they find deep meaning and a higher calling in their work, they will treat residents better, experience high job satisfaction and will probably stay with the organization for a long time.
Flexibility among your staff is a great quality to possess concerning resident-centered care, as you may be able to blend departments together or provide cross-training. Ultimately, this creates a more well-informed and better prepared employee who won’t be shy about assuming more responsibility.
Does your care team exhibit these qualities? Do they find cross-training more work or an opportunity to better themselves and the lives of the residents they care for?
Leadership’s Key Role in Resident-Centered Care
It’s worth saying – you cannot create and maintain a resident-centered care community without high-quality, engaged, and smart leadership. That being said, it takes a special kind of leader to change a culture from an institution to a warm, home-like place, where employees are happy to work and their residents live their best lives.
Leaders need to know the names of their staff, residents and family members. They need to walk around with a smile on their face, even when they’re not happy and display a caring attitude. They should possess an “all hands-on deck” mentality when it comes to answering call lights or assisting during mealtimes.
Resident-centered leaders support their staff and show appreciation not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because they know it will have a “trickle-down” effect on the residents. Happy staff, happy residents, happy families. These leaders are also sharp at selecting good candidates to hire who will jump aboard the resident-centered train.
Other essential qualities of the resident-centered leader include:
- Transform employees with good attitudes into professionals with good talent and skill
- Work with staff at all levels and departments as a family
- Continually monitor for areas to improve
- Seek to know their staff and fulfill their needs
- Be flexible with schedules
- Say “Thank You” multiple times a day or shift
- Offer their team autonomy
- Recognize and reward employees
- Set clear expectations
- Maintain consistent disciplinary procedures
- Remain transparent and honest
- Invest time, energy and information in orientation and training
Now you get to grade your leadership team and yourself. How do you stack up? Is everyone in your community known by their name? Is your leadership team a positive influence on the rest of the staff? Are they willing to “get their hands dirty?”
The Use of Physical Space Makes a Difference
The spaces in which residents receive care, dine, socialize and relax are important, but the meaningful activity and life that goes on in them are even more important. Residents also want a personalized, comfortable living space to call their own.
Other resident-centered spaces within a care community may include:
- Chapel or spiritual room for prayer or meditation
- Private dining room for special occasions and family events
- Neighborhoods or smaller group living spaces
- Fitness or exercise areas
- Outdoor areas to enjoy warmer weather
- Restaurant-style dining room and experience
- Spa-like shower rooms and beauty parlors
- A general store
How do you grade your community’s use of space? Is it highly creative and inviting or more sterile and hospital-like?
Final Thoughts on Resident-Centered Care
Resident-centered care is here to stay and will only become more refined and customized with each passing generation of seniors seeking long-term care. Most communities around the country have developed some type or level of resident-centered care and others have not yet begun their journey. While there are obviously lots of moving parts and pieces involved in this type of care, the more you and your team can develop a resident-centered philosophy of care, the better it will be for all involved, including staff, residents and their families.