For an unusually detailed look at the effects of staff empowerment and other “culture change” interventions on quality of care and quality of life in nursing homes, visit the Commonwealth Fund’s website.
The website links to a selective and rich list of resources, including the survey from which the data was culled, which looked at how far culture change had spread in the nation’s nursing homes; other related publications and resources; and a complete recording from a webinar conducted on the findings, along with a set of the presenters’ PowerPoint slides.
One link leads to “Consequences of Empowered CNA Teams in Nursing Home Settings: A Longitudinal Assessment,” an article from the June 2007 issue of The Gerontologist, which reports on the results of a related Commonwealth Fund study. “Empowering direct-care workers can be a key element in improvement efforts that focus on residents’ quality of life and satisfaction, as well as their health,” that study concluded.
In an article about the new survey, Mary Jane Koren, the assistant vice president of the Commonwealth Fund and a new columnist for the fund’s website, notes that true culture change must include organizational changes. “For example, for aides to really get to know residents, it’s important that the same aide always take care of the same resident-a practice called ‘consistent assignment.’ Culture change homes involve certified nurse aides in care planning and decision making.”
Elise Nakhnikian, Senior Online Editor
enakhnikian@phinational.org
Staff empowerment is the key element in culture change, it is also the key element in the reduction of staff turnover, the reduction of call in’s, the reduction of abuse. Staff empowerment includes genuine on-going staff education which is win-win for everyone one in the long term care industry.
CHANGE IS A PROCESS NOT AN EVENT
D. Hamilton
Program Manager
Baltimore City Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
I believe that it’s important to recognize the efforts that senior living communities are making in this area, as well as the distance that still needs to be traveled. On our licensed Nursing Home and Assisted Living Administrator continuing education website, http://www.EasyCEU.com, our best selling CEU course, by far, is the course titled, “Attracting, Empowering and Retaining Quality Personnel.” Clearly, these are key issues, and administrators nationwide are seeking tools to improve in these areas. Providing readily accessible tools, training and resources is an important step to creating changes in this area.
Reading all the materials on culture change and knowing how little is being done in some nursing homes, I am wondering what role ombudsman volunteers like me can play. I have asked questions like, “What about having consistent assignment?” But there always seems to be an excuse. I keep observing the same thing over and over again and it is frustrating! It’s like Joanne Rader says in her interview: “It’s the workers, stupid!” And not just with Alzheimer’s residents.