A recent study on whether — and how — a partnership between a New York City nursing home union and 40 homes helped to facilitate “person-centered care” (PCC) found that the partnership led to improvements for both nursing home consumers and staff.

“Role for a Labor-Management Partnership in Nursing Home Person-Centered Care,” a case study of two of the participating nursing homes published on The Gerontologist‘s website in August 2009, found that nursing home consumers gained more autonomy and privacy from PCC, improving quality of life. All employees were said to experience greater job satisfaction from providing PCC, with frontline workers reported to have been strongly engaged in PCC practices.

“This project was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that residents and workers benefit when management and the union work collaboratively toward a shared goal,” said PHI National Director of Training and Organizational Development Susan Misiorski, who was excited to have the opportunity to offer training and technical support to this project.

“This type of collaboration is not common between management and the union in most states,” said Misiorski, who “applauds New York City for creating a model worthy of replication in other organized nursing homes.”

Training and Education Are Key

The journal article describes the partnership activities that provided momentum for culture change in the participating nursing homes. All-day conferences, for participants from all 40 nursing homes, were held several times a year to disseminate culture-change information and provide a forum for homes to share strategies and report progress.

Additionally, experts led staggered, on-site trainings geared toward staff of specific units (including multiple disciplines and shifts).

PCC a Plus

The authors report that the impact of PCC on frontline staff and the effects of their engagement were evident by workers:

• “pitching in”;
• finding a voice to contribute ideas and innovate;
• doing teamwork and cooperating more;
• finding that expanded jobs were more enjoyable, fulfilling , and respected work; and
• respecting resident choices — which is central to PCC.

Making PCC Last

The researchers also looked at how management, the union, and a working partnership between these entities can sustain PCC. Most importantly, they noted the need for sufficient resources for training, including resources to fill positions during training times.

More information about the effects of the labor-management partnership on PCC is available at the Commonwealth Fund, which provided support for this study.