Provider Highlights Investments in Direct-Care Workers
Long-term care organizations across the country have developed innovative ways to invest in their direct-care workforce while improving care outcomes, a PHI-authored article in the August 2012 issue of Provider reports.
The article contains highlights from PHI’s recent series of case studies of long-term care employers. (The series was funded by the Hitachi Foundation.)
For example, Ararat Nursing Facility in Los Angeles has created a five-tier career ladder, allowing its certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to potentially ascend to a management position.
Meanwhile, Orchard Cove, a continuing-care retirement community in Massachusetts, worked with PHI to train its supervisors in the PHI Coaching Approach to Supervision. After the training, Orchard Cove’s CNAs said they felt more supported by their supervisors.
Return on Investment
Each of the steps taken by the organizations mentioned in the Provider article required an investment of time and money. But the article points out that these investments consistently produce better care outcomes for residents and workers.
At Orchard Cove, residents have seen improvement in several quality-of-life indicators: fewer pressure ulcers and falls, lowered rates of depression and anxiety, less reliance on medication.
Surveys conducted at Ararat, meanwhile, have shown resident and family satisfaction rates approaching 100 percent, while staff satisfaction levels have been as high as 95 percent.
– by Matthew Ozga
