In an article for LeadingAge Magazine, Debra Wood writes about Staff Retention. Aging services remains a people field. Caregivers and clients build relationships, leading to better outcomes. That being the case, retaining frontline and other staff becomes a critical task for organizations.
“We want people with a heart for service,” says Cathy Cooper, chief human resource officer at United Church Homes and Services in Newton, NC, which operates 3 life plan communities in North Carolina and Virginia, a PACE, and 7 affordable housing communities. With changing demographics, “looking at the future, it’s going to become more difficult to find employees.”
At the same time the older adult population is growing, additional opportunities exist for traditional health care services personnel, she explains.
“With the challenges in the [field], attracting competent, effective and satisfied employees will be an area of great competition,” says Mark Pile, president/CEO of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, a provider of multiple services including life plan communities, senior and assisted living, and adult day and community programs based in Allentown, PA.
Diakon considers retention of engaged and competent employees a competitive advantage, because as the quality of care improves, relationships with residents strengthen. Pile has found a direct correlation between employee satisfaction and resident satisfaction.
“In the years ahead, retaining and engaging employees will be as big of a challenge as health care reform,” Pile adds. “It’s in the top 2 or 3 strategic focuses needed ahead.”
Read the entire article in the latest edition of the LeadingAge Magazine.
