Category: Business Strategies
Posted by Dr. El - February 28, 2012 - Business Strategies, Common Nursing Home Problems and How Psychologists Can Solve Them, Long-Term Living Magazine, Psychology Research Translated, Role of psychologists
Check out my article, 4 Ways Psychology Can Improve Your Bottom Line, featured on Long-Term Living Magazine’s online site:
It’s common knowledge that mental health and physical health are connected, but are you aware that applying mental health concepts to your organization could save you money? Observe the four theories below and my hypothetical long-term care scenarios. Who knows, this could be you.
1. Take a tip on workplace behavior from industrial-organizational psychology.
The nurse searched through the file drawer for a Consultation Form, flipping through one torn, faded manila folder after another. “I don’t have time for this now!” she said to no one in particular, eyeing a stack of paperwork at the nursing station. “I’ll get it on the way back from lunch.”
But the afternoon brought a new admission, and the referral never occurred. This didn’t escape the notice of the state surveyors, who cited it as a deficiency. The missed referral also resulted in a downturn in the health of the resident, who required a readmission to the hospital. Her family later filed a lawsuit for negligence.
The nurse, visiting Starbucks while searching for a new job, watched the barista prepare her coffee drink. All his equipment was in reach and clearly labeled. With a few movements, her drink was set on the counter for pick up—the same way it’s done in every Starbucks everywhere. She sighed. If only that Consultation Form had been within reach….
Borrow franchise-like organization systems to streamline functioning, with standardized tools in standardized locations, facilitating movement of staff between facilities and from unit to unit, which cuts time spent on repetitive tasks. Five minutes per staff member spent searching for a pantry key, a syringe or some clean linens quickly adds up, even if they don’t contribute to a citation, hospital readmission or lawsuit. Get organized and save yourself a bundle.
For more, read 4 Ways Psychology Psychology Can Improve Your Bottom Line…
Posted by Dr. El - January 23, 2012 - Business Strategies, Long-Term Living Magazine, Motivating staff
Check out my latest article, featured in Long-Term Living Magazine Online:
Click-clack. Click-clack. The administrator’s shoes made a sound distinctly different than the rubber-soled heels of the nursing staff, alerting everyone to a foreign presence. Forced smiles and stiff greetings ensued. As the elevator doors closed, and the administrator disappeared behind them, the line staff heaved a collective sigh of relief and got back to business as usual.
Do you ever wonder what goes on after you leave the floor? Do you wish you could be a fly on the wall, observing without changing the behavior of the people you’re watching? Wonder no more, as this nursing home psychologist reveals the secrets they don’t want you to know (but you should!), and offers suggestions to help.
For more, visit LTL mag here: 5 Secrets Your Line Staff Doesn’t Want You To Know
Posted by Dr. El - December 22, 2011 - Boomers, Business Strategies, Customer service, Long-Term Living Magazine
Check out my article on the 10 anticipated psychosocial needs of baby boomers, now a web feature on Long-Term Living Magazine online.
10 anticipated psychosocial needs of baby boomers
Consider these changes as LTC adapts to the next generation
by Eleanor Feldman Barbera, PhD
We’ve heard the rumblings of the coming generation in the voices of our “young” residents in their 50s and 60s. It’s the younger residents who most often chafe at the restrictions of nursing home life, such as being unable to leave the facility unsupervised, or being cautioned to sit when they’d prefer to walk and take the risk of falling. As the baby boomers enter long-term care in greater numbers, those rumblings will grow louder, necessitating changes in how we deliver care. We’ll be more successful in making these changes if we anticipate the needs of the boomers, rather than merely reacting to their dissatisfaction.
Attending to their psychosocial needs will help your boomers find comfort, enjoyment and purpose in their later years, thereby creating vital, thriving organizations better able to adapt to changes in the long-term care landscape. Here’s what to look out for, and what you can do to help your organization and your residents.
1. Social connectedness
Internet access keeps boomer residents in touch with their social networks as well as the rest of the world. The next generation of residents will expect to be wired, so make your long-term care facility a hotspot now. To increase the value of this service, add adaptive equipment, along with training in how to use it, lockable laptop drawers, additional electrical outlets and policies on maintaining privacy in the nursing home.
2. Social differentiation
Say good-bye to “Goodnight, Irene” and hello to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and “Soldier Boy”. The universal music of earlier generations shifted toward more individualized preferences in our new cohort, so plan on mixing your Motown with your Hendrix nights. Our boomers also had exposure to a wide variety of ethnic foods during their lifetimes. Consider polling residents to discover their preferences and offering an international option on your menu for greater variety and the opportunity for personal growth.
To read more: 10 anticipated psychosocial needs of baby boomers.
Posted by Dr. El - November 15, 2011 - Business Strategies, Communication, Motivating staff
“I asked the nurse for a psychology consult for Gloria Teller on the third floor,” the dietician told me. “She’s not eating well, and when I went to talk to her, all she could do was cry.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “I’ll keep an eye out for it.” I jotted the name down in my book so I could follow up. Consults had a way of going missing.
Sure enough, after a week had passed and no consult appeared in my mailbox, I began to track it down. Putting on my Sherlock Holmes cap and taking out my pipe, I considered the possibilities: the nurse could have forgotten to write the consult, the order could have been written but no corresponding consultation form was generated, or the consult form could have been misplaced on the way to the mailboxes.
I wonder how many other consults go missing?
I wonder if a clinic appointment gets cancelled, how often it’s rescheduled?
I wonder if a family member tells the aide that her father does better on Medication B than on Medication A, if that information ever gets to the attending physician?
I wonder if I leave a note for the doctor on the floor where he has only one resident, will he see it in a timely fashion or at all?
I wonder if we’ve run out of MD order forms, how many orders go unwritten?
I wonder who’s in charge of the FLOW of communication, because it seems to me that while we’ve got department heads, we don’t have an INTERDepartment head, and we could use one.
Back to my consult: I started with the most likely scenario and asked the nurse, who replied, “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot!” She pulled out some papers, scribbled furiously while telling me about the emergencies she’d been fielding the day the dietician spoke to her, and thrust the yellow consult form into my hand. “Ms. Teller really needs you. She’s a mess.”
Posted by Dr. El - August 6, 2011 - Business Strategies, Motivating staff
I like the way Dave Sedgwick thinks, and always look forward to his blog posts at Transforming Long-Term Care. He tweeted me the other day about a contest he and his colleagues have created at the Ensign Group. It asks the line staff, residents, families, and others working at Ensign facilities to generate ideas to transform the day in the life of the residents, engaging the Department of Health along the way. The goal is to change the daily experience of the resident as a cog going through the wheels of the nursing home routine, and to create an environment that adapts to the residents as individuals.
You can hear Dave discuss the “eprize” contest in this video.
A book with the ideas generated from the contest will be published next year and available to those in and outside of the Ensign Group. The winners of the contest will get $150,000.
I like this contest because:
• it’s exciting and positive and the results will be shared rather than hidden
• it asks the “little guys” for their knowledge and expertise
• it engages the Department of Health instead of keeping them the enemy
• it has the goal of making nursing homes better for the residents
Does your nursing home ask for your suggestions about how to improve?
Posted by Dr. El - July 11, 2011 - Business Strategies
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News describes their “Super Tuesdays” series as “online webinars where industry professionals speak about a subject that matters to those in the Long-Term Care industry.’ Below is info about tomorrow’s program. If you’re interested in a Super Tuesday on a mental health topic, please let them know:
http://www.mcknights.com/contact-us/section/277/
Tuesday July 12th at 1pm, Eastern Time.
You can earn 1 Free CEU by attending the webinar.
The subject of the July 12th Super Tuesday is:
Taking stock of new survey realities
Nursing homes have always had to undergo inspections, but the scrutiny has stepped up dramatically in recent years. Armed with new tools, inspectors are holding facilities more accountable for care than ever.
Best of all, you don’t have to leave your office to attend– and it’s completely free.
Getting an hour of CE has never been easier.
To attend, you simply must register as soon as possible @ http://events.unisfair.com/index.jsp?eid=521&seid=1911
Posted by Dr. El - March 17, 2011 - Business Strategies
Last year I attended McKnight’s Long-Term Care News’ FREE online expo and was very impressed by the content and format of the event. Of course, I was hoping for a mental health track this year :-), but many readers will find the topics of interest:
Technology: New technology, new legal challenges
Wound Care: Managing unavoidable pressure ulcers
Capital: The changing capital landscape-and what it means for you
Payment: Leaving Medicare dollars on the table?
Quality: Embracing the QIS as a quality improvement tool
The event offers continuing education credits for the above webcasts, the ability to interact directly with vendors, and the opportunity to network with others in the field. Plus, you’ll really feel like you attended a conference even though you never left your desk.
To register and for more information: McKnight’s Expo
Posted by Dr. El - February 9, 2011 - Boomers, Business Strategies, Customer service, Technology, Tips for gifts, visits
I recently read an article about how the aging of baby boomers is causing some technology companies to focus on products geared toward older adults, often with the goal of helping them remain independent and at home for longer periods of time. But what about those older adults already living in nursing homes? What would help them be more independent?
Here are products I thought residents would appreciate, and ones I’d like myself when it’s my turn. Please add your suggestions in the Comments section:
- A motorized wheelchair
- A remote control for the air conditioner/heating system
- Windows that can open and shut by remote control
- A rubberized telephone that can withstand frequent dropping
- Wi-Fi
- Any adaptive equipment I need to use my laptop
- A staff paging system that doesn’t involve overhead announcements
Posted by Dr. El - November 29, 2010 - Boomers, Business Strategies, Communication, Customer service, Engaging with families, Technology, Younger residents
Looking for a great, inexpensive way to create some good will and holiday cheer at the nursing home this year? Why not set up a call center using Skype? Residents, families, and staff members can sign up to call loved ones around the globe, conversing with them via video call.
What it would take:
- A laptop or desk-top computer set up with FREE Skype
- A semi-quiet, semi-private area for conversations
- Tech support, or volunteers who know how to use Skype (for example. high school students or tech-savvy residents)
- A pre-call information sheet for families so they can set up Skype on the computers of those they plan to call.
- A sign-up sheet to maintain order in what is likely to be a wildly popular service
Posted by Dr. El - November 9, 2010 - Business Strategies, Motivating staff
“Some staff members may never have eaten at a fancy restaurant or stayed at a 5-star hotel,” the speaker at a long-term care conference pointed out, “How can we expect them to provide good customer service when they don’t know what it is?”
That comment got me thinking about the nursing home staff dining room and the opportunity it presents to teach workers about customer service. I’m not suggesting the dining room should offer table service and fine china, but it’s worth considering what lessons are being learned at lunch. Those lessons are being repeated when workers head back to those under their care.
Is the dining room clean? A spotless dining area is a model for the level of cleanliness staff should provide for the residents.
Is food served in an appealing fashion? Residents eat more of their meals when it’s presented well. Demonstrate how to present a meal by offering staff a colorful, attractive meal served with a positive attitude.
Are the dining room fixtures in good condition? A pleasant, comfortable environment sends the message that staff members and their wellbeing are important – exactly the philosophy you’d like them to take back to their units.
Does the environment give staff control over their meals? Providing a microwave, toaster oven, food choices, and other mealtime essentials creates a sense of freedom in what can sometimes be a confining environment. This, in turn, teaches staff how to present options to the residents.
There are many opportunities throughout the day to send the message to workers, “This is how we do things here.” For readers who haven’t had a meal in the staff dining room lately, take lunch at noon and see what your dining room is teaching your staff about customer service.
