Support for Care Providers

Created by Latroya Brown on 1/7/2022

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season. In this week of Sharing My Thoughts I would like to continue the topic of support, only this week let’s talk about support for the care providers. We are entering the 3rd year of the Covid-19 madness, and this has severely affected businesses all over the world in many ways. A lot of organizations are short staffed and advertising this issue. I’m sure you’ve all seen advertisements offering perks that most of these businesses would not have offered pre-Covid. With that being said, as workers are being hired, because organizations are so desperate to bring them aboard, how much training are these people receiving? In some industries lack of training could be a minor annoyance to the customer or client but not necessarily detrimental to anyone, but what about positions of those working in the health care field? I’m talking about the positions that the proper training is absolutely critical.

Caregiver positions for home care agencies and residential care facilities for the elderly are getting harder and harder to keep staffed. Hospitals are short staffed, and nurses are working to exhaustion. When loved ones place their families in the care of others, they should be able to do so with peace of mind knowing they will be properly cared and provided for. Turnover is getting harder to prevent, given the current circumstances this is always the fault of the employer. Although these issues are of major concern, another concern should be properly training staff. The patients, residents, or clients are a big piece of the puzzle and if the person(s) providing their care is not equipped to help them that is a problem. I don’t say these things to judge, I say them because it concerns me that people are getting put in positions they have not received the proper training to handle or be successful. My concern is for the caregiver and the person receiving care. The reality is if they are not immediately put to work the care-receiver still suffers for the lack of a better word, because the people that are trained are spread too thin and need help.

Everyone is feeling the affects of staffing shortages. The question is what can be done to ensure the staff that is available is not only capable of providing proper care for the residents, but also have what they need to provide for their mental and physical well-being. This is where leadership comes in. Although there may not be much that can be done in most situations, the effort to support staff is important. I hear the toll this is taking on people firsthand, I see the posts on Facebook, and it is also evident by the staffing shortages. It’s not enough to say there is nothing that can be done, or it’s happening to everyone. We have to come up with reasonable solutions. For most health care and non-medical care services that are being provided there are regulations regarding training that should be followed, but how realistic are those training requirements at this time? Are those that are not following these rules being punished? If so, is that fair given the circumstances? What aid is being provided to businesses that govern them?

I have minimal answers right now. If we all pull together and share resources this could help ease the load, if only just a little. RCFEs can speak with their analysts if they are short staff for assistance with resources. They can also contact home care organizations (HCOs) to assist with their staffing shortages, but honestly some of them are struggling as well. With all of our Facebook and social media groups we should make a conscious effort to share resources with each other. If we share the goals of providing the best care possible to our patients, clients, or residents as well as the most support possible to all staff. I am not lost to the effects this is having on leadership and management. They need support and resources also. We must support each other. Sometimes something as simple as having a listening ear can be thing that keeps someone going. If someone is experiencing a hardship and they post about it, someone else may have information that could help them. If we share our experiences even without knowing someone else has had or is having the same problem, it could help. Even if no one has the answer, at least you will know you are not alone. Let’s work together to build each other up, it has never been more important than it is now.

Thanks for reading! See you next week!!