April 18, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contacts: Lauren Shaham, AAHSA, 202-508-1219
Linda Barbarotta, BJBC, 202-508-1209

Magazine Shares Latest Research and Programs to Help Long-Term Care Providers Better Support Their Workforce

Washington, D.C. - Long-term care providers can find workforce solutions and suggestions in the March/April issue of FutureAge, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging's (AAHSA) bi-monthly magazine. The issue, which is available online at www.bjbc.org focuses on the findings and lessons learned from Better Jobs Better Care (BJBC). BJBC is a four-year research initiative managed by AAHSA's Institute for the Future of Aging Services (IFAS), developed to help providers find innovative ways to recruit and retain a high-quality direct care workforce in long-term care.

The issue features the highlights of BJBC's eight research projects focused on innovative recruitment and retention strategies. Among other topics, these projects include an investigation of older workers as a new labor pool, an analysis of the effectiveness of cultural competency training on resident and employee satisfaction and an assessment of the opportunities that local Workforce Investment Boards can offer to organizations for their workforce development programs.

In addition, the issue features information about the five state demonstration projects and the role BJBC's multi-stakeholder coalitions played in addressing this issue with aging-services organizations and policy makers. For example, the North Carolina coalition established the first state licensure program that rewards providers who build and maintain a high quality workforce.

“It's no secret that quality in long-term care cannot be achieved without a quality workforce,” explained Robyn Stone, Dr. P.H, executive director of IFAS and co-creator of BJBC, which is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies “We established BJBC to discover what worked and didn't work in building that kind of workforce at individual organizations.”

“Now, with the help of FutureAge, we can offer long-term care providers nationwide the ideas, insights and information they need to take on their workforce challenges head on,” said Steven Dawson, president of the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI), a co-creator of BJBC.

To learn more about Better Jobs Better Care and read the FutureAge articles, please visit www.bjbc.org.

Top 10 Takeaways from Better Jobs Better Care

1. Understand the true cost of vacancies and turnover to your bottom line.

The estimated turnover cost per worker is $2,500, and that only represents direct costs. Indirect costs – lower productivity, morale, client revenues and quality – lead to further increases in turnover.

2. Strengthen the leadership and management skills of supervisors.

Examine the supervisory style in your organization and whether change is necessary. A direct-care worker's relationship with his or her supervisor is often cited as the most influential factor in whether the worker feels valued and respected and decides to stay on the job. Teach supervisors active listening and problem-solving skills and to foster an environment of mutual respect.

3. Improve wages, benefits and job flexibility.

Competitive wages and benefits attract new workers into long-term care jobs and improve job retention. Culture change alone may not reduce turnover without simultaneous improvement in pay and benefits. Better health-care benefits, wages and flexibility in scheduling are the factors workers say would encourage them to remain in care giving.

4. Train a staff person to become a 'retention specialist.'

Solving the turnover problem frees up tremendous resources that can be used to improve training, increase wages and boost staff, resident and family satisfaction. View the resources spent on retention strategies as an investment, not an expense. It is both good business and your path to quality care.

5. Provide career development opportunities for staff.

Set up a career ladder. Direct-care workers need opportunities to grow and learn and become leaders, just as nurses and managers do. Be sure to give them the flexible schedules they need to take classes while keeping their jobs and benefits. Bring education to the workplace when you can.

6. Make communication, problem-solving and team-building skills part of basic training for all employees.

Workers thrive when supported and given opportunities for learning and advancement. Train supervisors to listen attentively, encourage initiative, and respect workers' ability to find their own solutions.

7. Listen to what workers say about respect.

Promote communication and understanding that breaks through the barriers of racial, ethnic and class differences. Know what “respect” means to the people in your organization, and help staff and residents get to know each other better. Look beyond language and include nonverbal communication, food, music, religious practices and end-of-life customs.

8. Involve direct-care workers in workplace change.

Include them on your culture change leadership team. Empowered staff rise to the occasion when given the chance to make decisions and help shape new and better ways of providing quality care and services. Plus, involved workers are more satisfied and more likely to stay in their jobs.

9. Commit to making continuous quality improvements.

Continuous improvement is a hallmark of Quality First. It takes ongoing effort to create a workplace that encourages people to listen, learn, support one another and give their best effort.

10. Advocate for broader change.

Creative recruitment and retention practices must be paired with state and federal policy reforms to meet the nation's needs in years to come. We cannot solve all of our workforce problems alone. We have to promote change on a larger scale. This means going to policy makers for support. State and federal policies around reimbursement, training and certification have far-reaching effects on the state of the workforce.

Better Jobs Better Care is a four-year, $15.5 million research and demonstration program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies. Its goal is to achieve changes in long-term care policy and practice that help reduce high vacancy and turnover rates among direct care workers in long-term care and contribute to improved workforce quality. Technical assistance is provided in partnership with the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI).

Better Jobs Better Care is directed and managed by the Institute for the Future of Aging Services (IFAS), American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA). For more information about Better Jobs Better Care, contact Robyn Stone, Dr. P.H. at (202) 508-1206, or visit www.bjbc.org.