All posts by Julie Boggess

Julie has worked in Aging Services for over 30 years and has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1990. She is a Certified Master Trainer with the AGE-u-cate Training Institute and provides education and training to private and professional caregivers through her company Enlighten Eldercare. She lives in the Chicago Northwest Suburbs of Mount Prospect, IL.

Time for Solutions: Aging Services Workforce Development

We must build the future aging service workforce NOW.

Aging Services providers are screaming from the mountain tops about the workforce crisis.   Could it be that policy makers are finally listening?

The workforce crisis is about the inability of aging services providers to fill open positions and the lack of competitive wages.

Most definitely,  a hopeful headline announced President Biden’s plan investing billions to build an aging services workforce.  

The Value of Excellence in Elder Care

The time is right to seriously discuss the value of quality Elder Care in the United States.  In addition, it is imperative that we intensify  advocacy for improvements to strengthen services and supports for consumers.  Moreover,  we must enhance jobs for 4.6 million home care workers and nursing assistants.

With this in mind, the ethical and philosophical questions to examine include:

  • Does our system act in such a way to produce a greater amount of good over harm?
  • Do we maximize utility- the sum of the benefits produced minus the costs (dis-benefits)?
  • Do we have a system that we all want for ourselves?
  • Fidelity- have we kept our promise, and are we forsaking the well-being of our elders?
  • Have we assigned an appropriate societal value to the work provided by personal caregivers?

Next Steps

PHI is an organization on the front lines of advocacy for the aging services workforce.  To that end, PHI works to transform eldercare and disability services to foster dignity, respect, and independence—for all who receive care, and all who provide it.  Additionally, as the nation’s leading authority on the direct care workforce, PHI promotes quality direct care jobs as the foundation for quality care.

AGE-u-cate Training Institute® is excited to host Robert Espinoza, VP Policy, PHI for our next Virtual Road Trip.  Mr. Espinoza will discuss how we can advocate for improvements to enhance jobs for 4.6 million home care workers and nursing assistants.

Please join us Wednesday, April 21 at 1:00pm CST.  No cost registration here. 

Julie has worked in Aging Services for over 30 years and has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1990. She is a the Director of Grants and Consulting Projects and a Certified Master Trainer with AGE-u-cate Training Institute. In addition, she is an instructor and of Gerontology and Leadership in Aging Services at Northern Illinois University and lives in the Chicago Northwest Suburb of Mount Prospect, IL.

REVEAL Aging: The New Generation of Workforce Education

The Aging Services Industry faces a triple-whammy when it comes to workforce turnover and retention.

The first hit is the massive turnover that occurred and continues to occur because of the pandemic.   Second,  the turnover is on top of existing unfillable vacant positions.  Thirdly, there are new entrants into the field who have no prior experience caring for older adults.

We don’t want just warm bodies.  Yet, providers had to scurry and pull from every corner to get to bare staffing requirements.  Now, providers hang on hope that the good employees will not jump ship as the pandemic fades.  What are we to do about this massive issue?

Much of the focus will continue to  be on recruiting new employees, and rightly so.  However, great attention needs to be given to how to keep the new, good employees.  At the same time, it is critical to also maintain the spirit and engagement of the seasoned employees.

Recruitment and Retention:  Hand in Hand

I’m going to add a fourth whammy, and it is the scarcity of available time for employee training and education.

Time- nobody has it.  Not the Administrator, Director of Nursing or Human Resources Director.  So, how can we provide meaningful, affordable, and time-efficient education for employees?

While providers were on the front lines scraping for survival, AGE-u-cate Training Institute tackled these foreseeable  issues and developed a responsive and feasible employee education strategy.

Pam Brandon, AGE-u-cate’s Founder and President has unveiled REVEAL Aging:  The next generation of aging services employee education and training delivery that works.

The REVEAL Aging content focuses on improving quality of life and quality of care.  Each device friendly course consists of micro-learning segments of approximately ten minutes each.

This method provides on the spot learning that boosts engagement, closes skills gaps and fosters practical applications in the workplace.  Furthermore, content is compatible on smart phones, I-Pads and desk tops, making it accessible for all employees.

“The content gets to the core of what it takes to understand the aging process, and promote quality of life.  The topics are universal for all departments.  It is important that everyone working with older adults possess a deep understanding and elevate empathy.”  Pam Brandon, President, Founder AGE-u-cate Training Institute.

Learn more about REVEAL Aging in this 30-minute webinar, and by visiting the AGE-u-cate website.

Julie has worked in Aging Services for over 30 years and has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1990. She is  the Director of Grants and Consulting Projects and a Certified Master Trainer with AGE-u-cate Training Institute. In addition, she is an instructor and of Gerontology and Leadership in Aging Services at Northern Illinois University and lives in the Chicago Northwest Suburb of Mount Prospect, IL.

Home Sweet Home: Transforming Aging in Place

 

This is where people want to be.. home. It is time to examine changes needed for people stay safe and well with availability of appropriate care and services.

The Home Health/Care Industry quickly stepped up to the plate during the COVID pandemic.  The demand for services ballooned almost over-night, and providers responded with a fierce determination to serve those in need.

The challenges were not that different from long term care.  However, one might argue they were a bit more challenging due to the remote nature of the workforce.

COVID testing and protocol training required an enormous amount of coordination.  Another challenge was the lack of testing for the home-bound elders, and discovering that in desperation for care,  dishonesty of symptoms was a factor.

Transforming Aging in Place

There is no question that most people in need of care assistance wish to remain at home, for as long as possible.  The reality is that meeting this societal expectation is nearly impossible, for many reasons.

Workforce.  The United States is not investing in building a sustainable workforce.

Regulation.  The current regulations constrain homecare service delivery.  In Illinois, the Home Health/Services regulations were last updated in 2006.  This is a likely scenario in other states as well.

Training.  It is time to update content and delivery methods to meet the needs of a remote workforce.

Join in a round-table conversation with Susan Scatchell, Business Development Director of Gentle Home Services and Pam Brandon, President and Founder, AGE-u-cate.  Susan and Pam will discuss the challenges and opportunities to transform the experience of aging in place.

Register here for Home Sweet Home:  Transforming Aging in Place.  Wednesday, March 17, 1:00pm CST.

We hope you are able to join the discussion and help to re-imagine the future of this vital industry.

Julie has worked in Aging Services for over 30 years and has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1990. She is a the Director of Grants and Consulting Projects and a Certified Master Trainer with AGE-u-cate Training Institute. In addition, she is an instructor and of Gerontology and Leadership in Aging Services at Northern Illinois University and lives in the Chicago Northwest Suburb of Mount Prospect, IL.

A Nod to Nursing Home Administrators

Thank you to all Nursing Home Administrators!

Nursing Home Administrators are unsung heroes before, during and after the pandemic.  On this occasion of  Nursing Home Administrator’s Week, AGE-u-cate Training Institute extends our thanks and admiration for the tireless commitment of these professionals.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that a health services manager plans, directs and coordinates the business of activities of healthcare providers, and this includes nursing home administrators.

It is difficult to define such a complex job.  However, I think the BLS should update the position responsibilities for the LNHA.

The Realities of Being a LNHA

Must be willing to:

  1. Sleep with phone set on the loudest ring tone to respond to emergencies 24/7.
  2. Juggle multiple priorities that come to a hard stop when a survey team makes an unscheduled visit- which is 100% of the time.
  3. Worry continually about the wellbeing of elders in their care and how to make things better.
  4. Count the number of empty beds daily and pray that there is enough money to cover payroll.
  5. Care about all employees, and regret that they can’t be paid more.
  6. Listen to the heart-wrenching grief of family members with compassion and kindness.

Many wonder how much longer they can do this job.  However, they brush away that thought because of their deep commitment.

The job is challenging, and rewarding.  But, the scale tipped further to challenging territory this past year.  Hopefully, LNHA’s will soon get back to experiencing more of the rewards of their important profession.

Nursing Home Administrators deserve respect for taking on the immense responsibility to over-see the care of the most vulnerable among us.

Julie has worked in Aging Services for over 30 years and has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1990. She is a the Director of Grants and Consulting Projects and a Certified Master Trainer with AGE-u-cate Training Institute. In addition, she is an instructor and of Gerontology and Leadership in Aging Services at Northern Illinois University and lives in the Chicago Northwest Suburb of Mount Prospect, IL.