The senior care work force of tomorrow should be at the top of discussion topics for eldercare leaders. Investing in development and retention of great workers, along with competitive wages and benefits is vital.  Many areas of the country are already facing critical shortages in front line staff and this trend will no doubt spread quickly as baby boomers need increasing aging services.

The eldercare sphere offers young workers growth in a dynamic field that will continue to open doors of opportunities for decades ahead.  Beyond that, it’s critically important that the altruisitc side of the “business” provides avenues to provide purpose in our lives.

Creating forward-thinking workers means creating ways for their voices and ideas to be heard;  tools that empower them to grow and flourish as team members in your organization; and lastly to guide them in their path of being the best they can be in the challenging work that they do each and every day.

In his article, The Senior Care Workforce-Raising the Floor of Job Quality, Steven Dawson tell us, “…stakeholders must recalculate their economic self-interest and begin to compete for those workers whom they have heretofore presumed – by making direct care jobs more attractive relative to competing occupations.  This can be achieved through higher pay and benefits, predictable hours, better training and greater support.”

Stop, look and listen to those who carry your business mission out every day;  build teams of idea makers, and recognize the accomplishments and miracles that take place each and every day by those that work and live alongside your residents, patients, clients or customers.

Invest first and leaders will follow.