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Learn MoreLike many areas of the care continuum, assisted living and other senior residential care environments currently are under significant pressures, both from an operational and financial direction. The outlook for the immediate future for these providers is mixed--occupancy will remain stagnant and workforce challenges will grow more complicated, but changes in the U.S. economy and health care system could alleviate some pressures and create business opportunities” (Mullaney, 2019). Importantly, the workforce required for this sector is significant and sizeable, and addressing some of the problems inherent to it may help these providers get on a better footing. In two recent articles, leaders in this area of the care industry talked about their workforce challenges and some solutions to them.
Need to Focus on the Workforce
Cindy Baier, the CEO at industry giant Brookdale Senior Living, offered that organizations offering senior living need to “focus on what matters most--their people. We expect the labor market will continue to be quite competitive, so senior living companies will have to maintain a meaningful focus on attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining key talent” (Mullaney, 2019).
Recruiting Qualified Staff
According to Brenda Bacon, President and CEO of Brandywine Living, “Our challenge is and will be to attract and retain the best talent. The concurrent challenge is to absorb the growing cost of labor in the lowest unemployment environment in 49 years while maintaining and improving margins” (Mullaney, 2019). This organization, like others, must deal with competition for qualified workers as it becomes more expensive to hire and keep employees.
A future-oriented article in McKnight’s Senior Living also indicated that “workforce issues will continue to be a dominant challenge in the senior living industry in 2019” (Bowers, 2019). The industry leaders who were interviewed also shared that some other prominent challenges “involve affordable housing, Medicare Advantage, financing, and changes resulting from consumer demographics and preferences” (Bowers, 2019).
Retaining Caregivers
National Center for Assisted Living Executive Director Scott Tittle states that retention is a serious problem across the industry. According to Tittle, “We hear it from member providers consistently that finding and keeping quality caregivers is a challenge, especially as the economy improves and unemployment rates decrease” (Bowers, 2019).
Developing Caring Staff
James Balda, the President and CEO at Argentum, the senior living trade association, pinpoints his organization’s members’ need to focus on “finding and developing a professional and caring workforce as a top challenge” (Bowers, 2019). Not only are organizations in his space encountering a severe labor shortage, but they need to know how to turn workers into the caring workforce that residents require. According to Balda, the number of workers who will be required is daunting. He adds, “the industry will need to fill spots for 1.4 million workers between now and 2025, representing 281,000 [new] jobs and more than one million [replacement] jobs for industry workers who are retiring or exiting senior living” (Bowers, 2019).
Establishing Career Pathways
In addition to common workforce issues, the industry needs a stronger focus on developing a career pathway for employees, according to LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan (Bowers, 2019). Once employees have become part of the senior living industry, retaining them might be easier if they have an idea of where their careers might lead and of what training is needed to get them there.
For this sector of the care continuum, it is apparent that finances will continue to be a sore spot. President and CEO Brian Jurutka of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care offered that “the big challenge for senior living operators in 2018 was a squeeze on net operating income from both the revenue and expense side” (Bowers, 2019). He also shared that a stronger supply of new housing has “put downward pressure on occupancy in many markets, [while] …on the expense side, historic low unemployment rates helped drive higher labor costs, which make up about two-thirds of operating costs” (Bowers, 2019).
The experts above appear to agree that the workforce challenges in Senior and Assisted Living are not likely to end anytime soon. The trade-off for employee benefits resulting from labor shortage, job growth, and higher wages will likely have a counterpart in the impact on the customer base as industry organizations struggle to fill jobs and provide the quality care that residents expect and require.
Discover HealthStream solutions for developing the Senior and Assisted Living workforce.
References
Bowers, Lois, “Workforce issues loom large as 2019 begins, leaders say,” McKnight’s Senior Living, January 2, 2019, Retrieved at https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/news/workforce-issues-loom-large-as-2019-begins-leaders-say/.
Mullaney, Tim, “Senior Living Executive Forecast: 2019 Business Trends, Challenges, Opportunities,” Senior Living News, January 1, 2019, Retrieved at https://seniorhousingnews.com/2019/01/01/senior-living-executive-forecast-2019-business-trends-challenges-opportunities/.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ResuscitationIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsLearn more about HealthStream's Provider Credentialing, privileging, & enrollment solutions.
View All CredentialingExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
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