UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES MEET IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE IN LIVEWELL COMMUNITIES
Dr. Paula Carder, Director of Portland State University’s Institute on Aging shared PSU's annual survey on community-based care for Oregon’s Department of Human Services. This year’s survey focused on the impact of COVID-19. Given that nearly a third of COVID deaths have occurred in long-term care settings in the US, we wanted to know how Oregon’s assisted living and residential care communities met the challenge of COVID.
Insights from PSU's Institute on Aging Annual Survey on Community-based Care
Here’s what we learned:
94% of communities agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to utilize technology to enable telehealth visits and virtual socialization with family and friends.
87% of communities agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to address staff concerns related to the pandemic.
88% of communities agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to address residents’ families' concerns related to the pandemic.
RESPONSIVENESS RAMPS UP
Our communities are committed to responding to the needs of staff, residents, and residents’ families. In our LiveWell Monthly Meetup, we were able to discuss Dr. Carder’s team’s findings with some of the communities we’ve worked with. They affirmed that they were responsive to the needs of their communities by increasing the use of technology and being resourceful, for example by using resident’s windows to create a safer in-person connection with family and friends in order to address loneliness.
LIVEWELL IMPROVES STAFF MORALE AND RESIDENTS' QUALITY OF LIFE
What did our community members say was their most effective approach to enabling successful responsiveness? Transparency! Open and honest communication with staff, residents, and families reduced anxiety and set expectations relating to the ever-changing guidelines over the last year and a half.
Our community members also shared insights with one another about stressors related to families disagreeing with regulations and rule changes. In the survey, 60% of long-term care communities agreed or strongly agreed that visitor restrictions enacted by the state or county were reasonable. 71% reported receiving what they thought was enough support from their county and/or state. Through it all, staff remained resilient, and their ability to respond positively in the face of these challenges is a skill Livewell helped build!
The LiveWell Method improves staff morale and quality of life for residents living in long-term care communities. To connect with our LiveWell communities, attend our LiveWell Monthly Meetups on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. If you are in Oregon, sign up to attend one of our fall learning collaboratives to see how your organization can save money, improve communication, and plan for a future where staff and residents alike can thrive. If you are outside Oregon, please contact Barbara for more information.
LiveWell works. Our team is here to help leaders and staff bring LiveWell to long-term care facilities. Please let those in your network know that applications for the next virtual learning collaborative are available online.
LOOK INTO OUR VIRTUAL LEARNING COLLABORATIVES
Over time LiveWell has been shown to significantly improve staff morale and staff retention while reducing falls, medication errors, and other areas. Improving quality also reduces costs, as you can see in our white paper.
OUR MEET-UPS ARE THE BOMB!
Have you been to a LiveWell Meet Up? This is a great way to stay connected or drop in to meet your peers and learn about a new topic. We offer these twice a month, 30 min. each. Check upcoming Meet Ups on our calendar.
May Your Communities Enjoy the onset of Fall! Yea for pumpkins and spice! :-)
— Barbara, Jennifer, Ann, Steve, Trisha, Andy, Bowen, and Judy