In less than two months, everyone working in long term care has had to flex, change, plan on the fly, learn many new things quickly, and deal with anxiety, stress, illness, and fears that we didn’t even know we had. We have leaned into many of the hardest aspects of leadership.
Today I wanted to highlight what leaders in long term care are saying about how to show up during this pandemic. Thank you to The Green House Project, LeadingAge, and the Jewish Home Family network in New Jersey, whose ideas I'm channeling today.
Believe in your strength.
Plan and prepare. Cross train your staff in case of staff shortages.
• Find your PPE and be sure everyone knows how to use it.
• Use the PPE Burn Calculator to figure out how much you need.
• Make sure you know your organization's policies and procedures.
• Share with staff the guidance from DHS in provider alerts — and sign up to get these if you haven't already. CDC has excellent guidance on hand hygiene and preparing for COVID.
• Find out what communities that have been hard hit are doing now to prepare for a second wave of COVID in the fall.Let your staff step up. When staff feel like a million bucks, they will take initiative. Instead of “tell me what I should do” they will say “here’s how I’m approaching this problem.”
Communicate. It’s not possible to over-communicate to residents, staff, and families. Explain what’s happening, what you are doing to prevent infection or to deal with infection, what’s working and what’s not. Use social media, email, newsletters, and What’s Happening Boards to make sure that everyone knows what’s going on.
End your meetings with something positive.
Exercise and eat well. You will feel better and do better.
Celebrate. When someone returns from quarantine or the hospital, be sure to celebrate.
Please be safe and know that your LiveWell team is wishing you the best. Let us know what you’re doing in your communities to lead well during COVID. W would love to hear from you. — Coach Barbara