Individualized training optimizes employee improvement and assures the success of your assisted living home.
Nothing is truer in the residential assisted living home industry. Owners and operators of assisted living homes must embrace the idea and practice of continual training as one of the greatest business investments available.
The marketplace is competitive. Employees within the assisted living home industry have multiple options in terms of employment.
What makes an employee a really good and dedicated person? What makes these good employees willing to work in your home as opposed to another?
Many employees have said they appreciate continual learning and the option to grow as a professional.
- Will your home offer training to its employees for the improvement of both the employee and the resident?
- Will your home adopt and put into practice adequate training for personnel that advances their skills?
- Will it be common in your home for employees to move from one job to another because they have acquired training that qualifies them internally?
- Will you end up seeing good employees leave your home for opportunities at other facilities, or will you make your residential assisted living home an irresistible place to work?
There are questions that need to be answered when starting an assisted living business if you expect to thrive.
THE FACTS ABOUT TRAINING
There can be no doubt about this basic fact: Trained, knowledgeable and skilled employees provide the absolute best care. The converse is equally as true: Untrained, unknowledgeable and unskilled employees render the worst care.
Who do you want working in our home with your residents? The effort required to produce well-trained employees is never in vain.
Employees who know they can obtain training, especially advanced training do not resign haphazardly. They become one with their workplace and regard it as their responsibility to ensure its growth, survival, and reputation.
While the owner has paid and provided the training, it is the employee who invests both the brain and body power to accomplish it. They want a return as much as the owner – typically, they want an even greater return.
There is also training that is mandated in the assisted living industry. Federal standards for staff training are rather non-specific. However, as an owner of an assisted living home you must know your state and local regulations.
Certain states require extensive training for assisted living homes. Be sure these training sessions are conducted timely, with staff understanding the frequency and certification standards. These training sessions must be taken seriously.
State mandated training tends to not be the most well-liked, but it is essential. It guarantees the safety of residents, especially in terms of medication management, CPR, physical lifting of residents, and qualifications for assisted living stay.
TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS
While states vary on training requirements, there is some facility-wide training that should be enacted.
- Fall Risk Assessment and Prevention
- Emergency Preparedness
- Dementia Identification and Support
- Resident’s Rights
- Elder Abuse
- Elder Neglect
- Proper Communication with Residents
It is essential to know who should take which training and when. There are many trainings that are specific to medical professionals and care professionals.
These trainings vary from the following:
- Medication Management
- Wound Care
- Physical Therapy
- ADL Support
- Body Care
- Cognitive Assessment
- Memory Care
The above listed trainings tend to be similar, but not exactly the same across multiple states. The Residential Assisted Living Academy provides education and support with training that exceeds the minimum requirements.
These trainings create an environment where employees and residents thrive.
INDIVIDUALIZED TRAINING
Identifying the proper training needed for your home can make a difference between success and failure.
- What will make your assisted living home different from the others in your community?
- What will result in your home functioning at full capacity?
- What ensures no vacancy?
Specifically, individualized training can oftentimes take place internally amongst those you have already hired.
As the assisted living homeowner ask yourself the following:
- Who is the leader among your staff for specialized care?
- Who shows genuine care for the residents?
- Who exhibits ambition?
- Who wants to learn more about this business?
- Who works with integrity and dignity?
- Who goes beyond the norm, beyond the requirement?
- Who do the residents absolutely love? Why?
These are the people you speak with specifically. Find out what they want in their career.
- Is this industry of interest to them?
- Do they long to possibly own a home for the elderly?
- Do they want to rise into management?
If you as a homeowner desire to own more than one facility, the people who can make this happen most are already working in your assisted living home.
Develop them now.
3 STEPS TO ACCESSING EMPLOYEE SKILLS
- First, be sure you know the level of education. If there is a need for more education determine what that educational requirement is. Does this person show the capacity and drive to accomplish it? If so, find a way to support them in that pursuit.
- Second, what job specific skills do they lack to get promoted? You want them to be promoted in the workplace. It is the greatest source of energy. It fuels the environment with possibility and others will get onboard with your program.
- Third, make sure the employee is supported and not overwhelmed. Overwhelmed workers collapse, get sick, miss work, and burn out. Create short- and long-term goals. If the employee really wants to grow, they will.
Determine the Future Outlook
- What future need will your assisted living home have?
- Do you plan on opening multiple homes? When? Where?
- Will your assisted living home expand? Will new residents with different diagnoses be admitted?
- What internal needs will expansion create? Will new positions create backfills?
- What is your 5, 10, 15-year outlook?
WHAT’S NEXT?
Connect with us at the Residential Assisted Living Academy.
Founder Gene Guarino and his nationwide team of experts have helped many entrepreneurs and assisted living homeowners develop their business. During the comprehensive 3-day course, individuals are trained from A-Z on how to start, own, and focus on operating a successful business. The results are phenomenal, and the instructors experience such joy watching entrepreneurs excel.
Contact RALAcademy today and register for the training you need to thrive.
