Medication management, as we know, can be a huge obstacle for residents and employees alike in senior and assisted living communities. However, in addition to medication management, communities are facing many more challenges that are impacting the consistency of care and residents’ quality of life. 

Leveraging eMAR to Optimize Care  

With most senior living communities utilizing electronic medical records (eMAR) systems, they are not only challenged to understand and utilize these systems properly, but they’re challenged to leverage the information for quality assurance and optimized care. Due to the lack of readily available training resources in many communities, employees resort to workarounds to avoid investing time they don’t have in complicated systems. Additionally, IT support is not often readily available, making IT support and training more difficult and time-consuming. The resources needed—time, money, personnel—to properly train employees on eMAR systems can feel like an impossible obstacle on top of existing daily duties. 

Identifying & Providing the Right Level of Support for Residents   

One of the most sensitive areas in senior living is bridging the gap between a family member’s perception and the reality of their loved one’s abilities. Often times, family members are unaware of the level of care required for their loved one until after they are under the care of a community. Many residents come in seeking minimal care and end up needing additional resources and assistance in their day to day life, leading to an additional adjustment period for the resident and those caring for them.   

Unfortunately, when this challenge is multiplied by many residents and many staff, the impact on the community can be widespread. Staff can become burnt out, residents aren’t monitored or cared for as fully as they should be, and the community can suffer financially.   

Burnout is especially common in new communities. Staff aims to provide superior care to the first residents who join, quickly becoming overworked as the community’s rooms fill up. By starting out full steam, it becomes difficult for employees to settle into roles and provide appropriate care without exhausting themselves and their resources. While these are some of the toughest conversations communities and loved ones will have, it is crucial to establish the appropriate level of care off the bat, as a healthy and thriving community leads to the best quality of life for residents.  

The Challenges of High Turnover  

A key element in providing residents the best quality of life is having the best, most supportive staff. However, in order for employees to provide high-quality support, they must receive it. In the current state of the industry, communities are struggling with high turnover rates due to the difficult nature of the job and record–low employment rates. Combining back-breaking work with lower wages, it can be challenging to find the quality people to fill these roles. Plus, with the rigorous work expected of senior living nurses paired with the thinly spread staff, it is very common for employees to throw up their hands and leave. While turnover is, itself, a challenge, it also magnifies the challenges of efficient and effective training when new employees are entering the community frequently. 

The Importance of a Strong Partnership

At MMP, we offer our partners strategic guidance and education across the entire community.  From high-touch, online continuing education opportunities to thorough, in-person training programs, MMP is flexible to fit your unique needs. These additional training opportunities, hands-on assistance, and one-on-one support for new staff allow you to take steps to reduce high employee turnover in your community and improve quality and consistency of care.  

Our goal is to empower every community we partner with. By monitoring the evolving pain points in senior and assisted living, we’re able to help you proactively address issues, so they don’t impact the safety and happiness of your community, and ultimately, your residents.