How Saying No to Sitters Made Us a Senior Care Employer of Choice
Posted by Matt Johnson on Tue, Dec 01, 2009 @ 08:43 AM
A funny thing happened a few years ago. As HealthBridge was first starting up, we began getting calls from job seekers wanting to sit with our clients. As a career healthcare guy, I'll admit that I found this a bit confusing.
"What do you mean, sit with our clients?" I'd ask them. "You know, sit there with them and watch TV or whatever," they'd reply.
I was dumbfounded. As far as I can tell, it doesn't take any particular skill to be a sitter besides being able to bend at the waist and focus on the TV for a few hours. Why would anyone pay good money to have someone sit next to them and watch TV?
It turns out people hired sitters because they didn't think they had much of a choice. If a family was concerned about a senior loved one and didn't want to leave them alone, they'd hire a sitter to keep them company.
But when the job description is "sitting," how do you make sure you accomplish the health and wellness tasks that go along with senior care?
You don't.
Instead of sitting, could your helper engage in mentally stimulating brain games? Could she follow an Alzheimer's or dementia plan of care to improve the senior's life? Could she ensure your loved one takes his medicine and has a good, healthy meal? Could she prevent falls and ensure the home is safe for daily living?
Nope. Not with a sitter.
To accomplish these tasks and make a meaningful impact in the life of a senior, you need someone who has been to school to learn how to provide senior care. Someone who has been trained to work with Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers. Someone who knows how to assist with bathing and dressing to prevent falls. Someone who has dedicated her career and life to senior care.
You need a Certified Nurse Aide.
After those first few phone calls from job seekers wanting to watch TV with HealthBridge clients, we had an A-HA! moment.
We started saying no to sitters and only hiring Certified Nurse Aides. Now we get over 100 job applicants per week. Not too shabby considering we're saying no to 99% of job seekers.
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Image credit: Mark Strozier