Employee turnover is a natural part of doing business in any industry. But when it comes to senior care, the rate of turnover can be as high as 60 percent. With statistics like this, it’s crucial for senior care providers to find the very best employees they can, and, unfortunately, that’s only half the battle. Retaining employees once they’re on board is a challenge, and it’s one that Vistelan Healthcare takes very seriously.
Rita Pridemore, owner and CEO of Vistelan, said the turnover rate in the health care industry is high, particularly in senior care.
“When we hire caregivers, we look for someone who has a passion for caring for others,” she said.
High turnover rates have long plagued the senior living industry, with recruiting and training costs taking a toll on the community and, more importantly, affecting the senior residents.
Finding the right person with compassion and skill to go into their homes and provide care is really important.
“Most seniors want to age in one place,” she said. “Finding the right person with compassion and skill to go into their homes and provide care is really important, and retaining them improves client satisfaction.”
As a registered nurse and with over 30 years in the health care industry, Pridemore said the need is only going to increase.
“As more people reach the age of needing some assistance, we’re going to need more people who are able to help care for them. By the year 2050, there will be more than 55 million people who are 65 and older. We have an aging population and a shortage of quality in-home care professionals. Ultimately, we’re going to need bold and innovative ideas on retaining caregivers.”
One demographic that in-home care providers look for is people right at retirement age.
“We try to recruit retirement-age caregivers who are perhaps looking for a second income and would be a good fit with our clients,” Pridemore said. “Many people who are at the age of needing assistance may have lost their spouse, don’t have family and, without help, they face isolation, poor nutrition and a lack of basic well-being.”
Pridemore said that many clients are not at the point where they need to be in a nursing home but may not be able to afford in-home care assistance.
“We work closely with independent-living and assisted-living facilities, and we’ll go in to assist as well. We’ve heard from the children of many seniors who said they’re reluctant to go into a nursing home because they believe it is the last stage or they are asking a parent to give up their independence.”
Being a health care provider that specializes in staffing, private-duty home care and clinical workforce management, Vistelan’s goal is to collaborate with patients, families and providers to deliver quality health care “within the communities we serve,” Pridemore added.
Vistelan has a unique understanding of the challenges facing providers in today’s ever-changing health care environment. It can be an overwhelming task for any provider to recruit top quality professionals while maintaining the flexibility to effectively manage business.
“We can help bridge the gap between staffing while they focus on what really matters,” Pridemore said, “which is caring for the patients.”
Vistelan’s commitment is to the satisfaction of their patients, families and business partners.
