THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE
Kristin Kutac Ward CEO
Solvere Living and Solutions Advisors Group
“Invigorating and exhausting” Times of change force innovation and of- fer opportunity. Our company was born 11 years ago, during a time of dramatic change—the Great Recession—which forced us to look at the business diff erently to experiment with new ideas and tactics. Today, with the pandemic, we are again
rethinking standard strategies and creating new ones. How our industry anticipates change, adapts to it, and integrates the best parts into a future business model will dictate a company’s success or failure. Speed, resiliency, and stamina are all fun-
damental components of managing change, as well as being cognizant of the impact it has on teams and morale. It can be invigorat- ing and exhausting at the same time. It requires a lot of human capital management, strategy, and most of all, communication.
Bob Weir, RPh
Vice president, operations & regulatory support Guardian Pharmacy Services
“Empower the team” You must allow team members to deal with change head-on. As a long-term-care pharmacy veteran, I
have worked with companies that prescribe a top-down management approach, where local pharmacies rely on corporate head- quarters for direction. I quickly discovered this is counterpro- ductive when responding to a crisis in real time. That lesson helped me prepare our teams for this pandemic. We developed a COVID-19 task force to provide guid- ance—not directives—to our people in the fi eld. They are empowered under our local autonomy business model to make decisions necessary to support their customers unique needs.
emotional labor
The work of managing one’s emotions for the job. A CNA may have a naturally sunny disposition, but they’ll also work to be positive when the job is stressful. Should hiring and pay refl ect this ability? Some say yes.
18 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE MAY/JUNE 2020
It is widely successful. For example, early on, when personal protection equipment (PPE) supplies were scarce, our local phar- macy purchasers scoured the country for PPE, allowing many of our assisted living communities to get PPE when others could not.
This pandemic also validated our decision years ago to trust our judgment and become strong advocates for preferred pharmacy in assisted living. The decision was made out of the knowledge that reducing multiple pharmacies in a community could minimize errors. Now we’re seeing this model has helped keep community staff and residents safe during this pandemic, reducing the numbers of people entering the communi- ties and streamlining triage eff orts.
Rich Williams
Vice president, senior living HHHunt President
Spring Arbor Senior Living
“Keep staff engaged” It is no secret that the industry has been facing a staffi ng crisis for years. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, providers must transform themselves to successfully man- age change to address immediate and future demands. Operators will need to differentiate
themselves with a culture that focuses on retention strategies, engaging team mem- bers and shaping direct care job quality and satisfaction. Creative resources that keep staff engaged
will likely include the use of technological platforms, as these have a positive impact on resident care and enhance team-member satisfaction. The COVID-19 crisis has validated
technology in meeting both wellness and socialization needs. Interactive communica- tion has been successful through telehealth, wearable devices to monitor vital signs, and smart home technology through video and voice devices to keep residents connected and avoid isolation. As contact tracing evolves, this would
have a signifi cant impact on our industry’s ability to proactively manage exposure on an ongoing basis. Forward-thinking providers will see the
cost-benefi t opportunities of investing in technology that will enhance satisfaction for team members and residents while at the same time enabling operators to manage their business more effi ciently.
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