Sponsored by OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Hiring and Retaining Talent for Memory Care
Bebe Reed, Vice President of Healthcare Operations, Griffin Living A
s an RN who now works for a se- nior living developer, I know how memory care is unlike any other
profession in senior living. Here’s what I look for when hiring and what memory care candidates are looking for in their employer.
What I Look for When Hiring: The “Why” and Lots of Patience My main question for all candidates is “why” and it’s two fold. The first is why memory care. Many of them have a back- ground in senior living: I want to under- stand what drives them to the memory care side of the building because it’s very different than assisted or independent living. The second is why us – do they understand what sets our communities (in our case, Va- renita) apart from others? There’s no right answer: it’s about whether their personality and approach are the right fit for the team. Memory care is not a glamorous job. In fact, it might be the hardest in the building. So I want to know that they’re sincere and they’re prepared. Most people are nervous when they interview, but I’ve found the “why” questions can help draw them out.
The top quality I look for in potential
memory care team members is patience. Do they have patience for other people? This is critical because memory care residents can’t be rushed: the caregiver must go at the pace of the resident. Your day may be planned, but it can go in a completely different direc- tion depending on how the resident is doing. Sometimes the driven, type-A personalities that thrive in other careers in healthcare don’t like the memory care setting because they have to slow down and take life as it comes with the residents. But those who can slow down, be patient, and join the memo- ry care resident in their daily activity, they are the ones that will experience the joy of living in the moment.
Beyond the Money: Recruiting and Retaining Talent Traditionally, recruiting and retaining top talent has been about money. It’s an obvious way for an employer to signal respect and value for people’s work. And while attract- ing talent is still often about money, since the COVID pandemic, retaining talent is increasingly about culture. This is especially
true in fields like memory care, where the work can be emotionally taxing. At our communities, we think a lot about
minimizing stress on our caregivers. Any- thing we can do to make their job less stress- ful goes a long way. It can be simple things, like posting their work schedule on time, already having assignments decided by the time they arrive, and making sure that they have a place to rest that’s physically set apart from their work space. The last major piece is promoting man-
agers who lead through service. James Christensen, our Director of Memory Care at Varenita of Simi Valley, comes to mind here. James doesn’t just handle the admin- istration and paperwork – he also makes rounds, volunteering to perform care tasks in his spare time. He goes above and beyond to demonstrate his commitment to his team. After all, nothing shows a team member that you care like covering a night shift. Memory care is unlike any other job in
senior living. It’s critical that we help identify people who have that calling, and then do everything we can to support them in it.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
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