Enhancing Staff Retention in Person-Centered Care Environments for Older Adults How to Create and Implement a Comprehensive Orientation Program

High employee turnover is one of the greatest challenges facing long-term care communities today. Without consistent staffing, programs and their residents greatly suffer the negative consequences of inadequate resident care, unnecessary expenses, and inefficient operations. To curb this trend of low employee retention, this useful guide will help long-term care administrators develop, implement, and maintain an effective orientation program for all levels of staff.

By providing new employees with proper training from the moment they step in the door, long-term care communities and other programs can ensure that they are nurturing skilled caregivers who are dedicated to their organization and their residents for the long haul. Using a person-centered focus, this guide outlines all of the necessary steps in creating an orientation program that works. Starting with establishing the long-term care organization's needs, the guide then goes on to explain what pertinent information to include, how, when, and where to present it, and how to develop a schedule and timeframe for training. The guide also stresses the importance of creating a mentorship program between new and existing employees and provides valuable insight on how to develop and sustain such a program. Other important topics include testing skills in new employees, administering evaluations, building relationships, defining the community's culture, and keeping the focus on the residents.

Over the course of 12 chapters, this guide shows leaders that effective orientation program lasts far beyond the first day. By creating and implementing a thorough, person-centered orientation and training program, facilities will not only foster the growth of their newest employees but also give them the skills, knowledge, confidence, and support to successfully adapt to a new workplace. This comfort and confidence easily translates into the delivery of the highest quality of care to residents and a lasting dedication to one's organization.

Notable features include:

• Downloadable sample forms that can be used as a guide!
• Chapter review at the end of each chapter with a bulleted list of key points. Includes blank lines so the reader can make notes
• A focus on extending a setting's person-centered approach to encompass its employees, too, taking a novel approach to making employees feel well-trained and supported in a new work environment