How Eldermark NEXT Can Increase Staff Accountability at Your Senior Living Community
There’s a crisis of accountability happening at businesses across the country, and it could have a serious impact on your senior living community. In fact, a full 82% of managers say they are simply unable to hold employees accountable. Whether they lack the skills, the tools, or the resources to do so, the end result is the same: dissatisfied customers, companies in crisis, and employees not following proper procedures and protocols. It’s not, however, always the fault of the employees. Poor management, lack of training, or underfunded departments can also be blamed.
Whatever the reason, a lack of accountability can be a significant problem, especially in fields like elder care and senior living, where it can also have a profound negative impact on residents. There’s no immediate fix that will totally eliminate accountability issues, but there are methods for improving employee accountability and fostering better problem-solving and stronger relationships. Below, we’ll look at how you can take back the reins of accountability in your own community.
The Need for an Integrated Software Solution
As we mentioned, there’s no one reason behind the struggle with accountability, but we know from experience that many senior living communities cite one major issue — disjointed and disparate software systems.
Without an integrated software solution, employees become overwhelmed with inefficiencies. When things go wrong, they also find it easier to point the finger of blame toward the complexities of navigating multiple platforms that don’t integrate or communicate with one another. Poor training and sluggish adoption also account for some issues, as employees find themselves overwhelmed and overburdened by learning multiple systems. Additionally, the inputting of data repetitively across these platforms is a perfect storm for errors and inaccuracies.
Fortunately, there is a relatively simple solution that solves these issues and improves staff accountability without increasing their burden — an end-to-end senior living software solution.
Key Features of Eldermark NEXT for Enhancing Staff Accountability
Eldermark NEXT consolidates robust senior living tools into one easy-to-use platform that eliminates the need for multiple vendors, confusing onboarding, and endless training. But how does it contribute to improved employee accountability? Here’s how:
Unified Platform
A single platform that exists across teams and departments is integral to better communications and ensures nothing gets lost between platforms. Employees can input data from a single source that will populate across all service lines, reducing the risk of errors and increasing accuracy.
Staffing and Occupancy
Inadequate resource management can lead to accountability issues, particularly if you’re over- or under-staffed. Make sure that never happens and that you are always adequately staffed for your current occupancy with Eldermark NEXT.
Financial Stability
Taking accountability is hard, especially when it comes to fiscal responsibility. Protect your employees and your residents with a program that significantly reduces financial errors and gives you the tools you need to forecast and plan appropriately. Keep your bottom line strong, and reduce stress, frustration, and worry for staff members.
Care Management
Consistency and routines are important in nearly every field, but in senior care and senior living, they could also be life-saving. You’re caring for residents in real time, so make sure you can also manage that care in real time with Eldermark NEXT. Our integrated software gives your staff full visibility and connectedness so they can see the immediate and future needs of each resident.
Actionable Analytics
In this field, outcomes matter. And while no one has a crystal ball to tell you what actions to take, you can make educated and informed decisions with the right insights. Get those insights with a comprehensive tool like Eldermark NEXT’s ElderSmarts Analytics.
The Importance of Analytics for Staff Accountability
While having access to data and analytics is important for senior living communities, getting insights and actionable outcomes from that data is key. With Eldermark NEXT’s analytics tool, you get comprehensive insights into the work your team does every day. From understanding where staffing levels need to be adjusted to helping managers and directors hold their teams accountable to their goals, analytics give senior living communities the information they need to make data-based decisions.
But why is this so important? Because it has a major impact on your organization. Of the many senior living communities Eldermark has had the privilege of helping, most have reported that access to actionable data has improved both staff retention morale, leading to a higher level of overall care for residents.
Benefits of Increased Staff Accountability
Why is staff accountability so critical? Because, to put it simply, you can’t have a healthy and thriving senior living community without it. When accountability falters, the cracks in the organization start to show. Eventually, the foundation will crumble. Accountability offers stability and support to the entire organization, leading to satisfied residents, a high-performing staff, and a more prosperous business. Here are some of the other benefits of fostering staff accountability:
- Employees are less susceptible to burnout and feel less stress on the job.
- Retention increases and you are able to pull from a wider and higher quality talent pool.
- Resident satisfaction increases and residents feel happier, safer, and able to trust your community.
- Staff members support each other and the organization because they don’t fear repercussions.
- The business is less prone to legal or financial repercussions as compliance is a top concern.
- The business thrives as efficiency improves and revenue opportunities increase.
Accountability is better for your staff, better for business, and most of all, better for residents. So how do you get better at accountability?
Getting Started with Eldermark NEXT
Eldermark NEXT is the answer to improving staff accountability. This all-in-one platform improves efficiency, but it also provides a seamless onboarding experience so staff can train and feel comfortable using these tools right away. The integration of service lines ensures greater accuracy and reduces the risk of errors. Every action is tracked, so there’s never a question of why an issue occurred. This means you can address any challenge as it arises, and empower employees to own their actions and take pride in their work.
