Retention is the best way to save real $$ in your home care business.
Don’t get me wrong, recruitment is still important in home care. We work on it every day with my clients. However, retention is critical. A good way to summarize is a term coined by Aaron Marcum of Home Care Pulse. If you have ever heard Aaron speak he talks about “Recruiting for retention.” It not only sounds good, it’s a necessity.
Sustainable Growth, Not Constant Recruiting
Ruben Trevino of ABC Senior Care likes to say that home care cannot just be a recruiting machine. Too often, recruiting caregivers feel like filling up a barrel with a hole. You can never fill it fast enough to get a full barrel. My clients tell me they are constantly looking for new caregivers to replace those who leave or don’t show up for work.
Mentoring Works
I often speak to large audiences on how to recruit and retain caregivers. As I introduced the topic of caregiver mentoring to an audience in my home state of Virginia, a ringing endorsement came from the audience. Antoinette talked enthusiastically of her experience with mentoring caregivers. She explained how it helped keep caregivers stay for the long run. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Antoinette’s experience as a field supervisor was the living proof that mentoring works.
The business of home care is caring for seniors in their home. Why not try a similar approach with our employees? Let’s build a resilient workforce by showing care and providing support to direct care workers.
The Unbearable Costs of Caregiver Turnover
Losing a caregiver within the first 3 months cost at least $2,500. That estimated cost doesn’t take into account the impact of caregiver turnover on client satisfaction. How many clients like having a new caregiver in their home every 6 months? None. Turnover reflects poorly on your agency and impacts your business in very real terms.
To avoid turnover, you need to work on caregiver retention.
When you think you cannot afford to create programs and benefits to retain your employees, think again. You cannot afford to stay idle in the face to the rising tide… unless you want to drown. Invest in your caregivers with a mentoring program.
Learn how to implement a caregiver mentoring program for your agency. Join us on April 25th at 1pm ET / 10am PT for our webinar “How to save real $$ in home care.”
