HCAOA The Voice Fall 2020

6 HCAOA The Voice MEMBER NEWS COMPENSATE CAREGIVERS APPROPRIATELY One of the lessons from COVID was the importance of compen - sating caregivers appropriately for the work they were doing and the risk they were taking. We have a saying at Leading Home Care and the Home Care CEO Forum; “The behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated.” Carl Bossung, co-founder of Senior 1 Care in South Bend, IN, and a member of our Top 5% Mastermind Group, shared some insights on how to effectively compensate caregivers. The PPP—Paycheck Protection Program—from the US Small Business Administration gave many home care agencies the added financial resources to increase their compensation for caregivers. • Provide incentives for caregivers who were willing to take on COVID Positive Cases • Clearly communicate the purpose of the extra incentives, and that they are not permanent pay increases • Let all caregivers know about the opportunities to earn added income Since COVID came, we have learned much more about “Econom - ically Fragile Employees.” These are workers who live paycheck to paycheck, and who suffer significant financial and emotional challenges if their pay is interrupted. Understanding how caregiv - ers live, and how their weekly pay affects their living standards is an important element of supporting and encouraging caregivers. CARE FOR THE WHOLE CAREGIVER In exploring ways to support caregivers who are caring for COVID clients, we learned a lot about caring for the whole caregiver. Jim Kimzey, CEO of Tender Rose Dementia Care Specialists in San Francisco, CA, and a member of our Top 7% Mastermind Group, developed a matrix for caring for caregivers. This matrix provided agency leaders with a way to plan for the care of caregivers dealing with COVID clients. On one axis, there are three dimensions: • Before Exposure • Possible Exposure • Tested Positive for COVID On the other axis, three dimensions: • Physical Health • Mental Health • Financial Health Working with his team at Tender Rose, Jim was able to develop specific action steps for each of the nine sections of this planning matrix, and communicate the approach to team members, care - giver, and clients. FIVE ELEMENTS OF CAREGIVER QUALITY ASSURANCE Since the emergence of the crazy COVID-19 Crisis in March of 2020, we have worked with the 42 companies who are members of the Home Care CEO Forum Mastermind Groups to identify the big burning issues they are facing as they move forward. No surprise, but the biggest issue facing agency owners is the caregiver recruit - ing and retention crisis. There are simply not enough in-home caregivers to meet the demands of an aging client population. Caring for the Caregiver A Framework Before Exposure Possible Exposure Tested Positive Mental Health Physical Health Financial Health