Virtuous LTC Consulting Services
Virtuous LTC Consulting Services
Facing Challenges & Mastering Obstacles!
Facing Challenges & Mastering Obstacles!
4/8/22
“Mastering our Obstacles” what a week to write about that. The Master’s!! Even those of us who are not golf fanatics, we find ourselves excited to watch the Master’s with hopes to see Tiger Woods overcome one of his greatest obstacles yet, to possibly end at the top of the leader board, and maybe even win the green jacket again! Working back from his injuries is inspiring to many. Having a goal to golf at the Masters and being prepared to work hard while facing his obstacles head on is an inspiration to us all.
This week has been a week of excitement, determination, and hopefulness not only re: what Tiger is attempting to accomplish but to think about how with that same grit, determination, and excitement we can, also, face our challenges.
We have experienced a lot of challenges & obstacles over the past few years, and we find ourselves moving into a new set of challenges as we continue to fight back from COVID and begin to put our focus on how to move forward to get our facilities and lives back to a “new” normal.
We know more rules and regulation changes are coming to once again challenge how we have always done things and understand how important it is to begin finding ways to do things differently, more efficiently to continue our goals of providing great quality of care to our residents.
As we all know, we all face challenges and setbacks. Differing issues, differing times, some more urgent than others, but we all experience them. The key is figuring out how to set your mind in position to address and manage them.
I would like to offer you this insight as you move forward in “Mastering” your obstacles and setbacks.
1.Adjust your Attitude! As Tiger Woods would say, “I smile at obstacles”. Having an attitude of facing the obstacle head on, can be a challenge due to the fear that may set in. But if you can change your view and face that obstacle with an attitude of fearlessness your perspective will be one of realizing setbacks and road blocks can be a learning experience. It can be viewed as an opportunity for improvement that will lead you to the open road of mastering your goals. Attitude is everything.
2.Take Time! Take time to think through the situation, evaluate it and process it. What worked well. What didn’t work well. What are the obstacles and how can we best address them? What could have been done differently? Taking the time to evaluate and review your situation will offer you insight on your best course of action.
3.Regain Control! Review your processes. Reset your expectations. Focus on building resilience. Focus on energizing yourself and others. Regaining control allows us to have the focus and confidence to move forward.
4.Break down obstacles into bite size pieces! Set yourself up for little successes. Set small goals to re-energize your team as each goal is met.
5.Commitment. Help your team to commit to the process. Help guide them to understanding how this process will positively impact themselves, the facility, and your residents.
6.Maintain a strong footing, a strong foundation of leadership and team approaches. The QAPI processes will aid you in maintaining progress going forward. Even if you meet up with another roadblock or setback, your QAPI plan will aid you in maintaining your strong quality foundation.
7.Keep your team motivated. Keep your goals in mind.
We, all face challenges in our work and home lives. How we face and manage our challenges is key to our successes. We need peaks and valleys to keep us moving forward, so embrace your challenges “with a Smile” and forge ahead. Obstacles can be managed and working with these 7 items in mind will aid your team to progress forward with smiles and satisfaction.
Our work is never done. Tiger Woods of course says it best. “There is always stuff to work on, your never there” …Tiger Woods. That statement is so true, we always have things to work on and towards!
How will you face your obstacles?
Make Each Day a Masterpiece!
Make Each Day a Masterpiece!
6/24/2021
I was reading an article today and came across this quote from John Wooden “Make every day your masterpiece”. This quote reminds me that each day is a new day! Each day is an opportunity to do better than we did the day before.
Imagine, if we woke up each morning with this quote in mind, we would offer ourselves an opportunity to set the day in motion with a mindset of positively impacting our day and those around us.
Giving ourselves just a little time to reflect each morning on this quote may provide us an outlook of how we will represent ourselves to others, putting the focus on offering value, inspiration, and guidance in managing whatever the day may bring.
And to take time at the end of the day, to reflect on what the day provided us, good or bad, can impact our mindset, as well. How did the day unfold, what did we experience, how did we manage our day? Is our masterpiece a work in progress? Experiencing gratefulness, is also important. To be grateful that we were able to experience whatever life gave us this day. Being grateful for our successes and challenges is also, an important aspect of mastering our day.
Many times, when we are challenged, we find ourselves painting our best masterpieces, we don't always know that right away. When facing challenges, we find that our focus changes to a sense of overcoming the obstacles to aid us in managing those challenges. Challenges can put us in a different mindset of taking a step back to give us a fresh look at a situation. At times, this new focus may change our direction while continuing to move us forward.
When we experience challenges and roadblocks, it does not mean we were not successful. Challenges and roadblocks allow us to regroup and begin to dig deeper to work thru those challenges and still find success, as we continue on our path of making our masterpiece.
Our personal life, as well as, our work life, has its up and downs, so taking the time to reflect on your gratitude, thankfulness, and ability to learn from your experiences will set you up for a new tomorrow.
Allow yourself to wake up the next day, understanding this too is a new day and you have the opportunity to again, strive to do better than you did yesterday with a goal of “Making every day our masterpiece”.
What masterpiece will you paint today?
Steps to Managing your Matrix / 802!
Steps to Managing your Matrix / 802!
2/15/2021
“Today’s preparation determines tomorrows achievement”, a great quote about how preparing today can positively impact tomorrow. As our annual surveys approach us, this quote speaks volumes in relation to preparing for a positive successful outcome.
There are many ways to begin preparing for your survey, last month we talked about Survey Prep, in relation to ensuring your Entrance Manual was gathered, organized and up to date. This month’s blog is about taking one piece of your manual and taking time to put focus on how to manage it. The Roster/Sample Matrix 802 is a vital piece in Survey Preparedness.
We basically have two phases for review of the 802/Matrix: verification and management.
To begin we must first verify the information:
1.Read the 802/Matrix Instructions for Providers. CMS has clear written definitions on how to complete the Matrix. Each section tells you exactly what should be checked.
Reading and taking time to understand these definitions rather than asking a peer what should be checked on this form, is a more effective approach for your facility to verify accuracy.
2.Understand that your EMR system will auto-populate your 802/Matrix with the completion of each MDS. You should never just print the 802/Matrix and give to a surveyor without verifying the accuracy. When reviewing the Matrix, it is imperative that you ensure that the information is accurate as of the day you are completing it. (such as the Medication column: Is the resident still taking each medication class listed?)
So, for a survey, you want the 802/Matrix to reflect data based on the 1st day of the survey.
Once, you have the form current to the date you are completing it, the next step is to begin the management phase.
3.For each resident listed, go across the page left to right to review your documentation and care planning to ensure each item is addressed as warranted. For example, for those residents who are on an Anticoagulant, is the resident still on the medication, does the order and EMAR match, have the labs been completed as ordered, does the documentation support doctor & family notification, was any necessary assessments or follow-up completed and is the care plan current related to dx, risk factors, medication class and possible side effects monitoring for.
Also, pay attention to those items that are new for the resident, such as a newly added diuretic. Make sure the Matrix and chart reflect this new medication.
4.Go line by line, section by section to complete a chart review on each item checked to verify the record accurately reflects the proper quality of care processes necessary for each resident. (ex: if resident is checked for tube feeding, are all necessary care items in the chart and/or reflected in the care plan. Are staff following the plan of care and following standards of practice in administering said tube feeding?)
5.After this review is completed, make sure to date the form. This is important so you can reflect-back to it when you begin the process of updating the Matrix/802 in the following weeks/month. This process of updating either weekly or monthly is important to allow you to have the most accurate Matrix. Again, the computer will auto-populate with each completed MDS.
6.Ideally, as you enter your annual survey window, it is important to have this Matrix/802 current each week. Best practice is to set aside time every Friday to review and ensure it is current to that day. This helps you so, if state surveyors enter your facility on the following Sunday or Monday, you will only need to update the Friday’s Matrix for any changes that may have occurred over that weekend.
7.Reminder, if state surveyors enter your facility on a self-reported issue or due to a complaint, they will request a Matrix/802. So, it would be prudent to keep a current Matrix/802 up to date at least monthly.
This practice of verification and management will reduce your stress level allowing you to feel more confident moving thru the survey week.
Is your Matrix/802 survey ready?
Prepping for your Annual Survey!
Are you ready?
Prepping for your Annual Survey!
Are you ready?
1/13/2021
Just as we would plan and prepare our meals for the week, we need to plan and prepare for our annual survey. The annual survey should be perceived as a welcomed opportunity to display to those who regulate our industry, our efforts and outcomes of our overall quality of care delivery. However, due to the nature of the DIA survey process, these are also the times when the facility faces its highest posture of scrutiny. So with that in mind, it is imperative to survey prep.
Steps to Prep:
1. Plan ahead.
As you meal prep, you are thinking about what your meal plan is for the week and what you will need to ensure you are properly prepped for the week. Same idea when you are prepping for survey. Think about what needs gathered, reviewed and completed prior to surveyors entering your facility. Work with your team leaders to ensure a plan is in place to gather the entrance manual items. This step greatly decreases your stress level when surveyors enter day 1.
2. Organize your plan.
With meal prepping you know what you plan to eat day to day. For survey prep, it is vital for you to know what your plan is. What will be completed day to day, week to week. Place your survey entrance items into a binder to organize and ensure all items are present and accounted for. Make sure each leader is aware of what information they are responsible for keeping up to date. Set a goal that by the end of each week the survey entrance manual list will be updated prior to going home for the weekend. This will better prepare you when surveyors enter your facility early the next week. Again this will aid in decreasing your stress level.
3. Make a list of "to-do" items.
Each leader should have a "to-do" list of items scheduled to complete to ensure their department will be survey ready. Review what audits, training or oversight is needed. Draft a plan to ensure all items on the "to-do" list is completed. Assign who is responsible to ensure manual is survey ready each week.
4. Stick to your plan.
Make sure the prep plan is communicated to staff. Set up a responsibility plan to ensure accountability. Set your goals. Work your goals. Meet your goals.
"At the end of the day we are accountable to ourselves. Our success is a result of what we do"
Are your Survey Ready?
Oh Deer, What a Year!
Oh Deer, What a Year!
12/12/2020
As the end of 2020 nears, I find myself reflecting back over the last 12 months. I sit here, taking a deep breath and a long sigh as I begin to reflect back on 2020! Oh deer, what a year!
Though this year was filled with challenges, obstacles, struggles and sacrifices in our personal, as well as, our work lives, I challenge you to reflect back to find your positives of 2020.
These positives may not be what we expected to find when 2020 began, but still I challenge you to reflect back on what you learned in 2020? Did you experience something that changed your perspective or appreciation? What opportunities came your way? What did you see from co-workers, residents, family members or others that brought a smile to your face or a greater appreciation of the human race? What experiences did you have that helped you determine that we are "Stronger Together"?
A few lessons I learned during the struggles of 2020:
1. A new appreciation of nature. Visiting state parks and other outdoor venues to escape from being cooped up in the house and escape from the masks was a blessing and a time for reflection and appreciation of the beauty of nature.
2. Patience. As many know, I am not a patient person. I like things in motion. If something needs done, get it done. Thru the pandemic, I learned I must have patience in the grocery store line waiting to have the area sanitized prior to getting my groceries out of the cart, as well as, taking the time to read the stickers on the floor to know what direction to walk down the aisle, to name a few. The struggle was real, for me anyway!!
3. Staff dedication. Seeing someone give of themselves to ensure a COVID positive unit is properly staffed to care for those in the unit, as well as help reduce the risk to other residents. Seeing the team work to manage a COVID outbreak with the mentality of "all hands on deck". Everyone doing their part to help.
4. Work. Continuing to be able to work and supporting my family and those businesses in the community that are unable to stay open or who have limited open hours due to risks.
5. Loved ones. People supporting each other thru struggles and loss. Having a new appreciation of family. I feel at times, we take people for granted. COVID has limited our family gatherings. Learning to adjust to this, as well as having a better appreciation of the togetherness is a lesson learned.
Reflecting on 2020, I am reminded of a quote from the Grinch: "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" Maybe this is one of the lessons we needed to learn and/or remember, thanks to 2020.
As we continue thru this season of giving, I give thanks for 2020 & those lessons learned.
May we be blessed as we transition into 2021!!
Root Cause: Digging Beneath the Surface!
Root Cause: Digging Beneath the Surface!
10/17/2020
“What’s the root cause?”, I have heard this question being asked throughout the Long-Term Care industry, for years. I feel we continue to struggle with this concept of understanding how to find the “Root Cause” of an issue.
I feel the problem has 2 parts: One, is understanding the concept of root cause analysis. The second is, working the investigation from the surface rather than digging beneath the surface to find the actual “root” cause.
We are in a hurry, we have many things are on our plates, many deadlines to meet, COVID management, and daily staffing issues. So, during this hustle to get things done to survive our day, we have come accustom to quickly finding an “intervention” to quickly add to the care plan to say we are compliant with regulations. No ill intent is meant with this pattern of ours. But what we find with this pattern, is that the same incidents occur over and over and over. Our pattern of completing the same assessments, the same paperwork continues and continues.
What we struggle to realize is that if we took the time to understand root cause analysis and took the time to step back from the incident to complete a deeper review of what lies beneath the surface we can save ourselves time in the future by actually making decisions to 1) reduce the likelihood of the same incident occurring again and 2) to offer ourselves more time for meeting other obligations because we dug deeper and determined the root cause and implemented action items to improve the system/process involved, thus we have improved the lives of our residents.
So, perhaps it is time to make the decision to stop, step back and take a new look at Root Cause Analysis and begin the process of digging beneath the surface.
How do we do that?
1.Learn and understand what is Root Cause Analysis? It is the process of defining causes that are beneath the surface to allow us to act to reduce the risk of the same issue to reoccur. It helps identify what, how and why something happened, thus reduces the risk of recurrence.
Ask yourself: Is the root cause related to, a physical cause, an environmental cause, a human cause, or a systems/process cause?
2.Investigate patterns and/or hidden issues. Finding those items that are broken in our systems that we did not see because we did not take the time to look deeper. Collect your data or information to identify causal factors. Identify the “Root Cause”
3.Implement specific action items / solutions (QAPI plan) based on the root cause to reduce future incidents. Communicate the plan with your staff and re-evaluate as warranted.
Are you ready to dig beneath the surface to find your root cause??
Minding your P's & Q's of Care Planning!
Minding your P's & Q's of Care Planning!
6/10/2020
Over the past few months, we have been focusing on safety and who is considered "essential" to be allowed to enter our long-term care facilities to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Thinking of the word "essential", I am reminded that it is "essential" to ensure we are providing quality personalized care for each of our residents. In my view, one the most "essential" components in long-term care is care planning, as well as, knowing and following the care plan.
F 656 & F 657 Care Planning
Let's begin by minding our P's & Q's of care planning:
1.Pulse checking our views towards care planning.
Care planning is an essential component of long-term care, but it is at times viewed as a “waste of time”. We find that our care plan tactics have been on “autopilot”. We find ourselves going thru the motions of completing a “task” rather than looking at the care plan as a “road map” to guide our staff on how to care for our residents. What does your road map look like?
2.Performing Quality Assessments.
Many assessments are completed on residents from admission to discharge: (Admission assessment, Risk Assessments, Nutritional Assessments, Psycho-social Assessments, MDS Assessments, to name a few). Do these assessments accurately reflect the resident? Based on these assessments what focus / problems do we need to care plan? What goals? What interventions are needed to ensure staff properly care for the resident?
3.Person Centered
Is the focus statement, goals and interventions personalized to the resident? Are we using “canned” or “computer generated care plan” information? Are we just checking a box to make it easy, or are we “painting a picture” of the individualized resident in their care plan? Can our staff visualize this resident when reading the care plan or could this care plan belong to any resident?
4.Prevention
Does the care plan include risk factors? (Medication, Safety risks, Skin risks, Nutritional risks, Psycho-social risks, Behavioral, etc.) At risk or potential risk factors must be assessed and addressed in the care plan to include guidance to staff on how to manage these factors and/or what to look for regarding side effects or possible signs of changes in condition.
5.Quality of Care
Does the care plan interventions and goals reflect how staff will assist this resident in living their best life while in the facility? Is the care plan focused on quality of life and quality of care for each resident? What are their preferences / choices? What are their individualized needs? What are their goals?
6.Partnership:
Does your facility have a mindset of “all hands-on deck” when it comes to keeping the care plan up to date? How do changes in care or condition get communicated? Who has the rights to add items to the care plan? How does the Interdisciplinary team communicate? How are the residents, families and physicians involved?
7. Passing on information / Communication
The essential purpose of the care plan is to offer a “road-map” to all who are involved in the care of the resident. To provide appropriate individualized care to ensure an optimal outcome during the residents stay. How does your staff know how to care for your residents? How do you pass on information to your staff regarding changes in condition and/or changes in the care plan? How do you communicate to family members, resident’s and physicians?
8.Quality Assurance Process Improvement
QAPI is an essential component of long-term care practices, to include care planning. Do you data mine your care plan information and outcomes? Are you meeting your goals? Are your residents meeting their goals? Is your staff involved in QAPI? Are your residents and family members involved?
Minding our P’s & Q’s is a crucial component of evaluating your care planning practices. Take the time to meet with your team and evaluate how your facility views care planning. What opportunities might you have for needed improvements? What are your best practices? Determine your goals and next steps in moving towards improvements?
Are you ready to mind your P's & Q's?
Power Up on Compliance..one F-tag at a time!
Power Up on Compliance..one F-tag at a time!
5/18/2020
Over the last few weeks LTC facilities have been engulfed in the multi-changing aspects and recommendations of the Coronavirus Pandemic. This pandemic did give us an opportunity to focus on Infection Control practices with our staff, to include competencies with understanding COVID and how it is spread, how to don and doff PPE, and how to be creative with social distancing. So as we begin to reach the end of May, we are moving towards figuring out how to begin adjusting to our new “normal”. With that, it is also, time to put focus back on our overall compliance practices.
Let us begin by asking ourselves “Are staff competent in their skills sets?”
F 726 Competent Nursing Staff
Intent:
To assure that all nursing staff possess the competencies and skill sets necessary to provide nursing and related services to meet the residents’ needs safely and in a manner that promotes each resident’s rights, physical, mental, and psycho-social well-being.
Evaluating competencies includes: lecture/education with return demonstrations, a pre-& post-test for documentation issues, education on and demonstration of their ability to use tools, equipment, and devices, reviewing adverse events that occurred from gaps in care practices, a demonstrated ability to perform activities within the staff person’s scope of practice.
Examples of areas to audit:
- Abuse & Neglect, Dementia Management, and Infection Control
- Competency Skills/Techniques such as resident rights, person centered care, communication, basic nursing care skills, restorative services, skin and wound care, medication management, pain management, identification of changes in condition, cultural competencies based on your facility assessment.
Areas to review to determine if you have competent practices:
- How are competencies evaluated upon hire and routinely thereafter?
- How are competencies evaluated when new technology / equipment is put into place?
- Does the facility assessment describe the type of competencies required to care for your residents?
- Are staff able to identify changes in condition and address those changes?
- What are the practices and/or tools used that demonstrate these competencies?
- What is your process when an adverse event occurs based on a lack of competency or error?
- How are staff evaluated to determine they have knowledge of individual residents?
- How often are you observing / auditing provisions of care? What is your process when a staff person does not successfully pass the observation / audit?
- What is your process of ensuring that Agency staff are competent to care for your residents?
An example of a recent F726 tag:
“Facility failed to ensure that licensed nurses demonstrated the competencies to accurately acquire and dispense medications”.
The facility admitted a new resident and used the resident’s at home medications. The bottled medication lacked a proper pharmacy label. The label on the bottle was hand-written with the resident’s name. Also, these medications were found to have been expired as of 2018. The Director of Nursing did give the staff permission to use these medications.
Competency skills checks are vital in promoting quality of care & safety to your residents, as well as, ensuring a successful survey outcome.
How competent are your staff’s skills??
Use Your Time Wisely by Mastering Your Minutes
4/13/2020
Have you ever sat back and wondered how some people seem to get so much more done in a day then you do? Do you feel like the days are so long, yet you
feel as though you never get to the bottom of your “to do” list? Have you said to yourself, “I didn’t get anything done today”? Well, you are not alone.
By practicing a few basic time mastering principles, you can master your time and end your day feeling you have accomplished what you set out to do.
Plan your day. If you have no objectives for your day, you will accomplish very little. Plans are the guide rails that walk you through the day’s distractions and keeps you on course.
Be Proactive with your time – not reactive. You have enough time to complete what you want to do, if you set goals and master your minutes. Respect your time, as you respect others. Be strategic about how much time you give up for others. Your plans and goals are important. Hold your self accountable to them.
Focus on your priorities. Let the small things slide. Every time you do something unimportant, you are ignoring those things that are really important.
Schedule your tasks. A “To do” list is not a commitment to do anything – just a list of tasks that you need to complete. A task will become a committed priority once you schedule time in your planner to actually do it. This is one of the most over-looked principles of mastering your time. Scheduling your tasks is key to your commitment and your success.
Appropriate scheduling of tasks. Schedule small chunks of time to take care of short, easily completed tasks like returning phone calls, opening the mail, and/or checking email. Schedule larger chunks of time for projects, action plans/items so that you can make progress. If you find you have more distractions in the morning, then use this time for more routine tasks and the scheduling of meetings. Save more time for projects for the times of day you experience fewer interruptions.
Don’t Procrastinate. Procrastination occurs when we really don’t want to do something or when we don’t know where to begin. Identify these barriers and eliminate the cause. If you feel overwhelmed with a project, take the time to break it down into a series of small, manageable tasks.
What you do today, tomorrow, and next week will affect where you are in the future. We make conscious and unconscious decisions about how we master our time.
Focusing on mastering your minutes will make each hour count.
“Why keeping our engines running is more important now, than ever before!”
4/3/2020
In these past few weeks, we have found ourselves waist deep in this COVID-19 Pandemic. Our work and home lives are on pause, as we muster thru these daily ever-changing recommendations and rules related to Infection Control Practices. Our goals are geared towards reducing the respiratory health risks for ourselves, our staff, residents and family members.
With the constant changes and focus on COVID-19, we find our light flickering due to feeling tired and worn out from the constant pressure of changes, fear, negativity and the unknown.
Now, more than ever your staff, residents, and family members need to hear your voice. They need to hear and see all the good that is happening in your facilities while maintaining social distancing and supporting appropriate infection control practices.
They need us to step up and do “what we do”.….…every day to ensure they live their best lives:
•Love
•Support
•Honesty
•Compassionate Care
•Guidance
•Courage
•Offering them opportunities to escape (from what’s happening in the outside world)
•Giving them opportunities to make a difference for their peers and community members
Thru the next few months, we will continue to see changes in our practices, in our facility, in our communities and in our world. We will find that we are stronger than we were before COVID-19.
What won’t change is our basic human nature of taking care of each other!
We will continue to deliver great love, guidance, support, compassion, care, courage and opportunities to strive to be better than we were the day before.
As we look, into the future, we see a lot of uncertainty. But what we are certain of is that it is time to stand up and be prepared to face what ever may come and have the courage to maintain our composure and “Do What We Do”.
We are Health Care Workers! We got this!!
1/8/2020
Making Your Best Better!
Steps to bridging the gap between where you are & where you want to be!
Goal setting is the process of identifying something that you want to accomplish and establishing measurable goals and time frames. Setting specific measurable goals is your road map to improving your outcomes.
Step #1: Reflection! Taking the time to reflect on the past year (things that went well and those that did not) is essential in helping you to determine what you want to make better in 2020. Based on this reflection, you will have a better understanding of opportunities to improve on. With this opportunities list, you can prioritize where to start.
oWhat is your facility strategic goals? Ask your leaders. Can you attach your goals to your strategic goals? Attaching your goals with your facility strategic goals can lead to even more cohesive outcomes!
Step #2: Know your numbers! Data Driven numbers is the most ideal way to ensure you have measurable data to review.
Data allows you to see clearly where you are now and your progress or lack of progress moving forward towards your goal. Data driven information helps you determine “Was our goal met?” “Do we need to adjust our plan or our goal?”
Step #3: Team Engagement! Now that you know your data, it is time to work with your team to determine and set your goal.
oWrite the goal down. Written goals lead to you to be more successful in reaching your goal, then if it’s just said.
oMake the goal “doable”. What goal is most achievable?
oCommit to the goal! Staff engagement in decisions re: making improvements in your facility is vital for their buy-in and in your facilities success. Staff who are involved in process, commit to the process and/or changes made.
Step #4: Develop an action plan! Write down each specific action item needed to reach your goal. Include those responsible for each action item and set realistic, “drop dead” dates for completion of each action item. Assigning responsibilities and “drop dead” dates, helps in holding everyone accountable to the plan and the goal.
Step #5: Feed your Focus. Set up your follow up & review dates for when you will need to meet to meet with your team to evaluate your progress (weekly, monthly, quarterly depending on your goal). Planning these dates will assist you in being more accountable and will help keep your focus on your goals.
oTracking and trending your data, is key in being able to see clearly where you started and evaluating your progress towards meeting your goal.
Step #6: Celebrate your progress / success. Celebrating even your smallest accomplishments, helps keep staff excited and engaged in your goals. This is the time to show staff that your plans are working, even if you need to make changes to your plan during the “Feed your Focus” phase.
Celebrate your progress big or small.
Making Your Best Better in 2020!
January 6, 2020
Around the year 2006, after work one day, I walked into a Barnes & Nobel bookstore hoping to find an inspirational book. I did not have a title in mind, but, was determined I would find one to read. I walked into the store and went to the wall of books in the business section and just stood back and began looking at the titles row by row hoping to find “the book” that would inspire me to be a better leader.
I soon came across a small book titled “The Fred Factor” from Mark Sanborn. The title and the description of the book caught my attention. I purchased it on the spot. That night I read the book start to finish in a few short hours and was hooked on finding FRED’s in my facility and sharing my excitement of Mark’s message with others. And thus, began my never-ending love for Mark Sanborn and his books. In short, “FREDs” are people who make the ordinary, extraordinary.
Another great quote once said by Mark Sanborn was “Making Your Best Better” – that quote has had a lasting impact on my work life throughout the past years.
So, with this new year, this new decade of 2020 and my new blog “Lisa’s View-Point”, I have decided that my blog theme for 2020 will be my thoughts and insight on offering you information regarding opportunities in “Making Your Best Better”.
I will be blogging my first installment of “Making Your Best Better”, within the next week
What books or authors have inspired you?
Virtuous LTC Consulting
Reflecting on an industry of ever-changing rules and regulations.
December 11, 2019
During this time of year, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year, as we begin planning for the next.
As I begin my planning for this new year, I am reminded that January 2020 begins a new century. It’s amazing to think a “new century” is beginning. So, with a new century, we have another ending. For me, I have had the opportunity to have recently discussed with colleagues, the experiences in the 1980’s as compared to 2019. We discussed our experiences with items such as restraints, syringe feedings, moon-shaped feeding tables, and bedrooms housing four residents, and smoking cigarettes while feeding residents in the dining room, to name a few. Interestingly, we were following our rules and regulations. Wow! What a difference 40 years makes.
These past 40 years were life-changing for our elders and their quality of life. I feel we can do even better as we move into this new year.
Over the last 3 years, we have experienced quite a lot of regulatory changes, with more to come. We have survived, it has been stressful, but we did it!!
As we look forward into our new year, our new year, I encourage you to continue to reflect on your past and your hopes for the future. This will aid us in bringing even more joy and quality of care to our elders.
I am excited to announce today that I am initiating my new blog “Lisa’s View-Point”, as part of my planning for 2020. Due to this ever-changing industry of rules and regulations, this blog will provide you, insight and inspiration on managing quality measures and understanding our rules and regulations.
Please share your past experiences, hopes and plans for this new year.