As the population of baby boomers and seniors entering into retirement life rises, the demand for non-medical caregivers and home health aides will continue to surge. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the home health and personal aide industry are projected to grow 41% by 2026, which is a staggering rate compared to the average growth rate in other industries in the US.
However, the turnover rate in the industry is also higher than average. Increased demand for caregivers means better employment opportunities and more turnovers for caregiver providers. Turns out, home health agencies and caregiver providers need to include strategies to retain employees or else they risk losing their business to other facilities because of the shortage of qualified caregivers.
Here are the 3 fail-proof ways of managing your caregivers and mitigating caregivers’ turnover:
Focus on client-caregiver compatibility
Matching a caregiver best-aligned with the client’s needs is the first step to ensure a successful client-caregiver relationship. Also, studies reveal that patient outcome improves significantly when caregivers and care recipients understand each other and enjoy the company. Whether it’s a caregiver’s interests, personality, or language, you should look for as many similarities between the two parties as possible to provide better care. Obtain information about the client such as food preferences, likes, dislikes, personality, and many others to find a suitable caregiver for them. Today, you can also take advantage of home health care software that enables you to match caregivers suited to your client’s needs.
Provide Access to Digital Technology to Caregivers
Spending hours on completing paperwork during the initial client assessment and filling daily paper worksheets can be stressful for caregivers. In the long run, it may lead to employee’s burnout. However, it’s easy to enter the client’s data and everyday actions & observations on electronic devices such as a tablet or laptop with the help of home health scheduling software. This not only reduces the frustration of completing paperwork and time spent on it but also improves caregivers’ efficiency, which leads to a more satisfactory job.
Incorporate Healthcare Technology to Meet Emerging Needs
Today, many healthcare technology vendors have developed software and tools that improve communication, data capture, workflow, and business intelligence. You can get in touch with these vendors and take advantage of their technology such as home healthcare agency software to offer a smooth experience to both caregivers and care recipients. This can significantly lower caregiver turnover and improve your employees’ efficiency.
Get in touch with our team today to know-how about Home Care LINK can help your care giving business and keep you miles ahead in the home health aide industry!