July 27th, 2009 by cbarber
If you’re a parent, you know that toddlers present some very unique challenges. With mobility on their side, their worlds expand to include opportunities outside the confines of cribs and playpens. They test your endurance in new ways and demand a level of attention that is both mentally and physically exhausting. It recently struck me how the experience I gained caring for my own toddlers is the very background I need to help my elderly parents through some significant life changes.
Like so many of my peers of a certain age, I’m part of the Sandwich Generation, right smack in the middle of adult or near-adult children and parents in their golden years, or as I call mine, “Todd-elders.”
My Todd-elders are a hand full, and if I didn’t love them so much, I might just give my dad his car keys back and suggest he take mom on a long trip. But the path of least resistance is littered with road kill, so I’ll stick to my guns. Thank goodness my toddlers prepared me to manage their grandparents. Here’s where it’s like deja vu all over again:
Independence is king
Like toddlers, I find my parents clinging to their independence for dear life. Though they are at a stage where they need help, they often reject my efforts to make their lives easier. When I was raising toddlers (two at 17 months apart), I would notice that they wanted some distance from me but not so much that they couldn’t find me in a matter of seconds. With my parents, I find that they immediately retreat when I try to take charge, but after some time to think about, they seek me out for more discussion. For toddlers and todd-elders, independence needs a safety net. For their caregivers, a sense of duty must be balanced with respect, patience, and skin like alligator hide.
Walking is a two-man operation
I fondly remember holding my toddlers’ hands up over their heads and helping them take their first steps. I also recall their walkers, which were round, hard-plastic contraptions on wheels, with sling seats positioned at a perfect height for little feet to grab the floor and go off ramming into walls. They reminded me of Fred Flintstone’s foot-powered car. Well, now if my parents aren’t using their walkers or canes, I’ve got their arms tucked into mine so I can guide them around potholes, across uneven pavement, and away from any obstacles. Though every step is painstakingly slow and requires concentration and energy from all of us, walking with my parents is just as joyful to me as seeing my toddlers take their first steps.
“No, no!”
There must be a time in every toddler’s life when it seems that “No!” is the only way a sentence can begin. For me, it was constant: “No hitting your sister!” “No, the kitty doesn’t want to lick your lollipop!” “No playing with my scissors!” I was late on that last command once when I left my sewing scissors in reach of my Toddler #1 to take a phone call. When I returned to my sewing room, I gasped at the sight of my child sporting what looked like a reverse Mohawk. She had used the scissors to cut a path along the center of her scalp, from her hairline to the top of her head. Still in possession of the scissors, she stopped cutting only after I grabbed her wrist. (It was later that the thoughts of a punctured eye or snipped off earlobe tortured me.) Now, I find myself saying “No” to my parents a lot. “No, you don’t need to order a lifetime supply of Oxi-Clean.” “No, you shouldn’t withdraw all your money from the bank and put it under your mattress.” I do try to say “Yes” some times, but it sure seems that “No” has once again become my go-to word.
Eat your spinach!
Toddlers are notoriously finicky and eat so few healthy foods that it’s amazing they don’t get rickets or scurvy. I remember a six-month period in which my Toddler #2 refused to eat anything but Cheerios and mashed potatoes. When I expressed my concerns to her pediatrician, she said, “Just give her a daily multiple vitamin and plenty of milk, and don’t make a big issue about it.” Good advice, which I’m trying to apply to my parents’ food choices. One is diabetic; the other has high blood pressure, so I root through their cupboards to spot sugary snacks and high sodium products, and confront them with any forbidden stashes. I don’t make a big issue of it (learned so many years ago), but I do remind them that a diabetic coma or hypertensive stroke would not make for a good day. They roll their eyes and call me an alarmist! (They could be moving into the rebellious Teen-elder years.)
“Now I lay me down to sleep….”
Every afternoon, I’d tuck my toddlers into their cribs for a nice two-hour nap, during which time I’d race around the house to clean up the day’s destruction, start dinner, and throw in a few loads of laundry. Why I didn’t rest myself is still a mystery to me, but I used that time to work like a demon. After taking my parents to lunch or shopping, they’re ready for a nap and so am I. Instead of trying to whiz through their house with a vacuum cleaner and dust rag, I snooze on the couch. You see, I have learned to make smarter choices! Each time before I drift off, I think about all those afternoons wasted on trying to be super-mom and won’t do the same trying to be super-daughter.
The Rewards of Toddler/Todd-elder Care
Someone said, “Experience is what you get after you needed it.” But sometimes the experience you gained in one part of your life comes back to help you in another. While I’ve jokingly referred to the similarities between caring for my children as toddlers and caring for my parents in their advancing years, there really is one serious similarity. And it’s this: my time spent caring for the people in my life has brought me more pleasure and sense of accomplishment than anything else. I’ve seen my daughters become outstanding women and my parents make big life changes with grace and courage.
I’m proud of them all and promise my daughters that I’ll be a good Todd-elder when it’s their turn to take care of me!
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July 20th, 2009 by khart
We recently attended the National Association for Health Care Recruitment’s annual conference, held this year in Seattle, Washington, July 7-11. Seattle is such a beautiful city-many of the attendees took the time to explore the city and surrounding areas, took boat rides on Puget Sound and visited local wineries. Not to mention the abundant shopping just steps from the Sheraton Seattle, the conference headquarters. The first couple of days were cloudy, but by the end of the conference, skies were clear and sunny and Mount Rainier had appeared in all its glory.
We found the mood among recruiters to be relatively positive, given the current economic climate. There was a lot of concern about the ability to hire new graduate nurses (similar to that at the AONE conference earlier this year) and concern about the economy in general and what is coming down the road as a result of the economy.
Because there were so many tenured recruiters at the conference, there was certainty that the current hiring situation in health care is but a temporary lull and that as the economy improves, positions will once again open up and recruitment will return to its challenging state. But we did hear a lot of comments about not having openings in professional areas once amongst the most difficult to recruit. And these comments ran the gamut of facilities from Florida to California.
There was a great deal of interest in both social media and workforce planning as evidenced by both attendance at sessions featuring these topics and in comments heard during conversations. Because health care has been behind the curve in the adoption of social media tools and strategies, there is a sense of urgency in ramping up and becoming proficient in this area. The interest in workforce planning is motivated primarily because of the aging health care workforce and the projections for supply and demand in the future.
Health care recruiters are a remarkably resilient and positive group of people, enthusiastic about what they are doing and about the future. It was refreshing to be part of the discussion and the positive vibes that were a large part of this gathering. Used to dealing with the vagaries of health care professionals supply and demand, having to pinch pennies and needing to be resourceful and creative, NAHCR members at the conference supported each other, made the most of networking and learning opportunities, and compared notes on successes and challenges. I came away from Seattle energized and hopeful that by next year’s conference, we will have turned a corner.
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July 13th, 2009 by Margie Kasse
In 1895, John Patterson, founder of National Cash Register (NCR), initiated the first documented “employee idea program” in the United States. The goal of his “hundred-headed brain” was to capture the creativity of workers and identify ways to improve efficiency. Initially, adopted ideas were awarded a dollar, and twice a year lavish ceremonies were held to reward employees with cash prizes up to $30. From 1899 to 1903 the size of the awards more than doubled, and in 1904 alone the program received more than 7,000 ideas, one third of which were adopted. Patterson’s strong support of the program, excellent awards, and practical results made the program a success. Patterson’s program was revolutionary in its design, the first program to give a voice to the hourly worker.
Many of us have a lot of great ideas and we’re sure your employees do too. In today’s business climate, everyone wants to feel valued. People want to know that their work matters and that their ideas count.
And if you’re like most companies today, you are always looking for fresh ideas that will affect cost savings, productivity, process improvement, revenue generation and morale enhancement.
Now may be the perfect time to launch your own “hundred-headed brain” campaign. Just think, the next “bright idea” could reduce potential layoffs by 90% or result in a savings of $30M.
For example:
Earlier this year, a health care organization was able to avoid major layoffs using their employee ideas to cut $30M. Hundreds of suggestions poured in, submitted by a cross section of employees, from surgeons to housekeepers. Their ideas helped achieve the cost savings, without layoffs, while keeping patient care paramount.
After potential layoffs were announced at another health care facility, employees submitted more than 500 suggestions to cut expenses. Their suggestions reduced the actual number of layoffs by 90% (from 300 to 30).
At a third health care system, following a number of Town Meetings for employees, the President and CEO engaged his entire organization in an effort to find alternatives to layoffs. He explained the overall financial situation for the hospital and solicited ideas from employees about how they and the hospital could close the gap. This process accomplished two very important things: first, because of the cost savings ideas generated, the organization was able to reduce the necessary layoffs dramatically from over 600 to about 150. Second, they were advised these initiatives provided earnings protection to their 900 lowest wage workers.
At yet another facility, coders discovered a billing gap for infusion medicines for emergency patients who were admitted. The staff devised an education program for nurses on how to correctly record the use of the medicine, ensuring that charges are captured. The change resulted in an approximately $500,000 annual gain for the system.
Most well-intentioned people believe in their company and they want to preserve jobs and layoffs, so chances are they will offer some great ideas. Sometimes all we have to do is ask.
An Employee Suggestion Program (ESP) is a great way to promote employee involvement, creative thinking and continuous improvement.
When you engage employees you not only yield valuable ideas and suggestions, you improve employee morale, creating a more productive and rewarding work culture. Yet many ignore the untapped resource of their employees who know their jobs better than anyone.
A quick and nimble response to negative news and poor morale is more essential than ever. In today’s economic turbulent times, can you think of a better time to implement a fun, vibrant and compelling campaign to promote your ESP?
How are you keeping your employees interested, motivated and engaged? We’d love to hear from you.
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July 6th, 2009 by khart
Now that we are all using the Internet as a research tool, we need to consider how to separate real facts from fiction. The power of the Internet is incredible; from its reach to its ability to swiftly impact everything from public opinion to political elections.
In the past few weeks, I have had two emails from friends containing information that was erroneous. These emails have been forwarded to countless thousands in cyberspace and are merrily rolling along collecting believers as they go.
The first email was one of those heart tuggers about life’s lessons, and was written by a journalist at the Cleveland Plain Dealer whom I happen to have met a few years ago. The journalist’s age was listed at 90, which took me aback since I was pretty sure the woman I met was nowhere near that age. It took me a bit of digging, but I finally got the truth when after a Google search I found this journalist’s blog and read her take on the email circulating about her. She is actually 52 and a bit bemused by the fact that the claim she is 90 has taken on a life of its own in Internetland.
A far more disturbing email contains photos supposedly taken by a passenger in the cabin of the ill-fated Air France flight that crashed off of South America a few weeks ago. According to the email, the photos were recovered from a memory stick in a camera found in the wreckage. The obvious questions here (once my stomach had stopped turning over) were 1) how could someone in such a violent situation have the wherewithal to take the photos, 2) why was the time of day off-the photos showed a bright day and clouds even though we know the Air France plane was flying at night and 3) how in the world did the memory stick survive in the Atlantic?
Very suspicious, I went to snopes.com (a great source for separating fact from fiction) and found that this is the second time these photos have been used in emails. The first time was after the mid-air collision between a large jet and a regional jet over Brazil in 2006. In fact, the photos were actually shots from the television series Lost. And the person responsible for the first emails said he was ‘attempting to demonstrate that people only skim the first paragraph or so of articles and don’t really absorb or think critically about what they’re reading’.
Whoa! Let’s think about what that says about our ability to sift the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Kind of ties into my post a few weeks ago about being distracted in a multi-tasking world.
The Internet is a wonderful thing-don’t get me wrong, I do lots of research online. The trick is to know how to find facts. I pride myself on being pretty good at locating information online and always verifying to make sure the information I unearth is good information.
While I’m not sure what we ever did without Google, knowing what to do with results from a Google search is important. For those of us in health care, it can be relatively easy when a search brings up trusted sources such as articles from the national health care journals or reports and research from health care associations, consulting companies and federal and state governments. Then it is just a question of finding the most current information, which may require a bit of digging.
An entire post could be developed about the lazy journalism that results in old stats being used in new articles. And most of us know now that Wikipedia may not be accurate in all cases as it is a resource written by volunteers who may or may not have their facts right.
By all means use the Internet for research, but check your facts just like a good journalist before you use your Internet research in your daily work life. The Internet has provided a host of resources, including email and millions of sites that make finding answers instant gratification, if we know how to use those resources.
So caveat emptor, folks, and to quote Ronald Reagan (and according to search results from Google, a Russian proverb) “Trust but verify”.
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