All members of the baby boomer generation will be age 65 or older by 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau projects. For families researching 55-plus communities for an elderly parent or loved one, asking the right questions can help ensure their safety, comfort and quality of life.
A typical checklist will cover the basics of quality eldercare: residents’ safety and security; on-site health services; wellness, fitness and mental-health programs; nutritious meals and special diet options; and staff training and certifications.
But what appears to be missing from the majority of questions families typically think to ask is, perhaps, one of the most important. Is the staff compassionate?
Compassionate care matters. It directly affects an elderly person’s safety, dignity, quality of life and overall emotional well-being. It is the secret ingredient that assuages the emotional challenges so many seniors face, especially those in assisted living: loss of independence, anxiety and loneliness.
When experience, job-specific skill sets and compassion come together in a staff member’s profile, residents are more likely to feel safe, and families are likely to feel secure in the knowledge that their loved ones are in capable and caring hands.
Hiring kind, compassionate people, in fact, is the very foundation of rare organizations like Ovation Heartwood Preserve.
“You cannot teach compassion; you cannot teach quality,” said Collette Mieres, executive director of assisted living at Ovation Heartwood Preserve, the top-tier retirement community in Omaha. “What we look for is somebody who not only has the skill set for a specific position but is passionate about the job. It’s almost as if they were born to do it.”
That hiring policy aligns with Ovation’s core value of integrity, which Mieres believes is of special importance in assisted living communities because families are entrusting the lives of vulnerable loved ones to the care of non-family members.
One key staff member at Ovation Heartwood Preserve is Linda Ward, a registered nurse and the director of health services. Prior to joining the company three years ago, she played multiple roles in the health services field — from skilled nursing assignments to running her own home health agency.
Here in Omaha, the compassionate care behind Ward’s open-door policy has residents lining up to visit her and talk. “There is always a resident in my office,” she said. “In fact, if I have one in my office I have three or four more standing outside my door.”
Meanwhile, in the dining room for independent living residents, there can be no denying the power of a warm and welcoming environment to enhance residents’ lives.
Joining Ovation’s staff after 25 years of experience working in restaurant management is Tamara Barker, the dining room supervisor who exhibits a deeply intuitive understanding of what diners want.
“It starts with being able to ‘read the room,’” Barker said, “and at all times having things ready — sometimes even before residents ask.”
The effect has been to make diners feel at home, whether they come to eat once a week or for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. In just four months, Barker has come to know residents’ families well enough to remember weddings, births and other important family events. And that matters, too.
“We’re all family here,” she said.
For information about Ovation Heartwood Preserve, please visit ovationheartwoodpreserve.com or call 402.235.9773.
