For senior living communities and post-acute long-term care providers, increasing retention is critically important – not just for your caregivers but also your residents. That’s a given. What’s not so obvious? The role Technology plays. In this post, I’m going to unpack this idea by referencing an article I recently contributed to Provider Magazine, a leading publication in the LTPAC industry.

1. Technology Reduces Caregiver Turnover: We all know how pervasive turnover is among direct-care workers. This is why LTPAC providers need to innovate if they want to hold onto their best caregivers longer. Think about today’s new hires. Plenty of them are millennials…Millennials who grew up on technology and are now dependent upon the bright screens they carry around with them everywhere they go. Like it or not, this is how millennials prefer to engage – with their friends, their families, and even their careers. Caregiver turnover can be mitigated, in part, by adopting technology solutions that keep staff members engaged in meaningful ways. The added benefit for LTPAC providers is that these same technology solutions can also make your organization more efficient, leading to improved resident care and satisfaction. Which brings me to my next point:

2. Technology Drives Intakes & Satisfaction: Long gone are the days when it was sufficient to simply claim excellence. Today’s LTPAC customers want to see evidence. Ask any group of long-term care providers and you’ll probably hear the same story. For most of them, residents choose to leave because they’re unhappy with the quality of care and the quality of the food. So, when you tell your prospects that you offer great care and great food, you need to back that up with data to support your claims. The right technology can help you tell that story more vividly, driving intakes and boosting your census in return.

3. Technology Responsibly Increases Length of Stay: It’s no secret that residents who stay with you longer are worth more money to your bottom line. Of course, good LTPAC providers aren’t just out to make a buck; they’re out to make a positive difference in the lives of their residents. We know that some residents will benefit from a longer stay. For these customers, technology can help guide clinical decision-making through embedded, evidence-based practices and positively impact clinical outcomes through the use of research-tested assessments and associated interventions.

Simply Having Technology Isn’t Enough

If increasing caregiver retention, improving resident satisfaction and lengthening resident stay are your goals, technology can certainly help you reach them. But, it can’t do anything unless you ensure that it is an integral part of your workflow and adopted throughout your entire organization.

Only a select few long term care providers utilize the technology they already have to its fullest potential. If this sounds like your senior living community, work together with your EHR provider to better understand how to make the most of what you’ve got. For more information about the MatrixCare senior living EHR solution, contact us today or check out a demo.

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