The beginning of a new year is always an opportunity to reflect and learn from the recent past. There are many lessons to be learned from 2020, but here are the leading ones for senior living:
- Communication with policymakers and the media are critical. You can’t afford not to have a place at the table or a voice in the media. The pandemic made it clear how misunderstood the senior living industry is; we have an opportunity to correct the myths and misunderstandings and shine a light on the good we do.
- A healthy company culture helps alleviate staffing issues. When you have a culture of trust, transparency, and respect, it’s easier to recruit and keep staff during a crisis. If you take care of staff during a situation such as a pandemic, the word spreads. If you don’t, the word spreads even faster.
- The industry is stronger working together. Sharing news, insights, information, resources, and best practices was key to survival, particularly during the early days of the pandemic.
- We are resilient. Our leaders and workers are survivors, innovators, and creative problem solvers, and they’ve proven this time and time again during the past year.
We need to take the lessons we’ve learned and make sure they’re implemented in policy, procedures, systems, and processes moving forward. We need to do culture check-ups from time to time and keep teamwork, cooperation, and communication at the forefront of our daily work.
