Intrigued with the concept of person-centered care, senior administrators—with the best of intentions—have often turned to their nurses and said in effect, “Okay, stop being so clinically oriented, and start being more person-centered. …Now, go!”
But what on earth does “start being person-centered” mean? Working with progressive leaders in both nursing homes and home care agencies, PHI has found it means first and foremost strengthening a set of relational skills—skills often dismissed as “soft,” but which we have found to be genuinely essential to any change initiative:
- Active Listening
- Self-reflection/self-management
- Clear communication without blame or judgment
- Collaborative problem solving
- Participative leadership
Unfortunately, staff within most home care organizations have never been trained in relational skills, so the “new models of care” that presume greater autonomy and team collaboration often fall apart, because their staff just haven’t been provided these essential change tools.
Perhaps Marki Flannery, President of Partners in Care (the licensed home care agency affiliate of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York), said it best: “Culture change in home care means changes in behavior, in practice, in interactions all down the line. It’s about improving relationships.” PHI has worked extensively for the past three years with Marki and her staff, and you can read the Partners in Care story here, at the PHI Coaching ApproachSM “Stories from the Field” webpage: http://phinational.org/training/clients-and-testimonials/culture-change-in-action-at-partners-in-care/
CHAMP has just released health care workforce tools that can be tailored to fit your agency’s needs. Visit the tools page to learn more!
Steven L. Dawson, President
PHI
Steven Dawson, president of PHI, worked has for over 17 years to secure quality care by championing quality jobs for our nation’s direct-care workforce. PHI, with a staff of over 44, works with more than 30 home care and nursing home providers to improve the skills necessary to create relationship-centered organizations. In addition, Steven co-convenes the national Eldercare Workforce Alliance. He is also a member of CHAMP’s Advisory Council and served on the Framework Initiative’s National Advisory Council.
