October 22, 2021

Because We Care

Rural Health

By: Anne Major, RN

Care Center Administrator, Melrose

On Monday, I asked Tiffani Kortenbusch, our nursing manager, how many shifts we had open? She responded, “31 shifts between Tuesday through Sunday.” I thought, oh my gosh, that’s a lot of people. But two days later, we were down to one opening. We had several staff pick up extra shifts and we received help from the labor pool.

We celebrate our quick wins, and filling the schedule that week was one of those wins. But the reality is that doesn’t mean we’re good for the next month. In long-term care, this is our residents’ home. They live here. They’re not one or two-week stays, so our census doesn’t turn over quickly. When I talk about admissions, the fear from staff is that it may be fine today, but what about next week? In fact, as I look ahead, we’re averaging about 30 open shifts per week through the end of November – and that’s for nurses, CNAs and med techs. So it continues to be a challenge.

Yet I have hope. Everyone who’s working is truly here because we care about the people. One of the biggest challenges is making sure we come to work recharged so we can give them the care they need, every day. Many staff stay and work extra hours, or work a double shift, and they’re drained. And when we’re tired and not at the top of our mood ladder, it cascades and can be contagious for everyone else. So I’m constantly checking in with staff to see how they’re doing and asking how we can help. And when I round on the floor, I see smiles. I see laughter. I see happy residents, so I know we’re doing it.

One of our residents walked up to me and hugged me because she needed a hug. Little did she know I needed a hug, too.

An example of this came last weekend. I’m a registered nurse, so I was working a shift in our memory care unit and it was busy. We were experiencing some behavioral challenges from residents and right then, one of our residents walked up to me and hugged me because she needed a hug. Little did she know I needed that hug too. She just refilled my bucket.

It’s moments like that when our residents know we are there for them and that we’re their friends. I have hope because together we are continuing to meet their needs. I know we will get through this because so many people keep stepping up – because we care.