Effective Human Resources Leadership for Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facilities Essay

Management Style for Assisted Living and Nursing Home Facilities Human Resource Management in Healthcare Organizations The type of organization I chose to discuss is an independent the assisted living facility and nursing home. They both provide some of the same functions, although the name of the facility may be slightly different. While these are separate types of organizations now, in the future, they will blend due to the fact that the longer the clientele is a â€Å"resident† of the Assisted Living Facility (ALF), the more likely they will be in need of full-time nursing care. (NursingCenter). I chose this particular type of organization because it is one that I am interested in due to the fact that such a large portion of our population will be served by these organizations in the near future and for some time to come based on our aging population statistics. Forty-two percent of the population that lives until the age of seventy will spend time in a nursing home before they die. (Knickman). Residents, or patients, in those facilities will receive services from a variety of providers like physical and occupational therapists, medication management for mental and physical ailments and perhaps social service support services as they move toward the nursing home in lieu of assistance from family members when they have none to call for assistance. Because the environment is clinical and service oriented over longer periods of time, it is important to examine what kind(s) of management style is successful in order to manage the intensive daily clinical needs and the ongoing relationships that develop among the staff and residents. One report on the study of leadership styles suited for nursing homes and assisted living facilities reported that a consensus leadership style had a strong association with quality of care. (Castle). Models indicate that consensus leadership style is also the best approach in limiting staff turnover, which is essential in how the residents rate their satisfaction of service. (Donoghue). Consensus management style is not a majority vote. After management has  reached a decision, consensus approach seeks to determine if all the team members find it acceptable and if they are in support of the decision. In this management style we would ask what could be changed in order to obtain staff support. All members of the group should feel that their ideas and views were heard and that they heard the others in the group as well. The idea is that the team will support the management because decisions were arrived at fairly. (Mayoclinic). To meet all the demands of infection control, government regulations, service to the residents, clinicians, families and inherent risks associated with the geriatric population, management must not only be task oriented, but people-centered. Management must develop clear and effective strategic plans, but with a humanistic approach of consensus so that all the team members that serve the clientele are happy and effective. It is truly an environment where management must foster employee relations which will decrease risk, and improve patient satisfaction which should in turn also reduce marketing needs as each point of contact that the staff has with a family member is also an ambient sales opportunity. In order to meet the patient needs in such a high demand environment where a majority of the time the patient/customer is in contact with a lower educated, less clinical staff such as a certified nurse assistant making a low wage, that staff must have a voice to understand that they make a huge impact on the organization. When they feel valuable, the organization will run much more smoothly. My first job and customer training out of high school was working the front desk of a four star hotel. We were the lowest paid on the totem pole, but management and human resources through incentive programs and awards recognized our achievements and solicited our input of ideas at all times. WORKS CITED Castle, N., & Decker, F. (2011), Top Management Leadership Style and Quality of Care in Nursing Homes. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnr064. Epub 2011 Jun 30. Donoghue C, & Castle NG, (2009), Leadership Styles of Nursing Home Administrators and Their Association with Staff Turnover, doi: 10.1093/geront/gnp021. Epub 2009 Mar 27. Knickman JR, & Snell EK, (2002), The 2030 problem: Caring for Aging Baby Boomers. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12236388 Kreofsky, B., & Vrtiska T., & Rego S., & Lewis T., & Chihak A., & Spurrier B., & Larusso N., & Farrugia G. (2011), Using Innovative Idea Management Tools in a Large Health Care Organization: Lessons Learned. Retrieved from http://www.mayo.edu/mayo-edu-docs/center-for-innovation-documents/wp-cfi-lessons.pdf Nursing Center. Nursingcenter.com. N.p. n.d. Web. 1 Sept 2013. Olson, Dana. (2007). Effective leadership in long term care: the need and the opportunity. Retrieved from http://www.achca.org/content/pdf /ACHCA_Leadership_Need_and_Opportunity_Paper_Dana-Olson.pdf