OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall Winter 2021

The Oregon Caregiver FALL/WINTER 2021 www.ohca.com 8 FEATURE » FEATURE, CONT. “I have never been prouder of every single staff member that we have. Our team has stepped up to the plate, as every team across the nation has, but I get to work with these people every day and I think that’s kind of cool,” Hamilton said. “We’ve changed policies hundreds of times. Skilled nursing facilities have to wear eye protections, masks… they have to gown up and glove up, and a lot of folks don’t have to do that. Our staff has done it day, after day, after day. They’ve dealt with COVID outbreaks, their own losses, regulatory changes, staffing challenges, and more, and folks still show up every day to take care of our residents. It does nothing but bring me pride every single day. I could not be happier with our team out in the field. I love supporting them because they do such a good job. ” Linda Kirschbaum, OHCA’s senior vice president of quality services, said the big- gest challenges to the current state of the long term care sector are really the unknown. “We have faced staffing shortages due to an array of issues, including people being fearful of work- ing in health care and parenting respon- sibilities,” she said. Kirschbaum said she is hopeful that with school-aged children back in school, more parents will feel comfortable and are able to reenter the workforce. There is also opportunity in reaching out to people who can be creative with their schedules and making sure they are aware of the opportunities to work in long term care. “Are there workers out there who might not be able to work a traditional schedule of a 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. or a 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.? Can we be creative in looking at different options to bring those who might not be our traditional workers into long term care—some new, wonderful folks? Potentially stay-at-home parents or individuals who could fill those gaps and still meet their family obligations and responsibilities? If we can be flexible and offer Oregonians opportunities and training that they didn’t have before, we may be able to move the needle on workforce,” Kirschbaum said. Activity professionals delivering tulips to residents.