Providing "Delicious Pears" In Long-Term Care

If you haven’t checked out the Humans of New York blog, what are you waiting for? It's a compilation of seemingly random New Yorkers' photos, but what makes this blog unique are the stories each person shares. These people aren’t famous or known around the world, but they are certainly fascinating and worthy of some notice.

One photo/story in particular really got me thinking about seniors and their caregivers. The story goes like this: a woman was asked to tell her favorite thing about her mother, and her reply made me smile. "She loves life more than anyone I've ever known. I hope she doesn't mind me telling you this, but recently she's had some health problems. And her health got so bad at one point, she called me and said: 'I was starting to wonder if there was any reason to go on. But then I had the most delicious pear!'"

Now you may be wondering what this has to do with caregivers in long-term care and senior living, but hear me out. For many residents, the high points of their days are when their caregivers just stop in to say “hi” or check on them. Those little moments – just like her delicious pear – mean a lot. So THANK YOU to all the caregivers out there, your kind words, warm smiles, and comforting presence truly mean more than you know.

And because these caregiver-resident relationships are so meaningful, it’s important to keep your employees satisfied and engaged at work. Check out this whitepaper, 5-Step Action Plan to Improve Employee Engagement, for tips and best practices on building and keeping a team of strong employees that enjoy coming to work and doing what matters most - delivering high quality care to your residents (and providing those “little moments” that bring brightness to their days).