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Is empathy dead? No. Is it in decline? Quite possibly. Empathy is the backbone of humanity, and quite frankly, is an ESSENTIAL part of long-term care. Leaders, listen up.

Recently, new research conducted by Catalyst found that empathy has significant constructive effects on innovation, engagement, retention, inclusivity, and work-life balance. Take a look at the findings:

61% of employees with empathetic leaders reported they were more innovative compared to only 13% of employees with less empathetic leaders.
76% of employees who experienced empathy from their leaders announced they were more engaged at work compared to 32% of employees who experienced less empathy.
Around 60% of women mentioned they were more likely to stay in the company if they felt respected and valued by their empathetic leaders and executives, versus approximately 20% of women would consider staying even if they didn’t feel respected.
50% of employees with empathetic leaders found their workplace to be inclusive, compared to only 17% of employees who saw inclusivity even with employers demonstrating a lack of empathy.
86% of employees with empathetic leaders reported that they had good work-life balance, compared to 60% of those who had less empathetic leaders.

Here are some tips for leaders to demonstrate empathy:

Take a walk in your employee’s shoes, and more often, ask yourself: “If I were in his/her position, what would I be thinking right now?” Moreover, empathetic leaders should embrace their employees’ voices and listen to their concerns.
Provide more mental health resources. It’s important for leaders to demonstrate what self-care looks like, and encourage employees to do the same.
Learn more about your staff and talk to them! How are their days going? Have they read or watched anything enjoyable recently? What are their concerns? Have they encountered any difficulties recently? Get to know them better so you can better understand what they need!

Are you an empathetic leader? Have you ever experienced an empathetic leader who impressed you a lot? Share your stories with CareStory!

REFERENCES:
Forbes
Catalyst

“Oh ye of little faith.” — A saying Cynthia Drake lived by.

Cynthia was a woman of few words, with a “look” that spoke paragraphs, and a kind, giving essence that made you feel seen, heard, and loved.

In fact, if you ever visited Cynthia and her husband John on their 52-acre farmhouse in Portland, Jamaica, you were fed until you couldn’t move and left with the food you couldn’t carry. Fruits, vegetables, meat, plants—whatever you wanted, it was yours to take.

Cynthia firstly met John at church, where they quickly fell in love. Married in 1953 with just a single gold band, they were the epitome of true love. Every morning they would spend the first hour in bed listening to the radio, talking, and laughing. They would drink coffee on the veranda with crackers and jam, feeding the birds before retiring to the dining room for breakfast. They lived for each other, they loved each other, and although John was the head of the house, she was the neck that made the head turn.

Cynthia’s purpose in life was caring for others. She was a nurse, however, her husband wanted her to be a stay-at-home mother. As much as she honoured and respected her husband, she honoured and respected her purpose more, and sped down the streets of Portland to work every day. She loved and cared for others at work, and came home to love and care for her husband and five children.

Cynthia spends her remaining years in Portland with her husband, tending to the farm and caring for her plants and animals. Restoring faith in those who have lost it, calming their panic with her words: “Oh ye of little faith.”

It’s no secret that the rapidly accelerating ageing population has put pressure on the long-term care system in Canada. Statistics Canada indicates that the number of Canadians over 80 is projected to approximately triple in the next 25 years.

So the question is, are there enough long-term care beds for seniors in Canada?

Research published in the Canadian Institute for Health Information also announced that in Canada, there are approximately 2076 long-term care homes, and over half of the LTC homes are privately owned (54%). These LTC homes can provide around 198,220 long-term care beds, however, Canada has around 6,835,866 people aged 65 and older. So on average, for 1,000 seniors aged 65 and older in Canada, only 29 of them can have beds in the long-term care communities.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the incidence of dementia among Canadians aged 65 and older is more than doubling every five years. To be specific, about 1 in 100 seniors aged 65 to 69 have been diagnosed with dementia, and 1 in 4 seniors aged 85 and older have been diagnosed with dementia! Moreover, according to the Ontario Long Term Care Association, nearly 70% of seniors with dementia will need long-term care.

It’s not hard to see that long-term care resources are stretched thin, and our caregivers, who are working tirelessly day in and day out, somehow get the blame. Why is there no empathy towards our caregivers? Our leaders? We need to redefine what long-term care looks like from the outside looking in. That, of course, will take years, and support from all angles. In the meantime, caregivers, residents, and families need to connect and demonstrate empathy for all parties. How? Well, try CareStory. Scan Mr. Douglas Hughes’s QR code and experience the transformative power of how CareStory promotes empathy and connection.

Mr. Douglas Hughes QR Code

REFERENCES:
Policy Options
Ontario Long Term Care Association
Canadian Institute for Health Information

Seniors-Caregivers-and-Care-Staff-Cry-Me-a-River-1200x675.jpg

Can we talk about crying? And how healthy and therapeutic it is?

We are big criers over here, whether it be for the good, the bad, or the ugly.

Have you ever been watching a movie, or reading a book, and something just hit you? It reminded you of a past memory, or a present reality, or you were so attached to the characters that you just empathized with them?

One tear comes, then two, then seventy-two. Next thing you know, you can’t stop. Well, we are here to tell you that a good crying sesh is actually good for your health.

According to Penn Medicine, there are 5 good reasons for letting your tears flow:

Improve Your Mood. Research published at Frontiers in Psychology shows that brain releases feel-good chemicals such as oxytocin and endorphins when shedding tears. That’s why your mood may completely change after you cry out stress, anger, and pain.
Improve Your Vision. When we feel dehydrated, we drink water! Same as our eyes! When we cry, we not only release negative moods but also help to re-hydrate our eyes.
Help Protect Your Eyes. When we cry, we actually give our eyes a chance to cleanse themselves. Tears contain lysozyme, lysozyme is a powerful anti-bacterial chemical that helps fight infection caused by dust and dirt that enter our eyes without our consciousness.
Help Clean Your Nose. Probably you don’t know that our tear ducts are connected to the insides of our nose. That’s why we often have a runny nose when we cry! So similar to how tears flush out bacteria and irritants, crying can also flush out irritants from our noses.
Strengthen Your Relationship With Others. We tend to show our most vulnerable side only to the people who matter most, such as our parents, close friends, and partners. Why? Because we tend to avoid crying in front of others at all costs. When we actually cry in front of others, it’s the time we try to create a deeper emotional bond with them. We are inviting them to see another side of us, right?

So here at CareStory, we aren’t going to tell you to dry your tears. Instead, we will offer you a tissue. Do you still remember when you thought they were the most important people to you?

REFERENCES:
Harvard Health Publishing
Penn Medicine

To all of our beloved caregivers, how long has it been since you allowed yourself to feel everything you feel during a day, a week, or even a month of caregiving?

Some of us go years holding onto energy that isn’t ours. Well, guess what, it’s time to start releasing it. Because that stuff is heavy. How does this show up? BURNOUT! The Ontario Caregiver Organization states that nearly 60% of caregivers experience burnout, with symptoms including depression, constant headaches, sleep disturbances, irritability, emotional dysregulation, and digestive issues, to name a few.

Let’s take a look at some QUICK and CONVENIENT ways to get that energy moving, shall we? Try some self-care activities together!

Try self-foot reflexology!

Research published in the Journal Korean Academy of Nursing shows that self-foot reflexology could reduce pain, stress and depression. Soaking your feet in hot water and mineral salts, and massaging your big toes’ base can minimize headaches caused by burnout.

Listen to podcasts on your commute!

Many people listen to podcasts and use them as a form of entertainment. Based on that, you can listen to your favourite podcasts and create a better state of mind for yourself. Some sample podcasts are “Feeling Good Podcast” by Dr. David Burns and “Tell Me What You’re Proud Of” by Dr. Maggie Perry.

Write down and celebrate small achievements every day!

At the end of each day, you should celebrate yourself for completing different tasks during the day. For example, completing your to-do list on time, receiving compliments from colleagues, getting along well with the seniors, etc. Please tell yourself every day that you are fantabulous! Take this one step further and write out all the negative feelings you’ve felt: the frustration, the annoyance, the insecurity: anything that we don’t like to admit that we feel.

Sleep in on your day off!

If you feel overwhelmed, you need rest, and the weekend is the perfect time to relax! Turn off your alarm and wake up naturally, and then do activities that you really enjoy. Watching TV series, reading, exercising, painting, cooking, etc. I know days off are for errands a lot of the time, but schedule afternoon appointments. Give yourself permission to rest.

So tell us, how are you feeling today? Remember to try the self-care activities and tell us your changes!

REFERENCES:
GR8NESS
Relax The Feet
Verywellhealth

In the long-term care industry, teamwork is key in offering consistent as well as high-quality care to our loved residents. Based on findings at Health Services Research, long-term care communities with a better teamwork structure and good staff communication are more likely to provide better senior care!

So if we want to create a high-performing team, we must have a clearly defined team structure. Among various team structures, CareStory recommends that caregiving communities should adopt a multi-team system (MTS) team structure. It consists of 6 smaller teams: the Administrative Team, the Core Team, the Coordinating Team, the Emergency Team, the Ancillary Team, and the Support Services Team.

Multi-team System (MTS) Caregiving Team Structure

The Administrative Team includes the medical directors, the nursing directors, and the administrators. The Administrative Team has 24-hour accountability for the overall nursing home’s management. Administrative team members need to ensure that all teams at the caregiving communities understand their role, responsibility and specific tasks.

The Core Team has leaders and members who provide direct care to the residents: for instance, nurses, restorative aides, attending physicians, etc. Members in the Core Team not only need to be fully aware of the overall caregiving performance, but also need to have good communication skills to keep all team members on the same page.

The Coordinating Team consists of nursing supervisors and heads from different departments. Coordinating team members are responsible for the daily operational management and coordination functions in the organization. Moreover, they also provide the maximum support to the Core Team, and they are responsible for resource management as well.

The Emergency Team is responsible for immediate and emergent situations. It’s is important to make sure that the Emergency Team always composes members from different teams so that they can respond to different types of crises. Possible emergency team members can be emergency response members, care planning professionals, etc.

The Ancillary Team also provides direct and task-specific care to residents, but in a supporting manner. Ancillary team members provide specific services that support the care of residents, and members can be X-Ray technicians, pharmacists, and laboratory professionals.

The mission for members of the Support Services Team is to provide safe, comfortable, and clean environments for residents. Possible members can be volunteers, housekeeping staff, gardeners, etc.

The structure of the MTS team can vary from long-term care community to community, as long as all members in the communities have specific responsibilities and close ties to the team members.

REFERENCES:
https://www.belbin.com/media/1818/belbin-team-work-in-care-homes-cmm-april2012.pdf
https://seniorhousingnews.com/2012/06/21/better-care-found-nursing-homes-with-good-staff-communication-teamwork/
https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/professionals/education/curriculum-tools/teamstepps/longtermcare/module2/igltcteamstruct.pdf

“Asshole!”—If Violet Hughes calls you this, she likes you. 100%.

Vi was known for three things—loving her family, chewing gum, and being the life of the party. Vi loved to dance with her stiletto heels and red lipstick. In her younger years, you could find her at a local dance every Saturday night. In fact, this is where she met her husband, Doug. Truth is, she was dating someone else. But Doug apparently swept her off her stilettoed feet, and they were inseparable ever since.

From 1947 to 1949, Vi was the mascot for The Arcade Ladies softball team, winning the Maritime championship in 1947 and 1948. In four years, they won 90 out of 98 games, with a winning streak of 60 games in a row. This is still believed to be unsurpassed in Canadian softball, which landed them in the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame in 1999.

Vi was a stay-at-home mom to her five children until her youngest went to school. In 1971, she left Nova Scotia and uprooted her family to Toronto. She worked as a secretary for De Havilland Aircraft by day, and a supermom by night, driving her kids to and from activities and sporting events. She missed a lot of games because as she always said,

“By the time I dropped the last one off, the first one was ready to be picked up again.”

Vi returned to the Maritimes in 1975, where she worked for the Department of National Defense until she retired in 1992. In their first year back, they decided to build her dream home as a family, next to a quiet little lake in Lower Sackville. Working full-time during the day and until midnight, Vi and Doug, with their kids, finished the home in 1976.

Violet spends her remaining years watching the sunrise and feeding the ducks. She also waits for Doug to put in a pool because she is afraid of the lake critters nibbling on her toes.

Leaving you with her final sentiment: “Thanks for reading, assholes!”

So now you’ve gone from agitated to angry, and you have a resident with dementia in crisis mode. What do you do?

Let’s start with what you don’t do. How many times have you calmed down when you were upset just because someone told you to. Never, right? Us either. When my great grandmother was trying to flee the home because she felt like someone was after her, she certainly didn’t calm down when the nurses told her to.

Seniors with dementia are more likely to show agitated and aggressive behaviour. This we know. They may swear, scream, or even hit and bite others. These behaviours may be triggered by various factors, such as pain, changes in the environment, and being ignored. The key is knowing these triggers (enter CareStory ;)).

People with dementia may not understand how they can express their needs, and aggressive behaviour is one way to release frustration.

Here are some methods we have found to calm aggression in older adults with dementia:

Music!

A nice piece of music can help seniors calm down and activate more positive memories! Research from the Alzheimer’s Association also shows that music helps people release dopamine and ultimately triggers happiness :).

Aromatherapy!

We aren’t joking! It is scientifically proven. According to a study published by Cambridge University Press, using scents like lavender and lemon can significantly decrease behavioural issues in patients with dementia. These pleasant scents can help seniors become more focused and reduce their anxiety and hallucinations.

Touch and hold their hands!

As one of the most effective methods to increase trust, touch can build a warm relationship between the caregiver and the senior. With just a gentle hand pat, seniors suffering from dementia can perceive your kindness, slowly calm down and reduce their agitation. Moreover, holding hands can help seniors relax and feel more comfortable. You can either take their hand in a natural manner or offer your hands for them to hold.

Remember, be patient, and smile :). Try these methods; they will definitely aid your efforts to comfort seniors with dementia.

Here is also a fantabulous video we would like to share with you. Let’s check how Teepa Snow successfully de-escalates a dementia care crisis in a positive and empathetic way

REFERENCES:
Alzheimer’s Society
Five Star Senior Living
Alzheimer’s Association
Holmes, C. & Ballard C. (2018)
DailyCaring

It’s not surprising that professionals in the caregiving industry care. And when we care, we can also face heavy emotions and a lot of stress.

According to studies conducted by the Ontario Caregiver Organization, more than half of our colleagues are stressed with overall caregiving management (57%), emotional control (55%), and work-life balance (55%). 65% of caregivers mentioned that they need emotional support, however, only 28% of them actually received any resources.

We have to do more, and provide more to all of our caregivers! Here are some small tasks each institution can do to improve the mental health of everyone involved:

Organize social activities regularly!

Work-life balance is salient, especially in the caregiving field. Social activities not only promote better interactions and communication between caregivers but also improve mental health and reduce stress. For example, comedy shows, balls, and more…whatever it takes to have some fun in your daily/weekly routines!

Provide resilience training!

Caregivers often find it difficult to manage their negative emotions and feelings, and experience depression, burnout, etc., therefore learning how to adapt to stressors is critical for mental wellness. This type of training is used in the military to resolve mental issues like stress, and it should be applied in the medical field as well.

Schedule meditation workshops!

One research done at Stanford University School of Medicine found that people who practice mindfulness meditation show fewer stress-related symptoms and declare that they have a greater sense of control over their health and emotions. So just arrange 15 minutes a day for all employees to meditate, and the return will be impressive!

CareStory is always here, supporting you on your caregiving journey. We hope to continue to deliver empathy, promote workplace wellbeing, and raise mental health awareness in the caregiving industry. Stay with us, we won’t let you down.

REFERENCES:
Well-Being Index
Arizona State University

Happy Wednesday caregivers! We are accustomed to taking care of others, however, we often put our health on the back burner. Caring for yourself is one of the most important things, but caregivers often forget about it. Start from now, and spend more time on your own fitness, nutrition and other needs! Let’s check some fun wellness activities for caregivers together XD!

Walking Meetings

Make sure you’re not all sitting in a chair during the day. Get up from your chair, take a walk outside and move throughout the day! Some fresh air can help you stimulate your creativity. Set aside 10-15 minutes a day to go for a walk. Trust me, exercise is always helpful.

Meditation Breaks

We know that caregiving is challenging and sometimes, overwhelming, therefore, stress management is crucial for caregivers. Whenever you feel stressed, take a deep breath and then take a ten-minute break for meditation. You can also just close your eyes and implement “no-talk times” during the day. Try it, it can help you de-stress and refocus your energy so that you can become more productive afterwards.

Healthy Recipe Sharing

Healthy eating is just as essential as fitness for maintaining your wellness. But for caregivers, we probably do not have enough time to prepare fancy nutritious meals for ourselves. Find healthy meal recipes that take 10 minutes to prepare. During the lunch break, chat with your colleagues and share your recipes! Could be an avocado egg sandwich, tuna, kale and spinach salad, etc. Discover your creative side and generate some easy healthy meal ideas!

Have more ideas? Share with us! Please comment below with the caregivers’ wellness activities you have attended or you would like to try! CareStory wants to hear from you!

REFERENCES:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rise People
Walder Wellness

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