BY DAVE WEIMAN

The “universal worker” and the “consistent staffing” concepts are two best practices that are found in skilled nursing and assisted living homes. Both can improve the direct care given residents.

A universal worker, sometimes referred to as a cross-trained worker, is one who has received basic certified nursing aid training. In these care settings, the certified nursing aid (CNA) is the staff member who closely interacts with the residents every hour, day-round, each week. Dressing and undressing, transferring from bed to a wheelchair and back, assisting with personal hygiene, helping meet scheduled meals, therapy, and/or activities . . . .  In short, a CNA is involved in all the activities of daily living, so it’s not surprising that they often find they can’t meet residents’ needs in a timely fashion. Calling for assistance from another CNA may be the solution sometimes, but more than likely the other CNAs are just as busy. The universal worker concept expands the number of trained individuals for these types of tasks to the entire staff — nursing, therapy, housekeeping, administration, dietary — everyone is available to help turn a resident, walk someone to lunch, pick out clothes for the day. Some homes have expanded this concept to mealtime, where everyone helps in the dining room. So you’ll see the administrator serving up plates at the stream table, the bookkeeper taking orders, the director of nursing busing tables and the maintenance man cutting up a steak for an elderly diner.

Consistent staffing complements the universal worker program, so in many homes they are developed together and implemented at the same time. Consistent staffing generally only affect the care givers – nurses, CNAs, therapists, and any specialists a resident may require, though some homes have extended it to other services such as housekeeping, laundry, and activities. The idea behind consistent staffing is have the same team of individuals provide care for the resident so the provider and the elder will be able to build a relationship. This can’t happen if the nurses and CNAs are constantly being assigned to different sections of the home. This approach is used for relief providers, too, when a regular staff member is out due to illness, vacation or professional development. Of course, situations develop when a new face appears on shift. But, one new person surrounded by familiar nurses and/or CNAs is much easier to accommodate than the wholesale exchange of staff.

Universal workers and consistent staffing are two innovative ways that homes are giving the residents and staff an opportunity to become a family. And a family — that’s what truly makes a home.

Go to www.carecompasspeoria.org

for more suggestions and guidance for finding quality elder care.

Dave Weiman is the founder of Care Compass, a free online site to assist elders and their families find Elder Care in the Peoria area. Dave has been engaged for over 10 years in improving the quality of care, so elders can enjoy a life of quality.