HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
Regis University HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions– Step-By-Step Guide
This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Regis University HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.
How to Research and Prepare for HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Regis University HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.
After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.
How to Write the Introduction for HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
The introduction for the Regis University HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.
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How to Write the Body for HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
After the introduction, move into the main part of the HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.
Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.
How to Write the Conclusion for HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.
How to Format the References List for HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.
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Sample Answer for HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
Discuss challenges that long-term care communities face. What makes these challenges more prevalent in long-term care?
According to White et al. (2019), the work environment, burnout of registered nurses and job dissatisfaction, are presented as challenges faced in long term care centers. In a cross-sectional study of work environments, it was found that those which function well, are adequately staffed, have strong leadership, policies, and relationships with colleagues (White et al., 2019). Additionally, those with positive work environments were offered opportunities for advancement as well as the privilege of contributing to affairs of the organization (White et al., 2019). Overwork, understaffing and job dissatisfaction seem to be the key factors in nurse burnout, inability to keep staff retained. All of this contributes to poor quality care.
I think these challenges are more prevalent in long term care due to the increased aging population. Nursing homes are at their limit with admissions, and the medical acuity of the patients is increased, as they are being discharged from the hospital to long term care facilities sooner and sooner after illnesses and surgeries.
Identify trends and root causes of these challenges. Are there possible solutions to these causes?
According to American Health Care Association & National Center for Assisted Living. (2020), one of the root causes of the challenges faced by long term care facilities is driven by Medicare underfunding. Following the pandemic, these strains have become exacerbated. It is important that Medicare reimbursements are congruous with the actual cost of care. The exodus of nursing home staff in the last 3 years is related to the onset of Covid-19, which placed the workers at high risk of contracting the illness, as well lack of payment for needed time off due to the pandemic. This lead to a significant level of burnout among support staff, and thus left the nursing homes with a staff shortage. It is reported that lack of interest is at the top of scale of reasons why the nursing homes are not recovering post Covid (Heiks & Sabine, 2022).
Financial concerns loom heavily as the cost of agency nurses and support staff have higher rates; they have either doubled or tripled since the pandemic (Heiks & Sagine, 2022).
As far as solutions, an increase in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement from the government would be advantageous. Additionally, I think that there should be a cap on the hourly pay of nurses and support staff who are agency personnel or travelers. This practice reminds me of selling tickets to a sold out concert for an inflated price, it isn’t fair, and it isn’t just.
Analyze labor challenges within long-term care and possible causes of the challenges.
I have spoken about the labor challenges above in terms of nursing and support staff above. The causes tend to lie in the working conditions within the facilities and lack of funding to improve the conditions, it is a double-edged sword. The involvement of the government with increasing reimbursements will be helpful. As this population ages, there will be exponentially more people requiring long term care and less and less institutions to provide if nothing is done.
According to Amirkhanyan et al. (2008), it seems that the status of ownership has a bearing on the quality of care. The for-profit agencies have been notably poorer in performance than public and nonprofit agencies. Perhaps the difference in approaches should be examined more closely to make detailed comparisons in an effort to raise for-profit agencies to a higher level of care.
Explain federal policy gaps for addressing disparities among long-term care organizations.
Federal policy is such that it supports minority health and protects the well-being of long- term facility residents. According to Mauldin et al. (2020), revisions need to be considered for The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as well as updated requirements in the Long- Term Care Ombudsman Program, to require data collection that includes racial, ethnic, and demographic information (Mauldin et al., 2020). An ombudsman is a representative advocate for those individuals living in nursing homes and assisted living residences with a goal to promote quality care (Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2024).
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Are there solutions you would implement as a leader in a long-term care facility? Provide examples of how you would lead an aging service organization through these challenges.
As a leader in a long -term facility, these challenges can be far reaching. Since there is a major issue with funding, I believe that I would become active in the political arena, contacting my state Senators as to the crisis that is being faced by the long -term care industry. I would collect pertinent data supporting the claims of shuttered long term care establishments due to lack of funding.
In terms of job retention, there would need to be a total makeover of the amenities that are offered to staff in terms of benefits and performance bonuses. I believe that a solid assessment by an outside source would be advantageous in terms of the feasibility of providing these opportunities, in terms of economic feasibility. Some incentives can simply be time off for performance as well, perhaps just 2 hours once in a while, to get out earlier as a recognition of exemplary care and service. Due to the budget constraint, the rewards cannot be lavish, but recognition and respect, no matter how small, go a long way in the eyes of the worker who feels appreciated. With all of this, perhaps retention, morale, motivation and pride in the company would ensue, resulting in a solid, happy, workforce.
References
American Health Care Association & National Center for Assisted Living. (2020). Financial challenges continue to affect nursing homes, emphasizing need for higher Medicaid reimbursement rates. https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Press-Releases/Pages/Financial-Challenges-Continue-To-Affect-Nursing-Homes,-Emphasizing-Need-For-Higher-Medicaid-Reimbursement-Rates.aspx
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (2024). Massachusetts long-term care ombudsman program. Mass.gov. https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-long-term-care-ombudsman-program
Heiks, C., & Sabine, N. (2022). Long term care and skilled nursing facilities. Delaware journal of public health, 8(5), 144–149. https://doi.org/10.32481/djph.2022.12.032
Mauldin, R. L., Lee, K., Tang, W., Herrera, S., & Williams, A. (2020). Supports and gaps in federal policy for addressing racial and ethnic disparities among long-term care facility residents. Journal of gerontological social work, 63(4), 354–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2020.1758270
White, E. M., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., & McHugh, M. D. (2020). Nursing home work environment, care quality, registered nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction. Geriatric Nursing, 41(2), 158–164.
Sample Answer 2 for HP 626 Week 6 Discussion 6.1: Management Challenges in Operating Long-Term Care Discussion Questions
Nurses fill many roles in the long-term care setting including management, direct patient care and delegating appropriate responsibilities to other medical personnel. The nurses’ ability to carry out these roles is largely influenced by their practice environment. When there are supportive managers, opportunities for advancement and adequate staff and resources, patients receive better care. However, given health care staffing challenges around the country, nursing home nurses report higher rates of burnout and job satisfaction than in any other employment setting (White et. al., 2019). On average, RNs experienced a 140% turn over rate between 2017 and 2018, with LPNs and CNAs having just slightly lower rates (Gandhi et. al., 2021). I would imagine these rates are even higher now given Covid-19 and the longterm affects we are still yet to fully see on residents and staff. As of 2022, well over half of nursing home facilities have moderate to high levels of staffing shortages, and about 16% around the country are very worried about the possibility of having to close due to staffing (Heiks and Sabine, 2022).
Research conducted by Gandhi et. al., (2021) identified multiple factors contributing to these statistics. One of the main reasons that these rates are so high for nurses, but also certified nursing assistants, is pay. Turnover rates were higher in regions of the country with lower per capita income, including states such as Oklahoma, Montana, and Kansas. This indicates that nurses who do not feel appropriately compensated for their work are more likely to depart for their positions (Gandhi et. al., 2021).
Another factor identified is the impact of for profit, chain owned facilities, where its reported that staff more often feel unheard as the result of strict polices that don’t take into feasibility of implementation into consideration. Furthermore, the percentage of residents covered by Medicaid is also impactful. It’s believed that a higher volumes of Medicaid patients is associated with higher turnover because the lower reimbursement rates lead to less resources to pay staff (Gandhi et. al., 2021). While low Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates are a concern across healthcare, they are particularly challenging in the area of long term care because so few residents are able to afford the alternatives being private pay with general insurance policies and long term care insurance.
In terms of federal policies, one of the first thoughts that comes to mind for me would be increasing the amount of reimbursement provided by Medicaid. With increased incentives, such as pay health insurance and nonpunitive sick leave, healthcare workers in theory would be better compensated for their hard work and more likely to stay in their current roles. Interestingly however, even in states where there are higher Medicaid reimburcement rates, nursing homes do not necessarily use these dollars towards their workforce. Therefore, I think that further federal regulations should be put in place to require reasonable percentages be allocated to staffing purposes (Gandhi et. al., 2021).
In terms of leadership, one possible way to help staff financially and boost the morale of the community could be through incorporating a childcare center in the facility. Data from the U.S. Department show that one third of hospitals, not just nursing homes, offer some childcare benefits. This can include daily care options or sometimes only last minute backup care provisions. In one specific reported healthcare system, 91% of parents who used the child daycare services reported that it was the reason they stayed in their current job (Advisory Board, 2023). On top of the benefits for staff, assuming there would be some interactions between the children and residents, its estimated that almost 100% of residents who participated in intergenerational programs report feeling happy, loved and needed (Kanowitz, 2018).
References
Advisory Board. (2023, March 18). The newest way to retain nurses: On-site child cares. https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2022/08/02/hospital-childcare
Gandhi, A., Yu, H., & Grabowski, D. C. (2021). High nursing staff turnover in nursing homes offers important quality information: Study examines turnover of nusing staff at US nursing homes (PDF). Health Affairs, 40(3), 384–391. https://lmscontent.embanet.com/RC/MSHA/HP626/Docs/Week_6_High_Nursing_Staff_Turnover_In_Nursing_Homes_Offers_Importan_Quality_Information.pdf
Kanowitz, S. (2018, September 18). Empathy, patience and more — when kids visit assisted-living facilities, everyone benefits. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/09/18/empathy-patience-and-more-when-kids-visit-assisted-living-facilities-everyone-benefits/
White, E. M., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., & McHugh, M. D. (2020). Nursing home work environment, care quality, registered nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction. Geriatric Nursing, 41(2), 158–164. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197457219303325?via%3Dihub