Homecare providers are frustrated. The demand for their services is increasing, but they don’t have enough caregivers to meet the demand. As the caregiver shortage continues, providers are hoping to enhance their recruitment efforts and improve their employee retention. But the question is, how? There’s a lot of advice going around about what it will take to keep caregivers happy, but HHAeXchange decided to go straight to the source: the caregiver. The HHAeXchange team recently conducted a survey of more than 1400 caregivers across the nation to uncover what really motivates them on the job.
According to the survey, 80% of caregivers indicated that the impact they have on patient health and well-being is their number one motivator. This result adds credence to what many providers already know – their caregivers chose this career because they enjoy helping people. They aren’t in it for the money, they aren’t in it for the recognition. They do it because they know they can make a difference in their patients’ lives.
Not only are caregivers motivated by their patients, but 67% of caregivers said that they would spend an extra 3 – 5 minutes after each visit recording patient observations into a mobile app if they knew it could improve their patients’ care. Despite all the challenges caregivers have had to face over the last few years, it’s clear that they remain committed and are willing to adopt new technology if it means their patients will benefit.
According to the survey, 78% of caregivers stated that the relationships they form with the people they care for increases their job satisfaction. As the above result showed, caregivers are motivated by the interpersonal aspects of their jobs.
One way providers can encourage caregivers to form these types of close relationships with their patients is by being intentional about scheduling. Giving caregivers consistent hours with the same patient can help them form strong relationships with their patients and ultimately improve their job satisfaction.
Knowing what motivates caregivers is only half the battle, it’s also critical that providers understand what their pain points are so that they can be properly addressed. This survey found that COVID-19 concerns (25%) and compensation (29%) are currently the most challenging aspects of caregivers’ jobs. Despite the pandemic fading into the background for many people, it is still posing challenges for those working in the healthcare field. The good news is that there are actionable steps providers can take to help their caregivers navigate COVID-19 related job stressors, such as supplying PPE, providing Covid tests, and giving caregivers paid sick days when they feel ill.
Compensation is a complex topic as providers are often limited by reimbursement rates, but there are ways to affect overall compensation outside of wage increases. Offering certain benefits can help reduce the compensation challenges caregivers face.
By leaning into what motivates caregivers, and making efforts to address what challenges them, providers can greatly improve their retention and recruitment.
The big takeaway from our survey is that caregivers want what’s best for their patients. When they feel like they are making a difference in their patients’ lives, that is what keeps them going. Another great takeaway is confirmation that everyone is working towards the same goal. The state payers, managed care organizations (MCOs), homecare providers, and caregivers are all motivated by improving health outcomes and following a value-based care model.
To ensure everyone is successful in improving the overall health and well-being of patients, providers need to give their caregivers the technology and training required to make a real impact on health outcomes and be a valued member of the care team. Supplying caregivers with a tool like the HHAeXchange mobile app allows them to streamline communications and remove stress from their daily activities. Additionally, with the mobile app, they can quickly verify visits, log plans of care, and provide important feedback about the patients’ conditions.
When the entire homecare ecosystem works together as a connected team to do what’s best for the patient, everyone wins.
To learn more about how the HHAeXchange mobile app can help caregivers deliver better care to their patients, contact us today.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted by HHAeXchange from November 16 to December 7, 2022 among more than 1,400 caregivers across a variety of the company’s homecare agency clients. For complete survey methodology, please contact [email protected].
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