JAN'S GROUP HOME SUPPORT

Most companies work on staff retention. Some of the ways companies that provide residential services will do the following to retain their group home support staff:

• Pay
• Training
• Benefits
• Support
• Flexible hours
• Advancement opportunities

When employed in a group home, there will be some challenging day that group home support staff just don’t get paid enough for what they must endure. Group home managers don’t have control what the residential service provider that they work for will pay the direct care workers in a group home.

A group home manager must focus on what he or she does have control over to reduce the staff turnover in his or her group home. A group home manager can do the following:

• Show appreciation
• Spend time in the home during each staff’s shift
• pay attention to shift preferences
• Listen to direct care workers
• Recognize good work
• Incorporate fun
• Provide staff with needed supplies
• Follow through

Staff retention starts in the group home and can be reduced one support staff at a time.

Group home residents often are limited on funds available for things like eye glasses. Often insurance coverage will only pay for one pair of glasses every two years. This can be a problem for residents who are property destroyers when they destroy their own glasses.

$ 8 Zenni Optical Rx Eyeglasses can help out with VERY affordable and stylish prescription glasses online. At Zenni Optical, complete single vision eye glass prices begin at $8! That’s right…..$8! Most of the residents in group homes can afford that price. Go to Zenni Optical to find out more about what they offer.

There is a variety of products and services available from Zenni Optical, the leader in affordable and stylish prescription eyeglasses. Here is a list of some of what they offer:

• Huge selection of frames
• Single vision lens
• Sunsensor (potochromic) lens
• Tinted sunglasses lens
• Bifocal lens
• Progressive lens

You might wonder how Zenni Optical is able to be so affordable. The Secret to Zenni Optical’s Low Prices is that they sell only their own manufactured frames and they sell them direct to the customer. With no middlemen and virtually no advertising budget. That savings is passed on to the consumer.

The frames are categorized by price and type for easy shopping. The eye glass descriptions include detailed information regarding size, weight, and material

Included in all eye glass orders:

• High quality stylish frames
• Thin and light 1.57 index lens
• Anti-scratch coating
• Full UV protection
• Lens edge polishing and beveling
• Quality hard eyeglass case
• Microfiber lens cleaning cloth
• Full guarantee

If more than one resident is ordering glasses from Zenni Optical, combine the orders because there is a flat $4.95 shipping and handling charge no matter how many glasses are in the order.

Staff should be trained properly on what should and should not go into communication logs. Staff is often required to show they have been reading the communication logs. It is done by initialing the entry, or with computers, clicking on “read”.  After months and years of reading similar and often repetitive enteries, it is easy for group home support staff to not even “see” what they just read. Often staff will glance and either initial the page or click “read” on internet communication logs (like Therap) right before they leave their shift.

Proper communication log entries are important for the following reasons:

• It is a legal document
• Medication errors can be avoided with proper communication of changes
• Behaviors reduced if next shift is aware of any issues resident had during previous shifts
• Increased adherence to work schedule changes
• Decrease in missed appointments
• Promptness  in following changes

Ways to verify staff is really reading communication logs:

• Give a prize/be entered in a drawing when they answer questions regarding com log entries correctly
• Question individually on com log entries regularly
• Follow up that instructions/tasks were followed promptly

Try the following suggestions to keep group home communication log entries interesting and encourage reading of communication log entries at group homes:

• Include company updates and activities
• 1-3 times per week include short reviews from training classes, policy and procedures, and provider manuals
• Acknowledge the good works of staff

Sometimes no matter what you do, staff will not read communication log entries or enter information. Let staff know ahead of time when you expect the problem to be corrected (give a specific date) and follow through. If the problem is not corrected you may need to follow up with a verbal warning or write up so that the group home support staff employed in your group home will know you are serious.

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