“Fall”ing in love with LTC again…by Tara Roberts
September 29, 2022 | COVID-19, Rehab
Thank goodness fall has finally showed up. I mean who doesn’t want cooler temperatures, pumpkin spice lattes and of course college football Saturdays.
Changes in seasons are so important. Anything, not just seasons, lasting too long can simply be TOO MUCH. My fellow healthcare peeps may be saying, “well long-term care seems to have been stuck in an eternal season of despair” and before this last week, they would have been right. For years, yes years, it has felt like there would be no end to the unrelenting compounding regulatory expectations, no end to the growing administrative burdens and no end to our inability to escape a COVID-19 world. We have felt despair. We have hurt. The human losses we have felt were unbearable. Most of the time, I honestly feel like we, long-term care, were living in alternate universe separate from the rest of the world.
Earlier this month, our industry received COVID-19 “relief” by CMS and the CDC that will propel us out of this alternate universe we were forced to exist in for the last 3 years. Mind you, this relief was made possible by our own industry’s grassroot efforts to move us forward. We had to be the architects and advocates to get to this much needed new phase of recovery.
Now that we are approaching a post-pandemic LTC existence, I have had time to reflect and am struck by those of us who are still around to enjoy this progress and victory. So, why do we keep doing this thing called long-term care?
To answer this, I felt it was appropriate to start with my own journey as well as take an opportunity to highlight some of our very own Directors of Rehab since September is when we celebrate Rehab Awareness.
I have been a Physical Therapist for 27 years. In 2002, I landed in long-term care after having had a career in home health for the prior 7 years. Honestly, I had “those” assumptions about what I was about to see working in LTC facilities. My “assumptions” quickly transitioned to LOVE at first sight. I will never forget showing up to meet with my rehab teams at a facility and I would have my 9 month old daughter in tow-yes, that’s right, bringing your children to long-term care facilities is a good thing and commonly (before COVID-19) an encouraged thing. I would grab a wheelchair and load it up with office supplies and plop Abigail on top and push it and her down the hall. I never got very far. All the residents wanted to talk to her, love on her and give me all kinds of advice. She ate it up and my day was always instantly made better.
Fast forward and 20 years later, I have had and continue to have a beautiful and rewarding career in long-term care-an industry that relies on the commitment and longevity of dedicated individuals to keep it alive and well. It is a family of individuals that see past the exhausting rules and regulations, one that never settles for defeat and keeps on grinding.
We keep on keepin’ on because if we don’t our precious population will be forgotten-will continue to be put last-will continue to be taken for granted or written off as a reasonable statistical loss to a pandemic (apparently this was acceptable in the other universe)!
There is an unending list of my peers, non-therapists, and therapists, that I could highlight for their commitment to LTC. Today, it is my honor to highlight some LTC therapists in our facilities who have made our setting a career and their work calling.
Lisa Covington has worked at our Gonzales Healthcare Center in Gonzales, Louisiana since September of 2005. She came to us right after the historic Hurricane Katrina event in south Louisiana. She has been the Rehab Director of our facility for 12 years. She has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 22 years, 17 of which have been spent exclusively in LTC. She is a swallowing specialist and recently attained “Mentor Therapist” status in our internal Clinical Advancement Ladder program provided by Reliant Rehabilitation. When I asked Lisa why she is committed to serving our LTC population, she said, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say, ‘Because of you, I didn’t give up.’” I agree with Lisa that there is no better way to achieve these things than to work in the LTC.
Kristi Soileau has been the Director of Rehab at our Village Creek Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Lumberton, Texas for almost 12 years which is coincidentally also how long she has worked in LTC. She is a Speech-Language Pathologist and has been practicing for 25 years. When asked to reflect on why she has chosen a career in LTC, Kristi shared, “Initially, I thought I wouldn’t enjoy working with the adult population. As the years have gone by, I want to care for them the way that I would hope someone would care for me if I were in their position.” She went on to say that her facility team are special because “we are a small group and work together to make therapy a fun place to be. Our residents continue to want therapy even after they discharge!” I would say there is no better compliment to a rehab team than residents wanting to keep coming to the rehab department even after they meet their goals.
Nathan Michel has worked at and been the Director of Rehab for our Barton Valley Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Austin, Texas for 5 years. Nathan is an Occupational Therapist and has spent his entire career of 14 years as an OT in LTC. I loved Nathan’s response when asked why he chose LTC as his work setting. He shared working in LTC allows him “to be useful to someone else.” Equally important is why he says his team is special. “We are a diverse collection of competent and creative therapists,” he shared. I could not agree more with Nathan and believe diverse, competent, and creative are all words that reflect most of our facility teams. Nathan also shared that the future of LTC rehab will be strong and impactful, as long as we continue to support therapists’ physical and mental well-being. What an important observation by Nathan. Fortunately, we agree this is important and this is currently a strategic initiative at our organization ongoing.
Cassandra “Cassie” Morgan, has been a licensed COTA and practiced in LTC for 12 years. She has been the Director of Rehab for 3 of her 4 years as a therapist at our Columbia Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Columbia, Mississippi. Cassie has only worked in LTC, so I asked her why she committed herself to a career in LTC. “I continue to be passionate about being a therapist and working in LTC because I want to make a difference in the lives of others. I have a passion for caring for people in my community like they are my family, and I am thankful my career allows me to do just that,” she said. Continuing the theme of family, Cassie also shared, “our facility and team are one of a kind. We strive to work together to provide the best quality care possible to residents that we treat like family.” Cassie, like Nathan, had great insight into what she felt will be the priority for the future of LTC therapy. “I pray the future of rehab in LTC will continue to evolve, be patient-centered, and allow top notch rehabilitative options to clients for successful outcomes.” We do too Cassie!
It will be so refreshing to continue efforts to evolve and refine how we care for our LTC population with the pandemic behind us.
The perpetual season of COVID-19 has been long. I am so thankful to these therapists and many, many more who are still answering the call to work in LTC in spite of this long hard season.
So many of the industry’s tenured long-term care professionals fell victim to the fatigue and unrelenting regulatory beating. Newbies to the industry have been on the brink of saying this isn’t worth it. No one could fault either for feeling this way.
Those who stayed, endured, and never gave up, can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
So, I declare an end to this COVID-19 “season”! I declare this is now the season of “fall”ing in love with long term care again.
- Fall back in love with reconnecting your children and student volunteers with their “adopted” grandparents.
- Fall back in love with the free advice you get from our beautiful residents during that rehab session or assisting with a meal.
- Fall back in love with the comradery and unique human connections that can only be found working in long-term care.
- Fall back in love with sharing and receiving a warm smile as we move past unnecessary masking.
- Fall back in love with normalizing community engagement, wide-open doors, and activities!
I challenge you to share your smiles with your residents and the world. Thank AHCA, CMS, the CDC and yourself for getting us back to #sharingLTCsmiles again.
Reflect on your #MyLTCWhy while you drink that pumpkin spice latte. Share your story to remind others why we do what we do.
While you are “fall”ing in love with long-term care again- reach out. Show your weary coworkers and past peers grace and give them a word of encouragement. Maybe, those that left the industry during the pandemic, will find their way back to us.
Also, make time to recharge yourself, prioritize some self-care and do the things that bring you joy again. Celebrate the recent COVID-19 victory to get back on a path to normalc.
Our need to fight for LTC will not end. Fortunately, we were not defeated by COVID-19. We are emerging from the pandemic stronger and with even more resolve. Let us flip the script and remind everyone how joyous and important LTC really is!
Tara Roberts PT, QCP, CDP, RAC-CT is Vice President of Quality, Rehab and Wound Care Services for Nexion Health Management, Inc.