Stephen Tweed, CSP, is an internationally known health care and business strategist, award winning professional speaker, published author, and industry researcher.  Over the years, we have shared some of his articles or drew on his Thought Leadership for topics on our blog.  The seventh book he has authored or co-authored is Conquering the Crisis: Proven Solutions for Caregiver RecrHuiting and Retention.

Here is a quick summary of the book as well as some industry data for you:

The biggest challenge facing CEOs and C-suite leaders in home health care, hospice, and personal in-home care in America is “The Caregiver Recruiting and Retention Crisis.”  There are simply not enough nurses, therapists, home health aides, and personal caregivers to meet the growing needs of an aging population.

According to industry data:

• Registered Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals in the US, and the vacancy rate continues to escalate

• 55% of RNs are 50 years of age or older, and the average age when nurses leave bed-side nursing is 52

• U.S. Nursing schools turned away 79,659 students in 2012 due to a shortage of faculty, clinical sites, and budget

• In the United Kingdom 20% more nurses quit the profession than joined in 2016

• The turnover rate for person caregivers for in-home care was 65.7% in 2016

• 69.7% of home care agency CEOs said the biggest threat to their agencies is “The Caregiver Shortage.”

Stephen has studied this alarming trend, conducted industry research, and interviewed CEOs of top tier companies.  He has defined the crisis, developed a solution, and created a seven-step system to help companies attract, select, develop, and retain high quality front line caregivers. 

Using stories, examples, illustrations, facts, and data, Stephen has created a highly readable book that is short enough to hold the attention of readers and long enough to give them the strategies and insights to conquer the crisis. 

Marki Flanner, the Executive Vice President for Home Health Care at the Visiting Nurse Association of New York, the largest single-location home health agency in the world, had this to say about Conquering the Crisis: 

“Stephen Tweed has written a must-read primer for organizations struggling with caregiver recruitment and retention.  I have been in the home health care business for 35 years and have found Stephen to be one of the most knowledgeable and insightful professionals in the field.”

Monica Smith, Deputy Director of the Home Care Association of Florida, describes Conquering the Crisis this way:

“At a time when 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 years old every day, it has never been more critical for health care providers to recruit, train, and retain quality caregivers for our aging population. Stephen Tweed’s “Conquering the Crisis” is a timely and dynamic resource that gives insight into and actionable steps for tackling the caregiver crisis with clarity and optimism. A must-read for any home care provider!”

The Solution

In-depth conversations with CEOs and C-suite leaders from home care agencies in the Top 10% of the industry show clearly that this crisis has no short-term solution.  The caregiver crisis will be with us for decades.  Agencies who are serious about Conquering the Crisis will need to develop a long-term solution.  It’s based on crafting a “Culture of Attraction and Accomplishment.”  Stephen Tweed describes in detail the process of crafting a culture in a fast-growing profitable home care agency.  He describes how this will enable agencies to create distinction is a highly competitive employment marketplace. 

The System

While having a strategy and crafting a culture is critical, implementation is the key.  In this powerful book, the author lays out a Seven Step Caregiver Quality System that readers can implement in their own agencies.  It begins with a process to Define the Best Caregivers. Then the book describes how to Attract the Best, Select the Best, Hire and On-Board the Best, Train the Best, Recognize and Reward the Best, and Retain the Best. 

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