October 23, 2025 • 41 mins
Send me your feedback on this episode!
Transitions are where leadership is most visible, and most vulnerable.
In this episode, Erin shares her most personal stories and leadership strategies for guiding families, residents, and teams through the emotional, unpredictable, and critical moments of change.
You’ll learn:
- The TRUE framework for leading transitions with compassion
- Why the last impression matters more than the first
- How unmet expectations—not clinical failures—drive most litigation
- What to say when you don’t have all the answers
- How to equip your team to respond with empathy, not avoidance
Whether it’s a move-out, a hospitalization, or a shift in care levels, this episode gives you the tools to lead through it with grace—and turn emotional moments into lasting loyalty.
New ED's Playbook to Creating and IMpactful Community Cultrue
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Facebook where I educate, equip and empower family members how to proactively care for their elderly loved ones.
Follow me on Instagram where I educate, equip and empower family members how to proactively care for their elderly loved ones.
Join my email list where I will lift you up, and send tactile advice weekly to support you to grow your experience in your senior living career.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
squadcaster-aj30_1_10-23- (00:01):
Thank you for being here.
Today.
We're gonna talk about one of myfavorite topics, which is the
transitions that we go throughinside of our community.
I think to me, the biggest timesuck that you have as a leader
inside of a community are thetransitions.
New associates coming in, oldassociates leaving, residents
(00:23):
coming in, residents moving out,family members, not
understanding the progression ofdiseases, dealing with the
emotional, components of that.
These are all transitions.
They're taking a lot of yourtime, and hopefully at the end
of this episode we're gonnaunderstand how to work
(00:44):
transitions proactively,compassionately, intentionally,
so it doesn't have to be one ofthe hardest parts of your job,
because if we just leave italone.
Ignore it, avoid it.
Let it work itself out in itsown.
It's not always going to, workout in our favor.
(01:05):
The moment a family decides tomove their loved one out of your
community and how they feel inthat moment is one of the most
powerful moments you need to beaware of because it's that
moment.
That is your legacy.
and your net promoter score, theloyalty campaign to your
(01:29):
community is built.
So not only is it transitions,it's also when they walk out the
door for the last time.
This episode is going to shiftthe way you view leadership
during transitions.
My goal is that you walk awaywith tools to lead hard
conversations with clarity,compassion, and confidence, and
(01:53):
staying true to who you are.
that's what I want.
I want you to stay true to whoyou are, and I think that's
important for you to know whoyou are as a leader.
The goals that you have, theimpact that you have inside of
your communities, inside ofpeople's lives, and during this
times of transition is reallyimportant.
(02:15):
your leadership, your mission,and your family's confidence can
stay strong.
Through these transitions.
most communities, leaders don'ttrain for managing and leading
transitions.
They react to it instead ofleading through it.
And when we react to thetransitions that are happening
(02:37):
inside of our community, we'regonna see overwhelmed families.
We're gonna see decliningresidents who are overwhelmed,
who're gonna see teams that areunsure of what to say, and then
we're gonna be stuck between.
Our own compassion, our ownempathy, and with the policies
and procedures that we have tofollow.
(02:59):
But I want you to see that if wesee things before they happen,
then you can start leadingpeople and.
Getting people aware, gettingpeople prepared, validating
them, preparing them, and thenguiding them through the next
phase of caregiving, which isreally important.
(03:19):
I believe that's where leadersmake the difference.
Their community stands out abovethe rest because you are
validating, you are supporting,and you are preparing them for
the next level.
I am highly passionate aboutthis subject because I'm really
good in this area and reallymade it a priority and a
(03:41):
commitment to grow in this areabecause of the mistakes that
I've made in this area, which isreally important to call out.
I once had a family membermoving out.
call me back wanting a meetingafter they moved everything out
and had been a few weeks, andthey just wanted to tell me how
(04:05):
uncomfortable they felt as theywere moving their mom's stuff
out, because no one spoke tothem.
No one connected with them.
No one asked them if they neededanything.
I believe I got them the cart orand made sure they were okay.
But no one on my team.
The caregivers, no one connectedwith them in that moment.
(04:28):
And I'll be honest with you, Ithought I had a pretty good
process for when people movedout, but it was in that moment
that I realized I could improve.
On that process.
I never, ever wanted to feel theway I did in that moment.
Now, there were circumstancesthat really led to the family
(04:52):
feeling the way that they did.
The resident fell the, she wasyounger, she had early onset
dementia, so things were, alittle bit more.
Hectic and hard to manage forthe family, throughout their
caregiving journey and for herto fall and hit her head.
(05:13):
And the circumstances aroundthat were, there are just so
many questions and there werenot a lot of answers
unfortunately.
And then compounding that level.
Of grief and uncertainty was thefact that none of our care team
(05:34):
spoke to them as they weremoving out.
Now, was that discomfort?
Was that busy day, was thatbecause who was on the floor and
their conversation ability?
I don't know.
All I know is that I had to dobetter as a leader to help
people understand their value asan employee at my community to
(05:55):
speak to them.
To speak to family members whowere leaving for the last time
because how family members andresidents feel the last time
they leave your community is farmore powerful and impactful than
the first time they ever steppedfoot into your community.
(06:17):
We scream.
About first impressions.
We beat that into the heads ofpeople about first impressions.
And first impressions areimportant.
Never gonna not be important,but it's that last impression
when they leave and theexperience of your community is
over and they walk out the door.
(06:37):
That's the most powerfulimpression that you will ever
create for somebody.
And so getting your team,whoever your team is.
Aware of the power that theyhave to guide people through
these transitions to ensure goodcustomer service and good
marketing power in your netpromoter score is really
(06:59):
important.
And that's what we're gonna talkabout today in this episode.
So question for you.
What is the biggest change thatyou've had recently inside of
your community?
It doesn't matter what it is,what is the biggest change that
you've had and now that you havethat in mind?
(07:22):
Was the change, was the actualchange Hard.
Or was it the people navigating?
The people gathering?
The people motivating thepeople.
Was that the hardest part of thechange?
Because change is situationaland transitions are personal.
(07:46):
Okay.
Change is situational.
Transitions are personal.
That means that when I am askinga family member or a family
member sees a change in aresident, in a loved one, in a
change in location, higherlevels of care, the diet has to
(08:09):
change.
the care level has to change,right?
Dinner, different interventionsthat we have to do are changing.
All of these moments arepersonal because it means we're
one step closer to theinevitable, right?
There's a level of sorrow andsadness that is happening to the
(08:33):
family member, and if we're notaware of that, we can step on
that.
We can crush them even more.
We think of transitions aschange as being situational
because we deal with them everyday.
Every day we deal with them,somebody's changing, somebody's
progressing, somebody's moving,somebody's going to the
hospital.
These are changes that we dealwith very consistently, but the
(08:58):
family members on the other sideare only dealing it with that
one resident.
And if we lose sight that thechange.
Is personal for them, then wewon't support them the way that
we need to in a very effectiveand impactful way.
And that is important.
(09:19):
That's what sets your community,your leadership apart from
everyone else.
So Rebecca Edelman is a verywell known attorney inside
senior living.
she defends.
communities and lawsuits.
She has started Guide Path,which is a risk, assessment
company.
You should really check thatout.
(09:39):
She has made comments, on awebinar that we made together on
a podcast, Matt Reiner's podcastabout lawsuits inside senior
living, and I think it's reallypowerful comment.
The majority of lawsuits,litigation.
Senior living where a familymember has filed a complaint or
(10:00):
a lawsuit against a company orcommunity is not based on harm.
It's based on unmet expectation.
And I'm a person who does someexpert witness work.
I actually have a courtexperience, which was a really.
Interesting and enlighteningexperience for me as an expert
(10:22):
witness.
And I have to say she's right.
Obviously, some cases are soegregious that the harm done to
the resident, warranted thelitigation.
But a lot of these lawsuits arebased on unmet expectations.
Family members thoughtsomething, thought.
The associate, family membersthought that the community.
(10:44):
Should have handled things adifferent way.
Should have been communicatedwith better, should have known
about some changes that werecoming.
They're emotionally drivenlawsuits because when you feel
out of control, what's the firstthing that you can do to gain
control?
Blame and defend.
You get a lawyer, right?
(11:06):
One of our goals as a leader.
Should be trying to bringcertainty into an uncertain
situation, and that's whycommunication and understanding
what the expectations are reallyimportant when you're talking
about navigating the transitionsinside senior living.
(11:26):
So Rebecca gives us five areasto think about when risk is
high.
Okay, you're dealing with thesetypes of families, these types
of customers, these types ofresidents, and when you're, when
you can see these five things,you know that your risk is high.
And that understanding whattheir expectations are, what
(11:48):
they want from you is criticaland making sure that you meet
them.
And those five risks arecommunication.
Do you have good communicationfrom your community?
To the people that you serve anddo your customers, the people
that you serve, have goodcommunication back to you.
If we're finding it hard tocommunicate, you're gonna have
(12:11):
to find ways to communicateeffectively to them, especially
if they're not communicatingback to you.
That is a risk as well.
Number two, aging.
Do they, does the family know?
What the disease process is,what the aging process is for
their loved one, or are theyassuming that they can live here
(12:35):
forever, that nothing's gonnachange, that we moved them into
this community to stop the fallsbecause we all know we can't
stop the.
We can certainly impact thefalling in a positive way, but
we cannot prevent all falls.
Are they aware of yourboundaries as a community with
(12:59):
policies and procedures in thestate regs?
And are they aware of thecapabilities of their loved one?
That's really important.
Number three, do they understandthe goals?
Of care.
Do they understand what theresident, their loved one wants?
Does the resident want to stayin their apartment and the
family wants them to come toevery activity?
(13:20):
Because there's a disconnectthere, right?
Do they understand that theresident has the right to
choose, the right to controlcertain parts of their life?
This one's hard, the spiritualand emotional health.
Of the family.
That's number four.
Are you aware, do you see redflags?
(13:41):
Do you see green flags of thespiritual and emotional health
of the family?
Not, do they go to church everySunday, or Saturday, whatever
their religion is.
It is more, are they constantlyblaming the five to six other
communities that they were livedin?
Are they constantly expectingyou to do things that are not
(14:04):
within.
The scope or that their lovedone should be doing themselves?
Do they live in reality that youare trying to tell them about
what life is like inside of yourcommunity?
And then number five, howdysregulated or regulated is the
(14:25):
family dynamics.
Are there seven kids and.
All of them are fighting forpower and control.
Is there one kid and they'rejust so overwhelmed they don't
know what to do, and are therefamily members coming from every
different direction because nowthey smell opportunity.
Is one family member trying toput you and the power of
(14:49):
attorney against each other?
Are there different ulteriormotives for every family member?
These things are important to beaware of.
If you can be aware of thosefive things, especially the
family dysregulation orregulation, you understand what
your risks are and you becomevery clear about asking, what
does success look like?
Here's what we can do.
(15:10):
Here's where we are.
What do you need from us?
Here's what we need from you.
Those are the big points for youto understand, especially when
we're talking about transitions,because they're gonna want you
to guide them through thisprocess.
They're gonna want you to lookto give them certainty and UNC
(15:32):
situations.
And that's important to note.
They're wanting you tocollaborate, to coach, and to
support them through theprocess.
And there's a lot of people whowill do that.
And then there's a lot of peoplewho shy away from that, and I
think that one of the biggest.
Opportunities that we have,especially with people like
(15:54):
professionals, nurses, socialworkers, executive directors,
sales directors, who may be in aposition to help guide family
members through different typesof transitions.
they won't because they considergetting in trouble, being wrong
with answers, not wanting to puttheir self out there in such a
(16:15):
vulnerable way, and I think it'simportant.
One of the things that I teachleaders, newcomers, is there's a
phrase, and that phrase is basedon my experience.
Because based on my experience,the next step is this.
That doesn't mean.
(16:36):
That I'm right 100% of the timeand have no chances of being
wrong.
It just means based on theexperience I have, the next
right step would be this.
You have pre-framed the contextof only to what I have seen, not
universally right or universallywrong, and that is how you give
(17:00):
a little certainty.
Uncertain times because whenpeople are uncertain and they're
vulnerable and they're sad andthey're grieving, whatever this
next step is in the transitionof their loved one.
They just want support.
They want something to holdonto.
(17:21):
They wanna feel like they can bein control of something and
giving them context of what toexpect, validating the pain that
they're in right now, supportingthem through next step
opportunities that they canchoose from because they're in
control, and then guiding themthrough the process is one of
(17:41):
the best gifts that you can givesomebody because you are the
professional.
You're the expert and based onyour experience, this is what
you can do to help make this amuch better experience for you
and your loved one.
If you are willing to do thatand to train your team to do
(18:01):
that, you are going to find thatthere are going to be more
people referring to you becauseyou took the time to validate,
support, and guide people.
Th through the transitions,again, people tell you that the
first impressions are the mostimportant impressions, and they
(18:21):
are very important.
But it is the last impressionthat a family member or a
resident will remember the most.
They will remember how youtreated them.
When they were walking outduring those transitions, during
the final moments of their lovedone's life.
(18:42):
That's your community legacy tothat family member.
And I wanna ask you thisquestion, do you track family
and friend referrals?
Yeah.
So currently, do you have moreresidents that have lived in
your community?
Then you have currently livingin your community.
(19:03):
If as long as your community'snot a new build, the answer is
yes.
So how those people felt or arefeeling as they walk out of your
community for the last time isgoing to be the high, the
percentage of if they will referback to you, it is not based on
their first impression with you.
(19:24):
That's why you need tounderstand that change is
situational and transitions arepersonal.
How you manage these and leadthese transitions with these
family members, support thefamily members is going to be
your number one asset, and it'sprobably where most of your time
is spent.
If you keep a time audit, am Ispending too much time with
(19:48):
family members who are upsetnavigating this change?
Do they not understand whythey're navigating this change?
If they are blaming someone,something, some place, it's
because they are veryvulnerable.
They feel upset, they feel outof control.
As a leader, what can I do?
(20:10):
To give them certainty and togive them a sense of control
back to them as long as youdidn't do anything egregious and
that what they're blaming issomething that you couldn't
avoided.
You can give them something tofeel like they are in control
again, because blame is adischarge of pain.
(20:33):
Blame is when I don't feel likeI'm in control.
And this is uncomfortable and ithurts, and so therefore, I'm
gonna blame somebody else.
I'm going to take this energy,this hurt, and I'm gonna put it
on somebody else because I'm nothappy, I'm not comfortable, and
I'm sad.
That's what blame is.
(20:54):
As long as the community didn'tdo anything egregious, We can't.
Protect against every decline,but we can't prepare families to
see it.
And that's important I love thisBrene Brown quote.
when we look away from the painof any people, we diminish their
(21:15):
humanity and our own, if wedon't understand.
People are hurting whenever theyhave to move from independent
living to assisted living orassisted living to memory care
or memory care to skillednursing or coming in and out of
the hospital.
These are hard times.
Family members are missing work.
(21:36):
They're sad.
They, their loved one needs morecare.
They don't know if they're goingto get better.
What am I going to do?
There's so many emotions thatare going through their minds
that.
They need that validation fromyou.
This is hard.
They need that support from you.
We can do this together andhere's how we're gonna do it.
(21:56):
They need that leadershipguidance from you, that
experience guidance from you.
If you can calm their emotionsdown, you have their attention
and you have their loyalty, andif they feel that you've
supported them till the end.
Helps them along the way.
Then they will refer to you.
(22:17):
They will be fans of yours.
They will say, they really tookcare of us, because that's
important.
That's the important piece.
People move in to feelsupported.
People move in to feel hope.
People move in to feel like Ican take a breath because now I
have help.
And they don't, and they wantyou to be there in the end as
(22:40):
well.
I have an acronym called True.
So if you think abouttransitions, think about true.
You want to build trust withthem.
You need to get them to trustyou because when they trust you.
They will go along with you.
Change happens at the speed oftrust in every relationship.
(23:03):
Change happens in the speed oftrust.
So how do I get them to trustme?
You validate support and youguide them through the process
and you talk to them.
You communicate that with them.
When you start seeing thepatterns of decline, and then
you do what you say you're goingto do, that's how you build
trust.
(23:23):
They need to see you.
They need to hear from you, andthey need to watch you do what
you say you're going to do.
That's how you build trust andchange happens at the speed of
trust and then responsiveness.
Okay?
Think about this.
Responsiveness equals respect.
(23:47):
If somebody has a question.
We respond back to them theanswer in a timely manner.
They perceive that you respectthem.
If you do not respond to them atall, you ignore them.
They feel disrespected.
I'm sure you feel the same wayfrom a customer service
standpoint, from being someone'scustomer sitting at the table at
(24:07):
a restaurant if they're notquick to respond.
You feel some kind of way aboutthat and your family members do
too.
The speed of that responsivenesswill communicate how much you
care.
So responsiveness is a prioritybecause people feel respected,
and when you trust somebody, youfeel respected.
(24:29):
When you feel disrespected, youdon't feel like you trust them.
All of a sudden we've gotbarriers to forward, progress
happening and the speed of howmuch you.
And the speed of yourresponsiveness is gonna show how
much you care.
Now I wanna make sure like youunderstand as you're listening
(24:52):
to this, that you don't feellike it's, you have to respond
quick or you have to do all theresponding and be responsive.
It is about the team.
I used to be overwhelmed withcertain things, but the one
thing I understood is I can getmy concierge to call them back.
I can get somebody else I trustto call them back and give them
(25:13):
a response.
If I can't take the time to pickup the phone to do that, because
I'm so busy.
Again, communication is yourbiggest tool inside the
community.
The more you use it, the moretrust you build, the more change
happens in a positive way.
The more loyalty is built, themore customer service is built,
(25:33):
the more friends and familyreferrals you get, the less
communication.
The less unity you have, theless trust you have.
The more opportunity for peopleto create their own stories as
to why things happened happens,and you are overcoming mountains
that you never even knewexisted.
Use communication as a tool.
(25:55):
Make sure that you are buildingtrust by over communicating and
identifying patterns and talkingabout them and understanding
that change happens at the speedof trust.
That your responsiveness iscommunication to how much you
res, how much you respect them,and how much you care about
them, or the opposite.
(26:16):
And that understanding which isthe U and true is very
Important.
It is.
It is the compassion.
It's the validation that thingsare hard, right?
When we lead with compassion, wecreate the space for trust.
We validate them.
You address the emotional partof this transitions.
(26:38):
They're scared, they'regrieving, and you're gonna come
up with these trauma responseslike fight, flight, freeze, or
fawn, right?
This fear.
This grief, this anxiety, thatthey feel it's not only fear,
it's not just resistance, it'sheartbreak, it's vulnerability.
(27:03):
And if they are not comfortablewith those feelings, they're
gonna protect it.
And you're gonna see thesefight, flight, freeze, or fawn
reactions, and you just need tobe prepared for'em.
But the more you can understandwith compassion, the more you
can validate, the more you cansupport, and the more you can
guide them through the process,the more trust you have and the
(27:24):
more respect you have earned.
And then final, the E isempathy.
It is like building a littleteam of little empathy aware
soldiers to collaborate with,right?
You don't want to do this alone.
You have us.
(27:44):
That's why we're here.
It's a collaborative effort.
You want to empower your team,whether it's your sales, your
nursing, your caregivers,whatever it is, whoever it is,
you want them to know that weare in this together.
And whatever role they play inthe transition, whether it's
saying hi, whether it's acaregiver going up to a family
(28:05):
member and telling them whatthey learned and what they
enjoyed and caring for theirloved one, how much joy does
that bring to somebody?
A lot of joy.
Empower your team members to beable to do that.
And say, if you go back to mystory at the very beginning, I.
I thought I told caregivers todo that before, and for the most
(28:26):
part we were pretty good atthat.
But afterwards I made a verydeliberate effort to say, Hey,
caregiver on the hall, no matterwhat shift, when a family
member's in here packing up thebelongings of a resident, please
come in there and tell them howmuch you loved caring for their
loved one.
(28:47):
Please tell them a specificstory that was so funny that you
consistently think about.
Because people want to know theimpact that they, that their
loved one had on our community.
That is a gift that you can givesomebody that is important.
One of the tools that I alwaysused was you were an amazing
(29:12):
advocate for your loved one.
You made sure that she was takencare of, that I was on my toes,
that our team was prepared andready.
You asked the right questions,you responded appropriately.
You visited more than anybody Icould ever think of.
You were here.
And that's important because howmany times do people just wanna
(29:35):
know that they were a gooddaughter?
in fact, my grandmother.
Who lived in my community andpassed away in my community was
being signed up for hospice andnot doing well.
She was declining due tonatural, just the natural
progression of her life.
And one of her last commentswas, I hope I was a good mother.
(30:00):
I did the best that I could dothat has stuck with me.
Family members want to feel thesame way, because in that moment
I wanted to say I hope that Iwas a good granddaughter.
I did the best that I could do,and what a gift to give a family
member to say to them, you werethe best advocate for your loved
(30:23):
one.
You did the best.
That you could do and I'm soproud to have been here to
witness it cause it's true.
That is a gift that you can giveany family member leaving your
community for the last time.
The reason why the collaborativeeffort works is because it's
(30:45):
reinforcing how much your teamcares.
A United team, a team whounderstands their worth, their
roles, the worth they have intheir roles, and the impact that
the role has on people can calma very anxious, potentially
divided family or a verygrieving family.
(31:07):
They feel unity, which givesthem a little bit of certainty
and very uncertain times.
Some of the, unique things thatI did to ensure that family
members knew how much I lovedthem, cared about them, and
their loved one at my communityis after all of the belongings
(31:28):
were out, I would make a phonecall to them, me personally, and
I would ensure that they knewwhat I learned from their loved
one, how much I valued them, andsome funny stories.
And I thank them for choosingour community and sharing their
parent, their aunt, whoever itwas they were taking care of
(31:49):
with us and allowing them to bea part of our family.
And I have to say, it was alwayssomething I cherished and looked
forward to.
I only had one family memberthat made that very difficult
for me because she said, you dothis for everybody.
And the truth is, I did.
I meant it every single time,and I meant it specifically to
(32:11):
her as well, even though it wasrather challenging because her
loved one was in our communityfor seven years.
Seven years.
Imagine how much money was spentat our community.
They deserved a thank you.
So when you can do specificthings like that.
Intentional things, you're goingto leave them with a positive
(32:34):
experience about your communityand it's gotta be true, and it's
gotta be from the heart.
And we all have that.
We all have that opportunity todo that.
And as long as we can remember,again, change is situational,
transitions are personal, thenyou can give them something
(32:56):
personal.
To make them feel secure andcertain, and that's really the
point of what we do inside thisindustry.
So when you think about thedifferent types of transitions
and how you can step foot intothem, you think about, again,
the progressiveness of a, of theA disease process.
They need more care, they needhigher levels of care.
(33:19):
That is a conversation that'sgoing to.
Trigger vulnerability.
It's going to trigger a littlebit of grieving because there's
been a change.
There's been a change for you,but it's a transition for them,
and that's important to note.
Going to the hospital people, Iknow I work in Alabama, the regs
(33:40):
are very different, but if aresident was in the hospital, I
hear a lot of times, can I comeback?
Can I come back?
I wanna come back.
That is a lot.
Of emotional grief that a familymember or a resident doesn't
need to feel while they're inthe hospital.
And so if I heard that phrase, Iwould make sure that I would
call the hospital, I would callthe family, and I would say, we
(34:02):
want you back.
You live here.
you're very important to us.
You are a part of our familyinside of this community.
We want you back.
I don't want you to think thatwe don't.
We have to make sure we can meetyour needs.
Maybe there's a rehab stay,We'll, keep assessing it, the
situation as we go.
(34:23):
But we want you back certaintyand uncertain times.
And it's a marketing call to thehospital to ensure that they
know that we want the residentback and don't go referring them
to anywhere else.
because sometimes the hospitaldoes things or assumes things
because other communities act acertain way.
(34:44):
If I'm sending a resident to thehospital, it is not necessarily
for them to not be a resident inmy communities.
It's because they need help andwe want them back when they get
better.
So just as a quick recap, thetrue acronym stay True.
To your values, to understandingthat transitions need you as a
(35:09):
leader to be validated,supported, and le lead the
family through the process.
So trust, build, trust, speakwith clarity.
Keep everyone aligned to theprocess.
Be responsive, be consistent.
That builds confidence, whichleads to trust, understand with
(35:32):
compassion.
Transitions are personal.
It may be a change for us'causewe do it so much, but
transitions are personal.
So honor the human experienceand then build, and then
empathy, right?
Collaborate with the family toguide them through the process.
(35:54):
Your leadership is an amplifierto better customer service.
Better human experience and longlasting loyalty to refer back to
your community because yousupport people through some of
the most challenging times oftheir caregiving journey, and
(36:14):
that's really important.
Again, I will say this, A goodleader is what sets every
community apart from the others.
We all offer the same thing.
Maybe the activities aredifferent.
Maybe the chandeliers aredifferent, maybe the apartments
are different.
But the human experience canalso be different.
And it can be based on yourleadership, your understanding
(36:39):
that transitions are personaland you want to lead them that
way.
You wanna stay true to who theyare, and you want to guide them
through the process.
That's how you build.
A big loyalty with high netpromoter scores, which means
they're gonna refer people toyou because you took care of
(37:03):
them at the beginning and at theend.
But most importantly, the end,the last time they walk out of
your community is the mostimportant impression that they
will ever remember of you andyour community.
When we lead with clarity, weremove confusion.
(37:25):
And when we lead withconsistency, we can remove the
fear, lessen the fear, and whenwe lead with compassion, we can
create the space for trust.
Don't wait for the next hardconversation to wish that you
would have been more prepared.
(37:45):
Choose one family this week.
In a transition and lead them.
Stay true.
Build trust, be responsive.
Make the follow up fast, okay?
And see how the change happens.
Take the time to make the phonecall and thank somebody for
sharing their loved one andchoosing this community.
(38:05):
And if this episode resonated.
Share it with another leader,somebody in your team, a nurse,
somebody who's responsible forthe transitions.
Because when we focus on thetransitions, when we focus on
the human experience, all theemotion wrapped in that, if we
can really face that head onproactively, I bet you'll find
(38:28):
more time.
I bet you there'll be lessenergy pulled in a negative way.
Because transitions are tooimportant to leave, to chance
and your time is so valuable,and the human experience is what
we got in this industry in thefirst place.
So don't forget to like andsubscribe this podcast.
(38:49):
Share if you, found this to bevaluable and follow me on
LinkedIn.
And leave a comment on thisepisode, that would be great.
Your engagement helps push thisout into the world and, if it's
valuable, send it to someoneelse.
And as always, aspire for moreknowing that you are already
(39:14):
enough.
Thank you for being here.
Today.
We're gonna talk about one of myfavorite topics, which is the
transitions that we go throughinside of our community.
I think to me, the biggest timesuck that you have as a leader
inside of a community are thetransitions.
New associates coming in, oldassociates leaving, residents
(00:23):
coming in, residents moving out,family members, not
understanding the progression ofdiseases, dealing with the
emotional, components of that.
These are all transitions.
They're taking a lot of yourtime, and hopefully at the end
of this episode we're gonnaunderstand how to work
(00:44):
transitions proactively,compassionately, intentionally,
so it doesn't have to be one ofthe hardest parts of your job,
because if we just leave italone.
Ignore it, avoid it.
Let it work itself out in itsown.
It's not always going to, workout in our favor.
(01:05):
The moment a family decides tomove their loved one out of your
community and how they feel inthat moment is one of the most
powerful moments you need to beaware of because it's that
moment.
That is your legacy.
and your net promoter score, theloyalty campaign to your
(01:29):
community is built.
So not only is it transitions,it's also when they walk out the
door for the last time.
This episode is going to shiftthe way you view leadership
during transitions.
My goal is that you walk awaywith tools to lead hard
conversations with clarity,compassion, and confidence, and
(01:53):
staying true to who you are.
that's what I want.
I want you to stay true to whoyou are, and I think that's
important for you to know whoyou are as a leader.
The goals that you have, theimpact that you have inside of
your communities, inside ofpeople's lives, and during this
times of transition is reallyimportant.
(02:15):
your leadership, your mission,and your family's confidence can
stay strong.
Through these transitions.
most communities, leaders don'ttrain for managing and leading
transitions.
They react to it instead ofleading through it.
And when we react to thetransitions that are happening
(02:37):
inside of our community, we'regonna see overwhelmed families.
We're gonna see decliningresidents who are overwhelmed,
who're gonna see teams that areunsure of what to say, and then
we're gonna be stuck between.
Our own compassion, our ownempathy, and with the policies
and procedures that we have tofollow.
(02:59):
But I want you to see that if wesee things before they happen,
then you can start leadingpeople and.
Getting people aware, gettingpeople prepared, validating
them, preparing them, and thenguiding them through the next
phase of caregiving, which isreally important.
(03:19):
I believe that's where leadersmake the difference.
Their community stands out abovethe rest because you are
validating, you are supporting,and you are preparing them for
the next level.
I am highly passionate aboutthis subject because I'm really
good in this area and reallymade it a priority and a
(03:41):
commitment to grow in this areabecause of the mistakes that
I've made in this area, which isreally important to call out.
I once had a family membermoving out.
call me back wanting a meetingafter they moved everything out
and had been a few weeks, andthey just wanted to tell me how
(04:05):
uncomfortable they felt as theywere moving their mom's stuff
out, because no one spoke tothem.
No one connected with them.
No one asked them if they neededanything.
I believe I got them the cart orand made sure they were okay.
But no one on my team.
The caregivers, no one connectedwith them in that moment.
(04:28):
And I'll be honest with you, Ithought I had a pretty good
process for when people movedout, but it was in that moment
that I realized I could improve.
On that process.
I never, ever wanted to feel theway I did in that moment.
Now, there were circumstancesthat really led to the family
(04:52):
feeling the way that they did.
The resident fell the, she wasyounger, she had early onset
dementia, so things were, alittle bit more.
Hectic and hard to manage forthe family, throughout their
caregiving journey and for herto fall and hit her head.
(05:13):
And the circumstances aroundthat were, there are just so
many questions and there werenot a lot of answers
unfortunately.
And then compounding that level.
Of grief and uncertainty was thefact that none of our care team
(05:34):
spoke to them as they weremoving out.
Now, was that discomfort?
Was that busy day, was thatbecause who was on the floor and
their conversation ability?
I don't know.
All I know is that I had to dobetter as a leader to help
people understand their value asan employee at my community to
(05:55):
speak to them.
To speak to family members whowere leaving for the last time
because how family members andresidents feel the last time
they leave your community is farmore powerful and impactful than
the first time they ever steppedfoot into your community.
(06:17):
We scream.
About first impressions.
We beat that into the heads ofpeople about first impressions.
And first impressions areimportant.
Never gonna not be important,but it's that last impression
when they leave and theexperience of your community is
over and they walk out the door.
(06:37):
That's the most powerfulimpression that you will ever
create for somebody.
And so getting your team,whoever your team is.
Aware of the power that theyhave to guide people through
these transitions to ensure goodcustomer service and good
marketing power in your netpromoter score is really
(06:59):
important.
And that's what we're gonna talkabout today in this episode.
So question for you.
What is the biggest change thatyou've had recently inside of
your community?
It doesn't matter what it is,what is the biggest change that
you've had and now that you havethat in mind?
(07:22):
Was the change, was the actualchange Hard.
Or was it the people navigating?
The people gathering?
The people motivating thepeople.
Was that the hardest part of thechange?
Because change is situationaland transitions are personal.
(07:46):
Okay.
Change is situational.
Transitions are personal.
That means that when I am askinga family member or a family
member sees a change in aresident, in a loved one, in a
change in location, higherlevels of care, the diet has to
(08:09):
change.
the care level has to change,right?
Dinner, different interventionsthat we have to do are changing.
All of these moments arepersonal because it means we're
one step closer to theinevitable, right?
There's a level of sorrow andsadness that is happening to the
(08:33):
family member, and if we're notaware of that, we can step on
that.
We can crush them even more.
We think of transitions aschange as being situational
because we deal with them everyday.
Every day we deal with them,somebody's changing, somebody's
progressing, somebody's moving,somebody's going to the
hospital.
These are changes that we dealwith very consistently, but the
(08:58):
family members on the other sideare only dealing it with that
one resident.
And if we lose sight that thechange.
Is personal for them, then wewon't support them the way that
we need to in a very effectiveand impactful way.
And that is important.
(09:19):
That's what sets your community,your leadership apart from
everyone else.
So Rebecca Edelman is a verywell known attorney inside
senior living.
she defends.
communities and lawsuits.
She has started Guide Path,which is a risk, assessment
company.
You should really check thatout.
(09:39):
She has made comments, on awebinar that we made together on
a podcast, Matt Reiner's podcastabout lawsuits inside senior
living, and I think it's reallypowerful comment.
The majority of lawsuits,litigation.
Senior living where a familymember has filed a complaint or
(10:00):
a lawsuit against a company orcommunity is not based on harm.
It's based on unmet expectation.
And I'm a person who does someexpert witness work.
I actually have a courtexperience, which was a really.
Interesting and enlighteningexperience for me as an expert
(10:22):
witness.
And I have to say she's right.
Obviously, some cases are soegregious that the harm done to
the resident, warranted thelitigation.
But a lot of these lawsuits arebased on unmet expectations.
Family members thoughtsomething, thought.
The associate, family membersthought that the community.
(10:44):
Should have handled things adifferent way.
Should have been communicatedwith better, should have known
about some changes that werecoming.
They're emotionally drivenlawsuits because when you feel
out of control, what's the firstthing that you can do to gain
control?
Blame and defend.
You get a lawyer, right?
(11:06):
One of our goals as a leader.
Should be trying to bringcertainty into an uncertain
situation, and that's whycommunication and understanding
what the expectations are reallyimportant when you're talking
about navigating the transitionsinside senior living.
(11:26):
So Rebecca gives us five areasto think about when risk is
high.
Okay, you're dealing with thesetypes of families, these types
of customers, these types ofresidents, and when you're, when
you can see these five things,you know that your risk is high.
And that understanding whattheir expectations are, what
(11:48):
they want from you is criticaland making sure that you meet
them.
And those five risks arecommunication.
Do you have good communicationfrom your community?
To the people that you serve anddo your customers, the people
that you serve, have goodcommunication back to you.
If we're finding it hard tocommunicate, you're gonna have
(12:11):
to find ways to communicateeffectively to them, especially
if they're not communicatingback to you.
That is a risk as well.
Number two, aging.
Do they, does the family know?
What the disease process is,what the aging process is for
their loved one, or are theyassuming that they can live here
(12:35):
forever, that nothing's gonnachange, that we moved them into
this community to stop the fallsbecause we all know we can't
stop the.
We can certainly impact thefalling in a positive way, but
we cannot prevent all falls.
Are they aware of yourboundaries as a community with
(12:59):
policies and procedures in thestate regs?
And are they aware of thecapabilities of their loved one?
That's really important.
Number three, do they understandthe goals?
Of care.
Do they understand what theresident, their loved one wants?
Does the resident want to stayin their apartment and the
family wants them to come toevery activity?
(13:20):
Because there's a disconnectthere, right?
Do they understand that theresident has the right to
choose, the right to controlcertain parts of their life?
This one's hard, the spiritualand emotional health.
Of the family.
That's number four.
Are you aware, do you see redflags?
(13:41):
Do you see green flags of thespiritual and emotional health
of the family?
Not, do they go to church everySunday, or Saturday, whatever
their religion is.
It is more, are they constantlyblaming the five to six other
communities that they were livedin?
Are they constantly expectingyou to do things that are not
(14:04):
within.
The scope or that their lovedone should be doing themselves?
Do they live in reality that youare trying to tell them about
what life is like inside of yourcommunity?
And then number five, howdysregulated or regulated is the
(14:25):
family dynamics.
Are there seven kids and.
All of them are fighting forpower and control.
Is there one kid and they'rejust so overwhelmed they don't
know what to do, and are therefamily members coming from every
different direction because nowthey smell opportunity.
Is one family member trying toput you and the power of
(14:49):
attorney against each other?
Are there different ulteriormotives for every family member?
These things are important to beaware of.
If you can be aware of thosefive things, especially the
family dysregulation orregulation, you understand what
your risks are and you becomevery clear about asking, what
does success look like?
Here's what we can do.
(15:10):
Here's where we are.
What do you need from us?
Here's what we need from you.
Those are the big points for youto understand, especially when
we're talking about transitions,because they're gonna want you
to guide them through thisprocess.
They're gonna want you to lookto give them certainty and UNC
(15:32):
situations.
And that's important to note.
They're wanting you tocollaborate, to coach, and to
support them through theprocess.
And there's a lot of people whowill do that.
And then there's a lot of peoplewho shy away from that, and I
think that one of the biggest.
Opportunities that we have,especially with people like
(15:54):
professionals, nurses, socialworkers, executive directors,
sales directors, who may be in aposition to help guide family
members through different typesof transitions.
they won't because they considergetting in trouble, being wrong
with answers, not wanting to puttheir self out there in such a
(16:15):
vulnerable way, and I think it'simportant.
One of the things that I teachleaders, newcomers, is there's a
phrase, and that phrase is basedon my experience.
Because based on my experience,the next step is this.
That doesn't mean.
(16:36):
That I'm right 100% of the timeand have no chances of being
wrong.
It just means based on theexperience I have, the next
right step would be this.
You have pre-framed the contextof only to what I have seen, not
universally right or universallywrong, and that is how you give
(17:00):
a little certainty.
Uncertain times because whenpeople are uncertain and they're
vulnerable and they're sad andthey're grieving, whatever this
next step is in the transitionof their loved one.
They just want support.
They want something to holdonto.
(17:21):
They wanna feel like they can bein control of something and
giving them context of what toexpect, validating the pain that
they're in right now, supportingthem through next step
opportunities that they canchoose from because they're in
control, and then guiding themthrough the process is one of
(17:41):
the best gifts that you can givesomebody because you are the
professional.
You're the expert and based onyour experience, this is what
you can do to help make this amuch better experience for you
and your loved one.
If you are willing to do thatand to train your team to do
(18:01):
that, you are going to find thatthere are going to be more
people referring to you becauseyou took the time to validate,
support, and guide people.
Th through the transitions,again, people tell you that the
first impressions are the mostimportant impressions, and they
(18:21):
are very important.
But it is the last impressionthat a family member or a
resident will remember the most.
They will remember how youtreated them.
When they were walking outduring those transitions, during
the final moments of their lovedone's life.
(18:42):
That's your community legacy tothat family member.
And I wanna ask you thisquestion, do you track family
and friend referrals?
Yeah.
So currently, do you have moreresidents that have lived in
your community?
Then you have currently livingin your community.
(19:03):
If as long as your community'snot a new build, the answer is
yes.
So how those people felt or arefeeling as they walk out of your
community for the last time isgoing to be the high, the
percentage of if they will referback to you, it is not based on
their first impression with you.
(19:24):
That's why you need tounderstand that change is
situational and transitions arepersonal.
How you manage these and leadthese transitions with these
family members, support thefamily members is going to be
your number one asset, and it'sprobably where most of your time
is spent.
If you keep a time audit, am Ispending too much time with
(19:48):
family members who are upsetnavigating this change?
Do they not understand whythey're navigating this change?
If they are blaming someone,something, some place, it's
because they are veryvulnerable.
They feel upset, they feel outof control.
As a leader, what can I do?
(20:10):
To give them certainty and togive them a sense of control
back to them as long as youdidn't do anything egregious and
that what they're blaming issomething that you couldn't
avoided.
You can give them something tofeel like they are in control
again, because blame is adischarge of pain.
(20:33):
Blame is when I don't feel likeI'm in control.
And this is uncomfortable and ithurts, and so therefore, I'm
gonna blame somebody else.
I'm going to take this energy,this hurt, and I'm gonna put it
on somebody else because I'm nothappy, I'm not comfortable, and
I'm sad.
That's what blame is.
(20:54):
As long as the community didn'tdo anything egregious, We can't.
Protect against every decline,but we can't prepare families to
see it.
And that's important I love thisBrene Brown quote.
when we look away from the painof any people, we diminish their
(21:15):
humanity and our own, if wedon't understand.
People are hurting whenever theyhave to move from independent
living to assisted living orassisted living to memory care
or memory care to skillednursing or coming in and out of
the hospital.
These are hard times.
Family members are missing work.
(21:36):
They're sad.
They, their loved one needs morecare.
They don't know if they're goingto get better.
What am I going to do?
There's so many emotions thatare going through their minds
that.
They need that validation fromyou.
This is hard.
They need that support from you.
We can do this together andhere's how we're gonna do it.
(21:56):
They need that leadershipguidance from you, that
experience guidance from you.
If you can calm their emotionsdown, you have their attention
and you have their loyalty, andif they feel that you've
supported them till the end.
Helps them along the way.
Then they will refer to you.
(22:17):
They will be fans of yours.
They will say, they really tookcare of us, because that's
important.
That's the important piece.
People move in to feelsupported.
People move in to feel hope.
People move in to feel like Ican take a breath because now I
have help.
And they don't, and they wantyou to be there in the end as
(22:40):
well.
I have an acronym called True.
So if you think abouttransitions, think about true.
You want to build trust withthem.
You need to get them to trustyou because when they trust you.
They will go along with you.
Change happens at the speed oftrust in every relationship.
(23:03):
Change happens in the speed oftrust.
So how do I get them to trustme?
You validate support and youguide them through the process
and you talk to them.
You communicate that with them.
When you start seeing thepatterns of decline, and then
you do what you say you're goingto do, that's how you build
trust.
(23:23):
They need to see you.
They need to hear from you, andthey need to watch you do what
you say you're going to do.
That's how you build trust andchange happens at the speed of
trust and then responsiveness.
Okay?
Think about this.
Responsiveness equals respect.
(23:47):
If somebody has a question.
We respond back to them theanswer in a timely manner.
They perceive that you respectthem.
If you do not respond to them atall, you ignore them.
They feel disrespected.
I'm sure you feel the same wayfrom a customer service
standpoint, from being someone'scustomer sitting at the table at
(24:07):
a restaurant if they're notquick to respond.
You feel some kind of way aboutthat and your family members do
too.
The speed of that responsivenesswill communicate how much you
care.
So responsiveness is a prioritybecause people feel respected,
and when you trust somebody, youfeel respected.
(24:29):
When you feel disrespected, youdon't feel like you trust them.
All of a sudden we've gotbarriers to forward, progress
happening and the speed of howmuch you.
And the speed of yourresponsiveness is gonna show how
much you care.
Now I wanna make sure like youunderstand as you're listening
(24:52):
to this, that you don't feellike it's, you have to respond
quick or you have to do all theresponding and be responsive.
It is about the team.
I used to be overwhelmed withcertain things, but the one
thing I understood is I can getmy concierge to call them back.
I can get somebody else I trustto call them back and give them
(25:13):
a response.
If I can't take the time to pickup the phone to do that, because
I'm so busy.
Again, communication is yourbiggest tool inside the
community.
The more you use it, the moretrust you build, the more change
happens in a positive way.
The more loyalty is built, themore customer service is built,
(25:33):
the more friends and familyreferrals you get, the less
communication.
The less unity you have, theless trust you have.
The more opportunity for peopleto create their own stories as
to why things happened happens,and you are overcoming mountains
that you never even knewexisted.
Use communication as a tool.
(25:55):
Make sure that you are buildingtrust by over communicating and
identifying patterns and talkingabout them and understanding
that change happens at the speedof trust.
That your responsiveness iscommunication to how much you
res, how much you respect them,and how much you care about
them, or the opposite.
(26:16):
And that understanding which isthe U and true is very
Important.
It is.
It is the compassion.
It's the validation that thingsare hard, right?
When we lead with compassion, wecreate the space for trust.
We validate them.
You address the emotional partof this transitions.
(26:38):
They're scared, they'regrieving, and you're gonna come
up with these trauma responseslike fight, flight, freeze, or
fawn, right?
This fear.
This grief, this anxiety, thatthey feel it's not only fear,
it's not just resistance, it'sheartbreak, it's vulnerability.
(27:03):
And if they are not comfortablewith those feelings, they're
gonna protect it.
And you're gonna see thesefight, flight, freeze, or fawn
reactions, and you just need tobe prepared for'em.
But the more you can understandwith compassion, the more you
can validate, the more you cansupport, and the more you can
guide them through the process,the more trust you have and the
(27:24):
more respect you have earned.
And then final, the E isempathy.
It is like building a littleteam of little empathy aware
soldiers to collaborate with,right?
You don't want to do this alone.
You have us.
(27:44):
That's why we're here.
It's a collaborative effort.
You want to empower your team,whether it's your sales, your
nursing, your caregivers,whatever it is, whoever it is,
you want them to know that weare in this together.
And whatever role they play inthe transition, whether it's
saying hi, whether it's acaregiver going up to a family
(28:05):
member and telling them whatthey learned and what they
enjoyed and caring for theirloved one, how much joy does
that bring to somebody?
A lot of joy.
Empower your team members to beable to do that.
And say, if you go back to mystory at the very beginning, I.
I thought I told caregivers todo that before, and for the most
(28:26):
part we were pretty good atthat.
But afterwards I made a verydeliberate effort to say, Hey,
caregiver on the hall, no matterwhat shift, when a family
member's in here packing up thebelongings of a resident, please
come in there and tell them howmuch you loved caring for their
loved one.
(28:47):
Please tell them a specificstory that was so funny that you
consistently think about.
Because people want to know theimpact that they, that their
loved one had on our community.
That is a gift that you can givesomebody that is important.
One of the tools that I alwaysused was you were an amazing
(29:12):
advocate for your loved one.
You made sure that she was takencare of, that I was on my toes,
that our team was prepared andready.
You asked the right questions,you responded appropriately.
You visited more than anybody Icould ever think of.
You were here.
And that's important because howmany times do people just wanna
(29:35):
know that they were a gooddaughter?
in fact, my grandmother.
Who lived in my community andpassed away in my community was
being signed up for hospice andnot doing well.
She was declining due tonatural, just the natural
progression of her life.
And one of her last commentswas, I hope I was a good mother.
(30:00):
I did the best that I could dothat has stuck with me.
Family members want to feel thesame way, because in that moment
I wanted to say I hope that Iwas a good granddaughter.
I did the best that I could do,and what a gift to give a family
member to say to them, you werethe best advocate for your loved
(30:23):
one.
You did the best.
That you could do and I'm soproud to have been here to
witness it cause it's true.
That is a gift that you can giveany family member leaving your
community for the last time.
The reason why the collaborativeeffort works is because it's
(30:45):
reinforcing how much your teamcares.
A United team, a team whounderstands their worth, their
roles, the worth they have intheir roles, and the impact that
the role has on people can calma very anxious, potentially
divided family or a verygrieving family.
(31:07):
They feel unity, which givesthem a little bit of certainty
and very uncertain times.
Some of the, unique things thatI did to ensure that family
members knew how much I lovedthem, cared about them, and
their loved one at my communityis after all of the belongings
(31:28):
were out, I would make a phonecall to them, me personally, and
I would ensure that they knewwhat I learned from their loved
one, how much I valued them, andsome funny stories.
And I thank them for choosingour community and sharing their
parent, their aunt, whoever itwas they were taking care of
(31:49):
with us and allowing them to bea part of our family.
And I have to say, it was alwayssomething I cherished and looked
forward to.
I only had one family memberthat made that very difficult
for me because she said, you dothis for everybody.
And the truth is, I did.
I meant it every single time,and I meant it specifically to
(32:11):
her as well, even though it wasrather challenging because her
loved one was in our communityfor seven years.
Seven years.
Imagine how much money was spentat our community.
They deserved a thank you.
So when you can do specificthings like that.
Intentional things, you're goingto leave them with a positive
(32:34):
experience about your communityand it's gotta be true, and it's
gotta be from the heart.
And we all have that.
We all have that opportunity todo that.
And as long as we can remember,again, change is situational,
transitions are personal, thenyou can give them something
(32:56):
personal.
To make them feel secure andcertain, and that's really the
point of what we do inside thisindustry.
So when you think about thedifferent types of transitions
and how you can step foot intothem, you think about, again,
the progressiveness of a, of theA disease process.
They need more care, they needhigher levels of care.
(33:19):
That is a conversation that'sgoing to.
Trigger vulnerability.
It's going to trigger a littlebit of grieving because there's
been a change.
There's been a change for you,but it's a transition for them,
and that's important to note.
Going to the hospital people, Iknow I work in Alabama, the regs
(33:40):
are very different, but if aresident was in the hospital, I
hear a lot of times, can I comeback?
Can I come back?
I wanna come back.
That is a lot.
Of emotional grief that a familymember or a resident doesn't
need to feel while they're inthe hospital.
And so if I heard that phrase, Iwould make sure that I would
call the hospital, I would callthe family, and I would say, we
(34:02):
want you back.
You live here.
you're very important to us.
You are a part of our familyinside of this community.
We want you back.
I don't want you to think thatwe don't.
We have to make sure we can meetyour needs.
Maybe there's a rehab stay,We'll, keep assessing it, the
situation as we go.
(34:23):
But we want you back certaintyand uncertain times.
And it's a marketing call to thehospital to ensure that they
know that we want the residentback and don't go referring them
to anywhere else.
because sometimes the hospitaldoes things or assumes things
because other communities act acertain way.
(34:44):
If I'm sending a resident to thehospital, it is not necessarily
for them to not be a resident inmy communities.
It's because they need help andwe want them back when they get
better.
So just as a quick recap, thetrue acronym stay True.
To your values, to understandingthat transitions need you as a
(35:09):
leader to be validated,supported, and le lead the
family through the process.
So trust, build, trust, speakwith clarity.
Keep everyone aligned to theprocess.
Be responsive, be consistent.
That builds confidence, whichleads to trust, understand with
(35:32):
compassion.
Transitions are personal.
It may be a change for us'causewe do it so much, but
transitions are personal.
So honor the human experienceand then build, and then
empathy, right?
Collaborate with the family toguide them through the process.
(35:54):
Your leadership is an amplifierto better customer service.
Better human experience and longlasting loyalty to refer back to
your community because yousupport people through some of
the most challenging times oftheir caregiving journey, and
(36:14):
that's really important.
Again, I will say this, A goodleader is what sets every
community apart from the others.
We all offer the same thing.
Maybe the activities aredifferent.
Maybe the chandeliers aredifferent, maybe the apartments
are different.
But the human experience canalso be different.
And it can be based on yourleadership, your understanding
(36:39):
that transitions are personaland you want to lead them that
way.
You wanna stay true to who theyare, and you want to guide them
through the process.
That's how you build.
A big loyalty with high netpromoter scores, which means
they're gonna refer people toyou because you took care of
(37:03):
them at the beginning and at theend.
But most importantly, the end,the last time they walk out of
your community is the mostimportant impression that they
will ever remember of you andyour community.
When we lead with clarity, weremove confusion.
(37:25):
And when we lead withconsistency, we can remove the
fear, lessen the fear, and whenwe lead with compassion, we can
create the space for trust.
Don't wait for the next hardconversation to wish that you
would have been more prepared.
(37:45):
Choose one family this week.
In a transition and lead them.
Stay true.
Build trust, be responsive.
Make the follow up fast, okay?
And see how the change happens.
Take the time to make the phonecall and thank somebody for
sharing their loved one andchoosing this community.
(38:05):
And if this episode resonated.
Share it with another leader,somebody in your team, a nurse,
somebody who's responsible forthe transitions.
Because when we focus on thetransitions, when we focus on
the human experience, all theemotion wrapped in that, if we
can really face that head onproactively, I bet you'll find
(38:28):
more time.
I bet you there'll be lessenergy pulled in a negative way.
Because transitions are tooimportant to leave, to chance
and your time is so valuable,and the human experience is what
we got in this industry in thefirst place.
So don't forget to like andsubscribe this podcast.
(38:49):
Share if you, found this to bevaluable and follow me on
LinkedIn.
And leave a comment on thisepisode, that would be great.
Your engagement helps push thisout into the world and, if it's
valuable, send it to someoneelse.
And as always, aspire for moreknowing that you are already
(39:14):
enough.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!