Staff Turnover Too High? Maybe Loneliness is Part of the Problem
Sometimes I think it’s hard to understand how difficult it is to work with lonely, older adults. Loneliness makes them self-centered, and distrusting. It’s the equivalent of being hangry (hungry + angry), but for lonely people. I often ask senior living executives how long would you stay in a job where you had to work with people who were distrusting, grumpy and only concerned about themselves all day long?
In most communities, 35% + of the residents are often or always lonely and until the pandemic, this went mostly unrecognized. It’s not obvious that certain types of behaviors are caused by loneliness. Of course, wages and benefits matter in retaining workers, but if you don’t think the number of lonely residents matters too, you are missing a key factor you can change—and at a much lower cost than constantly replacing staff.
We have all heard the statistics. Turnover is a longstanding issue in the senior living industry exceeding 33% on average pre-pandemic. The pandemic and its aftermath have only made things worse. During Covid, Klaatch met with many communities that are seeing 60% or 70% voluntary staff attrition. We even spoke with one community who experienced a 100% turnover in the last year. The cost of this turnover, both operationally and in terms of quality of care, are huge. Studies consistently show that Quality of Work Life (QWL) is a leading driver of employee turnover.
Lonely residents experience a change in their brain chemistry. These changes transform both personality and behaviors. Researchers have done tests using functional MRIs to show that lonely older adults see other human faces as a threat!
At Klaatch, we call these behaviors the Habits of Loneliness. They are specific and recognizable. It’s a kind of paradox. When we were in caves these behaviors helped keep us alive; in the modern world they accelerate our death. The fact that loneliness is contagious, spreading these toxic behaviors to other residents and to your staff is reason alone to address the issues head on and systematically.
Feed the hungry person and the hangry behaviors goes away. It’s the same with loneliness. As your residents become more connected and less lonely, those kinds of behaviors measurably begin to fade, and your staff’s QWL improves as they work with an easier, happier, and more empathetic community.
If you want to discuss how to you can empower your staff by reducing loneliness, reach out and schedule a meeting. We want to hear your experience.
Adam Greene, Klaatch CEO and Founder
Adam has 20+ years of experience as an entrepreneur, senior executive in public and private companies and investment banking with expertise in corporate finance, M&A, management, team building and corporate strategy. It was the conversation with his father’s healthcare coordinator about the role that loneliness seemed to be playing in his father’s deteriorating health that was Adam’s tipping point for founding Klaatch.
