It is no surprise that working as a caregiver can be extremely stressful and take a considerable toll on one’s mental well-being.
According to the Home Bench Marketing study, caregiver turnover reached an astounding rate of 65.2% in 2021. This survey of 3,000 full-time American workers from ten of the most popular job sectors, including healthcare, found that one of the main reasons workers quit is due to poor management.
For those managing caregivers in long-term care facilities, prioritizing your team’s mental and physical well-being is essential. You can create a more resilient and loyal team by offering support and tools to manage challenging work situations.
Below, we’ll explore three key ways to effectively support your staff’s mental health.
Ensure That Your Staff Feels Heard and Supported
Few things are more important to an employee than feeling heard and supported by their supervisor. This especially applies to caregivers, considering their exceptionally high rate of turnover.
To foster this, consider these communication strategies:
Create an Open Communication Environment: Encourage face-to-face meetings, calls, or emails—whatever is comfortable for each caregiver.
Provide a Safe Space for Feedback: Let staff share thoughts and concerns openly. To further reduce barriers, offer anonymous surveys for those who prefer discretion. Actively ask for feedback, especially from those who may not speak up often, to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.
Encourage Questions and Problem-Solving: Let caregivers ask about job roles, daily challenges, and task expectations, showing them you value their well-being. Emphasize that no question is too small or "dumb" and that asking questions is a vital part of growth.
Lead by Example: Share your own mental health challenges when appropriate. This can reduce stigma and create a trusting environment where mental health is discussed openly.
Give Constructive Feedback: Use a compassionate and direct approach to provide regular evaluations that highlight strengths, address areas for improvement, and offer actionable steps for growth.
Remember, open communication goes both ways. It’s important to let employees know they can share feedback about management too. A lot of people hesitate to speak up, worried about being misunderstood or facing backlash.
Make it clear that their input is welcome and won’t lead to negative consequences—whether they’re raising concerns or just asking for clarification. This kind of openness builds trust and shows employees they’re valued for more than just their job performance.
Empower Caregivers with Self-Care Training
Providing comprehensive self-care training is one of the best ways to ensure caregivers feel prepared to support their clients and themselves. Cornerstone offers a self-care continuing education (CE) course designed specifically to help caregivers manage stress, prevent burnout, and prioritize their own well-being.
This training is entirely online, allowing staff to complete it at their convenience—whether at home, during their commute, or whenever they find a moment. Cornerstone's CE courses also cover other vital topics like strategies for thriving in caregiving, the importance of sleep, and recognizing signs of stress and fatigue, equipping caregivers with practical tools to handle the demands of their role.
Approved by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, these high-quality courses give your team the skills to maintain resilience and well-being. Investing in self-care training demonstrates that you value their health and support a sustainable, positive work environment for everyone involved.
Offer Flexibility to Your Staff
Lack of flexibility can be one of the main reasons your staff members may feel overwhelmed at work. Regularly working long hours, weekends, or night shifts can lead to exhaustion, which can have a hugely negative impact on your employees’ mental health.
A survey by the American Psychological Association found that 34% of employees think their employers could help with their mental health by offering them flexible hours, 32% by encouraging them to take care of their health, 30% by enabling them to use paid time off, and 30% by encouraging breaks during the workday.
This is why it is necessary to talk openly with your staff members and allow them a reasonable say in their work scheduling. That also includes encouraging them to use their paid time off and take breaks when they feel overwhelmed during the work day. These may look like small things that don’t mean much, but they could hugely benefit your employees’ mental health.
However, this does not only apply to flexibility with scheduling. Research has determined that a greater level of psychological flexibility in caregivers may be linked to lower levels of caregiver distress. When we talk about psychological flexibility, we refer to one’s ability to fully inhabit the present moment, be aware of one’s emotions, sensations, and thoughts, and be open and willing to adapt and change.
This is where it may help to support your staff members’ healthy self-care habits, help them look for local support resources, and consider including mental health coverage in your health plans.
These are only some examples of ways you can support your staff’s mental health. Remember that mental health is just as important as physical health. Investing in your employees’ mental health could be exactly what they need to stay with you in the long run, and help them to provide the best care possible to your clients.
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