Like a beloved mother or revered school principal, operators and staff are being counted on to make things right and keep things sailing smoothly. 

Some might consider this being taken for granted. But sometimes there’s a fine line between feeling used and being appreciated to extreme. Even after squinting really hard, you can confuse yourself trying to figure out which it is sometimes.

As a glass-half-full guy, I’m here to tell you that by leaning on you so heavily, your dependents are looking to you with trust and respect. After all, they don’t unload the hardest tasks to the weakest workers or least trustworthy leaders.

And there’s no question there are going to be some enormously hard tasks ahead in the year ahead.

The proposed minimum staffing mandate won’t come to pass in 2024, but by all accounts, the intense pressure to get, and keep, more staff will continue. Your very census-dependent life may be riding on it.

Then there’s the fact that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has already announced its intention to ratchet up scrutiny of infection control practices. And woe be to the provider who gets sloppy about its administration of antipsychotic or schizophrenia drugs, among others in the medicine cabinet.

Already underway is the Sisyphean quest by regulators to force more information about nursing home owners into the disinfectant called sunshine. You do know that eventually they’re going to get it right and close the majority of loopholes so the overly opportunistic scoundrels among you are put off, don’t you? The sooner that day comes, the better.

And that’s a position held not only by yours truly but also by most of the top provider leaders in the country, though they may be unable to too openly admit it, due to political, financial or other value-torquing reasons.

The earnest and sincere among the provider world can use all the help they can get building the sector’s reputation. Let them get on with the righteous work they’ve signed up for unencumbered, I say.

And that gets us back to expectations. They will, of course, be high in 2024. There should be no other way.

As I was informed my first day on this job long ago, long-term care is a needs-based field. With 10,000 people currently turning 65 every day, those care needs are only going to skyrocket.

Guess whom those multitudes of needy people are going to be looking to. 

James M. Berklan is McKnight’s Executive Editor.

Opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News columns are not necessarily those of McKnight’s.

What provokes fear is even easier to identify: Technology.

Whether it has to do with electronic records, monitoring, compliance or some special gadget, most long-term care providers seem to tense up at the mention of technology. As a result, there is usually reluctance and slow adoption of almost any new technology. 

While there may be good reasons for some of that — such as funding difficulties — in the end, it doesn’t do much for the advancement of the profession, or enhancing caregiving.

We are out to change that. Technology is an opportunity to thrive and be celebrated. That’s one of the mantras behind McKnight’s Technology Awards program.

Past winners from the annual contest have come in all shapes and sizes, hugely funded or not, from city, suburban and rural areas. In other words, whether you know it or not, you likely qualify for recognition already. 

You just might not yet know how. This is for you. After all, either you or someone who works with you, needs to overcome a reluctance to deal with “that technology stuff.”

I suggest you find your winning entry by first asking yourself: “What works well at our place?” This should pertain to resident care in some way, of course. Odds are that once you have an answer to that question, all you have to do is describe the success and reveal what manner of technology it is you use to achieve it.

This can be intricate, state-of-the-art, ungodly expensive technology. Or not. We have had homespun, relatively simple but effective winners tickle the judges’ fancy just as often as someone touting an extremely extravagant, “Honey, call-the-networks!” “solution.”

Technology comes in many forms. You just have to conclude what has been working for you.

And if you entered last year and didn’t win, feel free to enter again this year. We give out Gold, Silver and Bronze, and sometimes Honorable Mention awards, in each of five categories. Numerous providers have found success in entering a second time.

After all, the price is right: Free.

We are out to celebrate excellent caregiving. You are already doing it (right?), so why not be recognized for it like you should?

And if they’re good at all of that, you promote them.

Lucky for you, that is how people historically became newspaper editors, not long-term care administrators. But the two industries do have one big thing in common — they are looking for leaders who will be able to ensure financial survival.

It’s not a secret that more long-term care systems are watching Uncle Sam break up with them gradually. While some are pleading with him to come back, others are looking for new boyfriends. As I wrote this month, there’s been big growth in the search for healthcare executives who can balance financial savvy with commitment to the elderly. Healthcare, especially long-term care, is in a unique position as it looks for new executives, because of a need to find people who can seek out new revenue sources, says Witt/Kieffer Senior Vice President Elaina Genser.

While strategic development has many parts, organizations are getting away from “friend-raising,” says Genser. They are instead “looking for these new revenue streams, such as opportunities for planned giving and charitable trusts.”

Chief executive officers used to spend at least a third of their time on future positioning, fund-raising, growth and other financial concerns, but there are “not enough hours in the day,” she says. Long-term care facilities are among those in healthcare trying to figure out what role they have in an accountable care organization or other alliances. That’s a job that could easily take up half of one’s time.

Additionally, those who want to lead in long-term care must have communication skills beyond dealing with residents and families, Genser points out. They also must have the internal and external skills to assuage board member concerns, inspire their executive team, lobby legislators and handle media, including surly editors.

Of course, there’s no single path to follow in a pursuit of the C-suite. While some might pursue a Masters in Business Administration or other upper level degree, those with years of experience might not need it.There is one surefire way, however, to build your personal brand, Genser says.

“You need to augment the skills you don’t have,” she says. Be willing to stretch and take on a new project in the organization. Even if you don’t succeed, you’ll have gained new skills, she says. And that, in turn, can make you more marketable.

“It’s no longer business as usual,” Genser says. “The pace of change has never been greater. There are definite possibilities.”