Home care agencies are still grappling with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among caregivers. Recently, the leader of one agency, Best of Care Inc., shared with McKnight’s Home Care Daily his efforts to counteract this. Among his solutions? Providing clear information about vaccination logistics, and partnering with an online training organization to counter misinformation surrounding the vaccines.
“When asked what information they wanted most, the prevailing answer among our direct-care workers was clear instructions on where and when they could receive their first does,” Kevin Smith, president and COO of Quincy, MA-based Best of Care Inc. said.
“While tier one, phase one healthcare workers in our state of Massachusetts were able to receive the vaccine at their place of work, we had to navigate where our staff would be able to go to receive it. We now partner with vaccination sites to arrange certain time slots and days for when staff can sign up so they don’t have to scour vaccination websites themselves. We also are monitoring when they should receive their second doses and notifying them [accordingly].”
Another important step Best of Care has taken is to partner with CareAcademy, which provides online caregiver training for agencies, to help overcome misinformation pertaining to the vaccine. “Our staff has access to CareAcademy’s COVID-19 Vaccine Class, which will equip our workers to make informed decisions about the vaccine,” Smith said.
“Our class explains the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, differentiates between facts and myths pertaining to the vaccine, explains the vaccine distribution process and describes the process of receiving the vaccine,” CareAcademy founder and CEO Helen Adeosun added.
Such educational resources are important for providing workers with access to information that helps break through vaccine-hesitancy barriers, Adeosun added. “When it comes to the vaccine, It’s important that we meet caregivers where they are and answer their questions without judgment while helping them to navigate accessibility issues,” he said.
