We’re not out of the woods yet.
Jeff Gorter, vice president of clinical crisis response at Byron Center, MI-based R3 Continuum, kicked off a webinar on Tuesday for the American Assisted Living Nurses Association with that warning. He spoke about the unique stressors facing nurses in assisted living settings during the pandemic, as well as the role of leadership in mitigating challenges.
The intensity, ambiguity and uncertain duration of the pandemic created operational and personal challenges. Everyone, Gorter said, had to adjust to some form of a “new normal” in every aspect of their lives.
The solution, he said, comes down to coping and leadership skills.
“We are not running a sprint after 18 months; we are running a marathon,” Gorter said. “There are things you need to do to successfully run the race — rely on your training and adjust to the terrain as needed, set a sustainable pace, stop and attend to your needs regularly, and keep the end in mind.”
History is full of stories of how humanity faced and rose above monumental challenges, he said.
“This is our moment,” he said. “Effective leadership casts a vision of thriving. We can emerge stronger and shape the next normal.”
Leaders, Gorter said, are resilient through their presence, patience, purpose and perseverance.
“This is a seminal event — a part of our history,” he said. “What you do every day makes a tremendous difference. Let that be part of your story.”
Stressors unique to assisted living, healthcare and extended care settings included the need to employ strict biosecurity measures, the risk of disease transmission, conflicting medical and personal demands, pervasive grief, and public stigma thrown at long-term care settings, Gorter said.
“Part of what makes you good at what you do is being an effective helper in the field. You are uniquely characterized by a level of empathy, being able to connect and identify with those you are seeking to help under your care,” he said. “You have an openness to what they’re experiencing and going through. It develops a kind of trust with those in our care, based on intimacy that comes from being able to do the kind of work you do.”
The challenge, Gorter said, is that that kind of helping can create hurt for caregivers as well, leaving them vulnerable to cumulative stress.
Assisted living workers in particular, he said, are subject to secondary traumatic stress — a transformation in perspective resulting from coping with the effects of others’ physical and emotional trauma. That transformation can come through hearing residents’ stories, delivering bad news, witnessing intense emotions from residents and families, and feeling responsible, yet powerless.
Caring has a cost, Gorter said. The longer someone is in practice, the more stories he or she has — the good, the bad and the traumatizing.
“Assisted living nurse professionals are dedicated, well-trained and mission-driven, especially at a time of national crisis,” he said. “You have, and currently are, extending yourselves in incredibly heroic ways to meet the need. But that doesn’t mean you are impervious to the stress inherent in this crisis.”
