WSW investment helps leading long-term care provider train, advance and retain employees

In the wake of the pandemic, the healthcare industry continues to face challenges with retention, burnout and staffing shortages. Long-term care workers in the Southwest Washington-Portland metro region have a turnover rate of 87 percent, significantly higher than the economy-wide turnover rate of 69 percent, according to the Columbia-Willamette Workforce Collaborative’s 2022 Healthcare Labor Market Report

Locally, Koelsch Communities found answers in a training and advancement opportunity designed to help and empower team members by equipping them with a new methodology of care for patients with dementia. Piloted in 2017, Koelsch partnered with Workforce Southwest Washington (WSW) to train team members on Humanitude, a paradigm-shifting training developed in France that promotes the well-being of individuals through validated techniques that can be replicated and make both the caregiver and people being cared for feel safe.

Koelsch, established in 1958, is a third-generation, family-owned and operated senior living provider to almost 3,000 residents in 36 communities across eight states.

The leading senior living provider is in a position to be at the forefront of creating the first generation of U.S.-based Humanitude trainers. WSW has invested $58,669 in trainings for 64 Koelsch employees, which took place in four cohorts during 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023.

The trainings proved successful as Koelsch team members noticed a dramatic positive change in quality of life for many residents, including improvements in residents walking, talking and accepting care. Several withdrawn residents began feeding themselves and interacting with others, and there was a 90 percent reduction in aggressive behavior and refusal of care by residents with dementia.

The trainings also served as an employee satisfaction and retention tool, with Koelsch committing to title changes and salary increases for employees who successfully completed the training.

In January, WSW and Koelsch continued their Humanitude training partnership. Koelsch hosted a training for 24 employees and two public trainings at its communities in Longview and Vancouver. More than 75 people participated in the public session, including family members and friends of aging adults, social workers, case managers, nurses and other healthcare workers.

For Koelsch, the trainings provide four major impacts: empowering frontline team members, increasing employee retention, upskilling the workforce with tools to do their job to the fullest, and creating a new career path for CNAs through Humanitude certifications.

In 2024, the Koelsch team hopes to teach team members to be trainers in Humanitude, making it the first healthcare organization in the U.S. to adopt the method. This will allow Koelsch to set up a selfsustaining employee training program and provide a trainer pathway for career advancement for CNAs. “It adds a whole other track of career growth for our communities,” said Benjamin Surmi, Koelsch director of education and culture.

WSW’s continued partnership with Koelsch demonstrates the impact of investing in incumbent workers to boost job quality, workplace equity and retention by providing opportunities to learn, grow and advance.

Koelsch’s dedication to investing in its workforce demonstrates its commitment to creating quality jobs

“We are not just investing in Koelsch, we are investing in our healthcare system as a whole and bringing tools to CNAs and nurses that our region needs,” Surmi said.

Learn more about how you can implement strategies to train and advance your workforce in the Training and Advancement Quality Job Guide.

Workforce Southwest Washington (WSW) is the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) designated by federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) legislation to oversee the public workforce system in Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Clark counties. WSW is a nonprofit organization that funds community prosperity by investing in services that help individuals gain skills to obtain goodpaying jobs or advance in their careers and help companies recruit, train and retain workers. Since 2003, WSW has invested more than $126 million in southwest Washington businesses, adults and youth. Learn more at www.workforcesw.org

Jerry D. Petrick Certified Business Adviser