As I’m reminded in interview after interview, the workforce crisis is nowhere near over for skilled nursing providers. That said, leaders in this beleaguered sector are not just surviving; many are thriving despite the challenges.

Results from our 2024 McKnight’s Mood of the Market survey delivered a much-needed reminder that the picture inside many facilities is brighter than just a year ago. Happier, too, maybe. 

More satisfied? Most definitely.

Sometimes, that satisfaction comes from one memorable patient experience — a reminder for any of us that a win is always just around the corner if you’re in the right line of work. 

For the first time this year, we asked respondents to share good things that happened for them or for their workplace since 2023. I outlined some of the impressively positive responses in our final 2024 Mood of the Market installment Sept. 22.

In the weeks since we put this project to bed, many of the optimistic parts have continued to resonate with me. These one-sentence stories illustrate the many reasons LTC workers keep showing up for work, do back-breaking tasks and carry the emotional toll that comes from giving a piece of yourself to seniors and people with disabilities.

I have both worked in and had family members live in a nursing home. And for those reasons, some answers even brought a tear or two to this jaded journalist’s eyes. Others gave me chills for their powerful simplicity.

Some hit at the core of what modern skilled nursing facilities are tasked with doing, and how well some providers are doing in their approach:

“A patient with a long history of hospitalizations had a reduced number of admissions.”

“A patient with a mental health issue received the right support and showed significant improvement.”

“A patient who was critically ill made a full recovery and thanked the entire team.”

These are the things families, patients and referral partners very much want to hear about nursing homes. Too often, these intangible moments don’t find a platform. But, wow, they sure deserve to. 

Embracing the good mood

Who doesn’t want to hear more about successful attempts to build a more person-centered approach to care or higher patient satisfaction? It’s not just companies that feed off of these measures — individual caregivers and their team leaders do too. They see those as a result of all those one-on-ones adding up to something greater than its parts.

This isn’t magical computing; it’s simple math that finds good work equals “happy residents” and “successful patient outcomes,” as noted by our survey takers.

But lest we forget, not all patients get better. Some come to nursing homes to live out the rest of their days in the care of paid professionals who can best serve and support them. They are indeed some of the most at-risk patients among an overall vulnerable population.

Many nursing homes still struggle to provide palliative and hospice care. And that makes the final response I’ll share today the kind of endorsement any dying patient or family member would want to hear:

“A patient with a terminal illness had quality end-of-life care and passed away peacefully.”

The fact that that care made a team member’s “most positive” list for 2024 is a touching reflection on both the kind of devoted caregivers skilled nursing attracts and the responsibility they take for their charges and their quality of life, no matter the time left.

I’m grateful for the chance to have read their comments and for the knowledge that, despite plenty of bad press to the contrary, most nursing home workers have their big hearts in the right place.

Kimberly Marselas is senior editor of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.

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