NewsLine - March 2010 - (Page 12)

Short Takes Free Resource to Share With Patients and Families The onset of a serious illness or injury can affect much more than a person’s health. Knowing what steps to take to get one’s ﬁ nancial and legal affairs in order is often vitally important not only to the affected individual, but to his or her loved ones too. Last December, NHPCO shared a new resource with members that can be an enormous help to patients and families: The Legal Guide for the Seriously Ill. This 51-page Guide, which was commissioned by NHPCO and created by the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging, was designed for both seriously ill individuals and those caring for someone who is ill. It explains in a brief, clear way, the seven key steps to getting your affairs in order: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Plan How to Pay for the Health Care You Need Make a Plan to Manage Your Health and Personal Decisions Make a Plan to Manage Your Money and Property Plan for the Care of Dependents Know Your Rights as a Patient Know Your Rights as an Employee Get Your Legal Documents in Order It’s an excellent resource for anyone facing a serious illness. While it does not provide legal advice, it will arm readers with knowledge about the options they have during a very difﬁcult time. To download a PDF of the Guide, click here or visit the NHPCO Caring Connections Web site (www.caringinfo.org). Staff Satisfaction: How Are You Measuring Up? In the fall of 2007, NHPCO brought members the ﬁ rst and only job satisfaction survey tool designed speciﬁcally for the hospice ﬁeld. Aptly named the Survey of Team Attitudes and Relationships (STAR), it is available to all NHPCO provider members, free of charge, to help assess the job satisfaction of their entire staff—administrative, non-clinical and clinical. While all participating organizations receive individual reports of their survey results, NHPCO also produces an annual report with national-level ﬁ ndings that can help all providers. 2009 Report Now Available The 2009 National STAR Report, which is now available in Marketplace, summarizes results from hospice staff who completed the STAR between October 2008 and October 2009. First, it provides a snapshot of the hospice staff who responded, according to demographics such as gender, location, function/discipline, and hours worked. It then provides the national average scores for their responses to 45 staff satisfaction questions, organized into six key areas (or domains): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Individual Work Rewards Teamwork Management Support Organizational Support Workload Issues Global Job Satisfaction Valuable Insight for All Providers Plus National Salary Rates This new report gives all providers insight into the current feelings, attitudes and concerns of hospice staff across the country—even those providers which do not participate in the STAR. The report also includes national salary rates for virtually all hospice staff positions. This information, along with the various demographic data, can help during the budget and strategic planning process, or during state-of-the-industry discussions at the board level. The 2009 National STAR Report (Item 821501; Member: $200) can be purchased from NHPCO’s Marketplace: Visit www. nhpco.org/marketplace. NewsLine http://www.caringinfo.org/UserFiles/File/PDFs/AdvanceCarePlanningLegalIssues/Legal_Guide_for_Seriously_Ill.pdf http://www.caringinfo.org http://www.nhpco.org/marketplace http://www.nhpco.org/marketplace

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NewsLine - March 2010

NewsLine - March 2010
Contents
Honoring Your Volunteers
Staff Satisfaction: Are You Measuring Up?
Free Resource to Share with Patients and Families
People and Places

NewsLine - March 2010