As you may know, the most critical challenge in eldercare today is the staffing crisis. At Cassia, we are committed to solving this problem. But we can’t do it alone.
Late in 2023, we shared the story of an All-Star caregiver named Bobbie, the kind of person we want to stack our teams with: she loves what she does, and you can tell. Caring for older adults is a calling—one she takes seriously. Bobbie was able to overcome significant obstacles and made a huge career switch because we had funding available to cover her training and certification.
We invited partners like you—residents, family members, community members and grant funders—to be part of making these stories possible. An incredible $4.6 million was raised, providing significant funding to recruit and retain the next generation of All-Stars. Thanks to this generous partnership, All-Stars like Jade are able to discover and pursue their calling.
Meet Jade
With ambitions of becoming a Registered Nurse, Elim Wellspring’s posting about a job with free nursing assistant training caught Jade’s eye. She was ready to return to work after being a stay-at-home mom with her two young children. But she didn’t want to work in retail, food service or childcare as she had previously. Thanks to this opportunity that covered the costs of her training and even provided wages as she completed it, Jade was able to follow in her mother’s footsteps and begin a career in eldercare.
“I feel like I am on the path of becoming a nurse one day,” Jade says confidently.
And, she’s building bonds with residents along the way through actions both big and small. Every shift, she assists residents as they go to bed, when they wake up and even checks on them throughout the night.
When one resident with a particular routine had a rough morning, Jade requested help from overnight supervisor Rebekah Templin.
“She asked me directly to show her his routine and do it with her so she could be better at it and make his routine better and smoother so he would have a better day,” Rebekah says.
When another resident struggles to fall asleep, Jade knows just what to do. She fires up the toaster, slathers butter on the toast and sprinkles cinnamon sugar on top. Then, she steeps a cup of sleepy time tea. The comforting scents waft through the halls as Jade delivers the resident’s favorite late-night combination.
Jade recognizes that small actions can make a big difference.
“Little things definitely matter,” she says. “I love how even a tiny little gesture can make them really happy.”
Rebekah says Jade focuses on doing just that.
“She goes above and beyond to try to give them what they need to make their lives better,” she says.
A Multifaceted Approach
Recruiting and retaining All-Star employees like Jade and Bobbie is not easy. It takes a concerted effort, creativity and financial support. Cassia is grateful for recent grants from the state of Minnesota to our skilled nursing communities, as well as the incredible generosity of donors like you.
These funds have made a profound impact on our efforts to overcome the workforce crisis, empowering our Cassia communities to attract and retain caregivers who are passionate about fostering fullness of life for older adults in the spirit of Christ’s love.
We are truly grateful for all the support we receive and are committed to building up teams of All-Stars dedicated to excellence for every resident we serve.
