Long-Term Care

Tip of the week: Staff grocery store makes a difference at nursing home

Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, September 25, 2008

One weekend a couple of years ago, Barry Berman 's children were coming home from college. In preparation for their visit, his wife asked him to pick up extra boxes of cereal at the store on his way home. Unsure of what to buy, Berman grabbed six boxes and went to the checkout. When the bill came to $35, he couldn't believe it.

This experience made Berman realize that buying something as basic as cereal might be a struggle for many employees at the Chelsea (MA) Jewish Nursing Home, where he has served as administrator for 30 years. "If an employee is making $18 an hour, [he or she] would have to work two hours to pay for the cereal I had just bought," he says.

Berman knew that many of his staff were single mothers, often with more than one child, and he wanted to find a way to help ease their burdens. So he gathered the leadership team at the nursing home to brainstorm ways to assist staff with their food expenses. They came up with Barry & Betsy's.

Soup to nuts

Barry & Betsy's grocery store, named after Berman and Betsy Mullen, assistant administrator, was built in existing storage space on the property. The organization consists of the nursing home and two assisted living facilities-Cohen, Florence, Levine Estates, and Florence and Chafetz Home for Specialized Care.

The administrators bought used grocery store supplies (e.g., baskets and shelves) to make the market look authentic. To stock the store, the two purchased goods from local stores when they were on sale. For example, if a bottle of laundry detergent normally sells for $7.99 and it's on sale one week for $3.99, the administrators buy a bulk amount at the sale price. A full-time employee drives a van to pick up the items and deliver them to Barry & Betsy's.

Nothing in the store is outdated or generic, says Berman, who recognizes that even at large discounts, brand-name goods can put a big dent in his workers' bank accounts. Instead of asking for money for the items, the store lets shoppers spend "points." Each full-time employee receives 80 points a month to make purchases, such as the laundry detergent.

Staff receive a charge card that holds their points each month. The cash value of 80 points is $200. The facility stashes away an extra 20 points per month, roughly $50, for each employee to cover any taxes that he or she may owe at the end of the year.

Employees not only shop for groceries in the store; the market also offers discounts on other necessities such as school supplies (e.g., pencils, pens, and notebooks). As an added bonus, the store made holiday gifts available this year. And to help with high entertainment expenses, workers can purchase movie passes-a $9.75 ticket costs six points at Barry & Betsy's.

A small loss for a big gain

It's probably no surprise that the long-term care organization takes a financial loss on this benefit, but the rewards it brings to the facilities are priceless, Berman says. "We employ approximately 200 people full time, and each one receives $200 of free food a month," he says. "We basically give away a quarter of a million dollars of free food a year."

What the facilities receive in return, however, is priceless, says Berman, who points to the following reasons that the grocery store benefit is worth the expense:

 

 

  • Nearly zero turnover exists, unless the administrators choose to let someone go. This cuts down on costly hiring and training expenses.

     

  • Administrators have a waiting list of candidates who want to work with the organization. This allows the management team to select the best-qualified staff.

     

  • Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home saves an enormous amount of money by not needing to hire agency help.

    Helpful hint: Not all of the cost comes out of the nursing home's pocket, which also helps. The facilities host fundraisers in the community and accept donations from the public.

    Employees receive more than food

    Nursing home staff often don't make enough money to enjoy extra activities. "Think about it: Even when most people get yearly raises, they don't see a whole lot of extra money after taxes are taken out of their paychecks," Berman says.

    Barry & Betsy's also helps staff enjoy a higher standard of living. For example, one nurses at the facility told Berman that her daughter always wanted to take dance lessons. But at $18 per week, the nurse couldn't afford the extra expense. Once the nursing home began the grocery store program, the nurse had the extra cash to pay for the lessons.

    This program, which recently won the Massachusetts Aging Services Association's Innovation of the Year award, has been a successful investment for the staff, residents, family members, and organization.

    "We will nurture our staff as long as the staff nurtures our residents because both are valuable resources," Berman says.

     

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