Volume 75
September 1, 2021
Snapshots, For the Better
  • Influential Incumbency
  • PEAK Refresher
  • Frontline’s Staff
  • Care and Maintenance
  • Loss and Damage / Troubleshooting
  • Valuable Advocacy
“A body in motion tends to stay in motion unless
acted on by an outside force.”
— Isaac Newton
When discussing incumbency, it usually refers to political office. Similar to Newton’s Law on physics, many (or most…) holding governmental roles tend to stay for a while. Though potentially sensitive, this analogy represents those exerting spheres of influence over specified timetables.
By scheduling Hearing Health Bingo events, your periodic presence gets rooted in activity-planning mindsets. Although subtle, this continuity is a competitive advantage in developing strategic alliances which promote Senior Living Community (SLC) PEAK Performance for long-term benefits.
As a PGI #64 refresher, we previously introduced essential evaluative factors as:
  • Proximity
  • Established Relationships
  • Access
  • Kindred Spirits
How does incumbency relate to PEAK Performance? 

When exploring whether SLC’s currently have hearing care associations, the answer is often yes. Where your competition has first mover advantage via providing favorably viewed expert care, valuable incumbency exists. With their inherent status, it is difficult for your practice to earn opportunities to deliver comparable or better service. Just as their incumbency presents obstacles, this signifies the imperative to solidify relationships in SLC’s depending on you.

With incumbency aspirational, which constituencies are most influential?
  • Executive decision makers, who we coordinate with from the start
  • Residents, whose quality of life we aim to improve and notably…
  • Staff members, who are rarely engaged in healthy ways

While courting staff members sounds surprising, walking in their shoes underscores the purpose.
Imagine a nearby SLC housing 100’s of residents, with, as our Healthy Hearing, Better Living initiative expands, a growing contingent owning hearing aids. At baseline, we know owning hearing aids does not assure consistent wear for optimum benefit, including brain stimulation and reducing fall risks. Who on the frontlines could encourage daily use which keeps them “out of the drawer?” The staff.

Furthermore, we know hearing aid care and maintenance are essential, with many details troublesome for those with cognitive or dexterity challenges. Who could support these efforts? The staff.

Might sharing handy references make sense?
Are hearing aids in SLC’s often lost or damaged? Who, with proper training, could assist prevention efforts? The staff.

Are there times when hearing aid troubleshooting could be promptly taken care at a resident’s abode prior to our next regularly scheduled visit? Who, with simplified training, might help? The staff.

By now, it should be clear why best practices carefully improve relationships with staff members. To empower doing so, these useful designs were developed. 

Being proactive, we:
  • Raise Health Hearing, Better Living awareness with staff
  • Provide useful references and handouts
  • Deliver easily understood training
  • Are readily available to answer questions

By respecting and empathizing with staff’s meaningful roles, they may willingly support our goals. We also emphasize that residents who hear better are more effective communicators. As a result, these frontline’s care providers are literally our eyes and ears. Contemplate how positive feedback from these essential facilitators to resident or wellness directors can stimulate remarkable advocacy with decision makers in other SLCs.

With staff members extra sensitive to hearing health matters, perhaps they, their family or friends will seek your hearing evaluations. In these ways, your incumbency’s competitive advantages will amplify impact beyond SLCs themselves. 

From experience, we realize most worthy endeavors that truly make a lasting difference require teamwork. If coaching a baseball team, best talents must be applied with all nine positions. By definition, if key roles are left open, disadvantages will be evident. Can you win without a pitcher and catcher?

Within SLC’s, it is stunning how few consider staff engagement necessary. Once again, we learn there is not a lot of traffic on the extra mile. See you there, where your practice growth will flourish.

Looking ahead, we will introduce a conceptual overview for our SLC-inspired Hearing Health Ambassador program. Who may volunteer? Time will tell.
Bruce Essman
CEO
High Definition Impressions (HDI)



314.276.7392
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