3 Ways to Implement Training Now So You Don’t Pay Big Later

“We can pay now, or we can pay later. But if we choose the ‘later’ option, we will almost always pay more.”
 
I say this nearly every week, to every group I work with—Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^® participants and Dementia Capable Care participants alike.

It’s nearly always true:

We can take a few moments and be Supportive to someone experiencing Anxiety, or we can take hours de-escalating—and then documenting—a crisis that got dangerous for everyone involved. 
 
We can spend a few moments allowing one of our elders time to process our words or we can spend much more of our limited time trying to force them to comply with us, possibly hurting that person or ourselves. (And let’s not forget that the person might then be labeled a “behavior resident” … due to our actions.)
 
We can buy a car outright and pay one price, or we can take out a seven-year loan and, when it’s all said and done, tack on a couple thousand in interest. 

When we pay later, we almost always pay more—with our time and money. 

 And possibly with our people, who are often an organization’s most important asset. 
 
Time. Money. People. 
 
Training takes all three of these things. 
 
It also takes commitment from organizational leaders. They are the ones who approve allocation of funds for training supplies. They are the ones who ensure that Instructors have time to train. They are the ones who hold staff accountable to training policies (and workplace practice policies). 
 
Often, I hear comments that Certified Instructors don’t get the support they need to really see the possible results of the training. Results like those Dr. Sally Gillam was able to achieve at her hospital. Results like these. And these:

But these successes don’t happen by accident. 

That’s why organizational leadership is so, so important. 
 
Training needs to be more than just a one-time, yearly event. 

Here are some of the things we commonly recommend for successful implementation:

• Regular rehearsals and drills for staff.
  Ideally, staff will have an opportunity to practice their skills monthly or quarterly. And these practice sessions needn’t take long: 15–30 minutes might be all they need! Don’t forget to give staff opportunities to practice their verbal skills, too. (See how the crew at Pine Hills did this.)
• Go over policies regularly. Do they reflect current best practices?
  Do you have program terms and concepts embedded into your policies? This helps ensure training relevancy and helps staff see the connection between training and the rules of your organization.
• Take a look at your workplace culture.
  Does it reflect Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security^SM for everyone? Is it person-centered for both clients and staff? And does your organization take as good care of staff as it does the people who receive its services? For example, after a crisis, do staff get the chance to debrief? (And just a note: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention^® training has been known to improve workplace culture.)

Those three bullet points may look like a lot of time-consuming, expensive stuff. 
 
But here’s the thing: We can pay now, or we can pay later.
 
Generally, training and true implementation of the program costs less than workers’ compensation claims, legal fees, and recovering an organizational reputation. 
 
As always, CPI is here to help. Whether it’s now, or later.