July 28, 2009 |

Creating heroes: An authentic path to person-centered care

What do a long-term care facility and a fire house have in common? A lot, actually. Dirty and rewarding jobs, life and death, dark and light moments—yet the firefighter culture thrives with little burnout and low attrition.

Why is that?

Firefighters create a supportive and celebratory culture that acknowledges the heartache (death around the corner) while celebrating joy. Long-term care workers are confronted with their mortality every day but have little support to help them relieve fear, grief, and sadness. When they are burned out they leave.

Anthony Cirillo, FACHE, ABC, is a marketing consultant, professional speaker, aging and senior health expert, and the owner of Fast Forward Consulting. Visit his personal blog at www.anthonyssong.blogspot.com.

Anthony Cirillo

Anthony Cirillo, FACHE, ABC, is president of The Aging Experience. He’s a passionate advocate for family caregivers and older adults, helping them lead a quality life through a platform of educated aging – physically, emotionally and financially. Cirillo is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives with a Masters from the University of Pennsylvania, His clients have ranged from the Cleveland Clinic, Unisys, and King Faisal Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Carolinas Health Care, Novant Health, Wall Street startups and many more. Anthony serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for PPS Alert for Long-Term Care and is an editorial board member for the Journal of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry.

Topics: Articles

Creating heroes: An authentic path to person-centered care

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