Elements of a successful campaign inlcude:

·        Administrators and nursing directors lead by example.

·        Management promotes a relationship vs. medical model of caregiving.

·        Medical directors police medical standards of practice and help manage the on-going quality of nursing and diagnostic services.

·        Attending physicians and clinical staff do not make presumptive caregiving decisions without involving resident parties. 

·        Staff with daily resident contact is empowered.

·        Most resident / family discontent is resolved by front-line caregivers.

·        Exemplary employees serve in prestigious mentoring roles.

·        Employees briefly assemble each day to dedicate and focus their contributions to residents.

·        "Management by memo" and similar paper-bound edicts are highly discouraged.

·        Management recognizes that staff turnover is a direct reflection of workplace satisfaction.

·        Administrators acquire a seasoned balance of financial and clinical insight.

·        A nursing director is a "leader" of caregivers, not a clinician to whom caregivers report.

·        Nursing directors confront wasteful staff practices in a firm but constructive manner. 

·        Managers spend more time scrutinizing applicants than salvaging poor hiring decisions.

·        Employee performance and attendance standards are enforced, despite apprehension about staffing shortages and turnover. 

·        Quality improvement forums genuinely steer facility operations. 

·        Management applies practical, hands-on meaning to policies, procedures and regulations, especially those pertaining to resident rights.

·        Staffing patterns in therapy, recreation, housekeeping and laundry departments do not deny residents continuity of care and services during evening hours and weekends.

·        Nursing staff-to-resident ratios are based on hands-on caregiving.

·        Caregiver staffing patterns not only reflect resident acuity considerations, but personal care and supervision needs as well.

·        Facility staffing practices reflect strategic planning, not chaotic shift-to-shift navigation.

·        Specialty nursing positions (i.e., restorative, treatment, bathing, etc.) are discouraged and employees "at-large" are held accountable for these responsibilities.

·        Care planning is driven by a full account of resident needs, not available staff time.

·        There is a measurable linkage between care plan approaches and hands-on systems designed to deliver those approaches.

·        Resident and family councils play an influential role in shaping facility policy.

·        Operational decisions are gauged by the potential impact to caregiving, especially issues involving the treatment of front-line staff.

·        Resident credibility is given significant weight in conflicts involving staff misconduct.

·        Administrators and nursing directors are champions of resident rights.

·        Management treats neglectful caregiving with the same intolerance as physical and psychological abuse, regardless of  employee intentions or regulatory consequences.

·        Caregiving routines reflect resident preferences, not the pursuit of staff efficiency.

·        Management strives for new and innovative approaches for serving residents. 

·        Managers seek out resident and staff discontent, rather than wait for unrest to escalate.

·        Management rules out inadequate caregiving systems, then scrutinizes staff education before applying enforcement measures to correct employee performance.

·        Management (re)designs employee orientation and training programs based on turnover frequency, employee performance indicators and resident outcomes. 

·        Facility policies, procedures and job descriptions are accessible to front-line staff and are written in a user-friendly fashion.

·        The integrity of caregiving systems is constantly monitored, but never assumed.

·        Resident assessments are revised, physicians are contacted, new interventions are launched, and resident representatives are notified when significant changes occur.

·        Caregivers receive timely recognition for noteworthy contributions to residents.

·        Employee work and attendance incentives do not undermine caregiving excellence.  

·        Department provincialism is replaced with a collegiate workplace atmosphere.

·        Front-line staff are treated with respect that transcends facility hierarchy.

·        Physicians scrutinize resident medication for side effects that cause alterations in mental status and physical ailments.