James M. Berklan

Long-term care providers start every day behind the 8-ball, as one recently retired association executive wrote to great notice not long ago on mcknights.com.

That’s a heck of a premise to begin with, but hundreds of thousands of readers found it fascinating enough to click on and consume when his article came out. It goes to show just how important mood is with eldercare professionals.

Underpaid, yet overwhelmingly gratified by the work you do, so you carry on. That’s been a consistent state of mind, we’ve learned through our past research. But there’s always more to the story.

That’s why we’ll soon be asking you again for your impressions about a number of hot career and long-term care topics. How you feel about your often thankless jobs is important to know, for the success of the industry. That’s especially true now, when it seems that public sentiment could be turning back against institutional caregivers — even as recalcitrant citizens in the broader community and fellow workers spurn vaccinations, stoking higher infection rates and testing caregivers’ mettle.

On Wednesday, we’ll put out our first call for responses to our annual award-winning “Mood of the Market” survey. Past versions have revealed some eye-opening statistics about how many LTC workers were contemplating leaving their jobs or the profession, not to mention how they felt about their pay, benefits and job satisfaction.

We expect the pandemic and other current events will have created shifts from last year.

Whatever comes of the results, you’ll have a front row seat as we report them to you. Whether the most appropriate saying will be “misery loves company” or “we’re all in this together,” it will be interesting to see how you and your peers feel about work conditions, the state of the industry and more.

Follow Executive Editor James M. Berklan @JimBerklan.