When Choosing Senior Care, Staffing is Key to Consider

There are many ways to go about choosing a senior care community for a loved one.  You may be overwhelmed with questions to ask. How do I pay? What percentage of the staff is vaccinated? Are they for-profit or not-for-profit? The list goes on, however If you want to hone in on one thing, consider the subject of staffing.

According to a survey published in September from the American Health Care Association, “86% of nursing homes and 77% of assisted living providers said their workforce situation has gotten worse over the last three months.” While this has been worsened by Covid, it is nothing new. In my book, Who Moved My Dentures?, that published in 2003, a professional from the New Jersey Ombudsman’s Office said this: “The biggest problem today is staffing and it applies to all states. Years ago, abuse was the biggest problem. It still exists but now the bigger issue is neglect because of inadequate staffing and poor work ethics.” Trust in long-term care has eroded. With that, consideration of long-term care has dropped. That has an impact on census, revenue and budgets. So, what happens? People are let go. Those who stay are asked to do more and burn out.