There’s no hiding from the labor shortage affecting senior care facilities. According to a September survey from the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, 99% of nursing homes and 96% of assisted living communities reported having either low-level, moderate-level or high-level staffing shortages. So only 1% and 4% of those facilities, respectively, are fully staffed? That is astounding.
28% of AL communities reported limiting new admissions because of the shortages, which is not good, but 58% of SNFs have had to turn away patients or referrals. Not only are they losing out on revenue, but they don’t have the opportunity to prove their worth in the post-acute care continuum. Not to mention many current staff are likely stretched thin with their work, and mistakes could be made, which is no good for anyone. And the media are picking up on the trend, and always quick to blame it on greed.
There are many problems associated with the staffing shortage. And many solutions, both short-term and long-term, are on the table, or have yet to be thought of. But the industry has a lot of work to do. Join us for our webinar “Labor: Finding It, Retention and Coping with Higher Wages,” next Thursday, when we hope to comprehensively cover the topic with our panel of experts, and answer all of your questions.
