Mr. Tzvi Gross of our Administrative department shared an interesting article from yesterdays Wall Street Journal. The article which appears on the front page (April 15, 2013 – written by James R. Hagerty) is entitled “As America Ages, Shortage of Help Hits Nursing Homes.”
Hagerty devotes his article to pointing out the discrepancy between the exponential growth of the 65 years and older population who are projected to require nursing care, with the overall decline in nursing home staffing levels due to a number of factors, including low wages and cutbacks.
Recent draconian cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements have affected staffing because operators have seen their total revenues decrease.
Taking a scalpel to Medicare and Medicaid
Part of the problem is that there is currently no Federal standard for nursing-aide staffing levels and only about two-thirds of the states set minimum levels.
In my conversation with Mr. Gross, he expressed great pride that Regency Nursing Centers have kept up exemplary staffing levels despite these national cuts to our industry.
As a result of our exceptional ratio of aides to residents, our staff attrition and turnover rate is amongst the lowest in the Country. Our aides aren’t overworked or overtaxed and therefore have the ability to achieve excellence in their caregiving and compassion.
At Regency Nursing, we recognize full well, the importance in maintaining a healthy, happy and vibrant staff, which translates to a healthy, happy and vibrant resident!
Regency Nursing,
“Where Caring Comes to Life!”
