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COVID-19 intensifies nursing home workforce challenges
COVID-19 intensifies nursing home workforce challenges
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Denny-Brown, Noelle, author
Stone, Denise, author
Hays, Burke, author
Gallagher, Dayna, author - Contributor(s):
- United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy, issuing body.
- Publication:
- [Washington, D.C.] : United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy October 2020
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- COVID-19
Health Workforce
Nursing Homes
Pandemics
United States - Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Approximately 3.9 million Americans receive care in nursing homes each year.1 Older adults and people with disabilities receive nursing home care either for a short stay in a skilled nursing facility (SNF) intended for those who require a higher intensity of skilled care (rehabilitation after surgery, physical therapy following stroke, wound treatment after surgery), or for a long stay in a nursing facility, for those who need less intensive, long-term care services, including custodial care, and who can no longer have their care needs met at home. Medicare covers care and services up to 100 days in SNFs, and Medicaid finances most of the long-term care services provided in nursing facilities for those who cannot afford the cost. More than 90 percent of nursing homes participate in both Medicare and Medicaid, and the less intensive long-term care services usually makes up the majority of the facility's business. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 15,600 nursing homes in the United States with 1.7 million licensed beds, occupied by 1.4 million patients. Both long-stay nursing facilities and short stay post-acute SNFs rely on the labor of 1.2 million health care personnel and support workers.3 In recent years, the industry has faced critical challenges in both recruiting and retaining these direct care workers. While many people join the field with a desire to provide compassionate, hands-on care for residents, physical and emotional demands and low wages drive high rates of turnover among direct care workers. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified workforce shortages to crisis conditions, putting the safety and well-being of both vulnerable residents and nursing home staff at risk.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (iii, 39 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101775124 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101775124