Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities Facing Staffing Shortages

The majority of nursing homes and assisted living facilities are facing staffing shortages and say that their workforce situation has gotten worse in 2021, according to a survey from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).

AHCA/NCAL represents more than 14,000 nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the US. Their recent survey findings reflect the responses of 1,183 long-term care facilities and indicate just how much these facilities are struggling as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

When asked if their organization’s overall workforce situation has gotten better or worse, 86 percent of nursing homes and 77 percent of assisted living facilities responded with “somewhat worse” or “much worse.”

Nearly every nursing home and assisted living facility in the country is facing some degree of staff shortages. More than half of nursing homes (59 percent) reported that they were facing high-level staffing shortages, with 30 percent experiencing moderate-level shortages.

More than half of assisted living facilities are experiencing moderate-level staffing shortages and 30 percent are facing high-level shortages.

Less than 20 percent of nursing homes and assisted living facilities are facing staff shortages at a low level, while fewer than 5 percent report that they are fully staffed.

Hiring new staff has not been an easy feat for long-term care facilities. Almost every nursing home and assisted living provider reported that they are having a difficult time hiring new employees, with nearly 70 percent categorizing the struggle as very difficult.

The biggest obstacles to hiring new staff are a lack of qualified or interested candidates and a lack of unemployment benefits which discourages potential recruits, according to the survey results. A portion of facilities also cited their current financial situation and inadequate funding to offer competitive wages as obstacles, indicating the possible need for Congress intervention.

“Lawmakers across the country must prioritize long-term care and that begins with providing resources to address workforce challenges,” Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive officer of AHCA/NCAL, stated in a press release. “When facilities have the means to offer competitive wages and training programs, workers will follow.”

Nearly half of nursing homes and assisted living facilities said that COVID-19 vaccination requirements have also proven to be obstacles to hiring new staff (45 and 40 percent, respectively). President Biden recently announced that all nursing home staff must get vaccinated or they could risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding.

A number of hospitals and health systems have also announced COVID-19 vaccination requirements for their staff, causing some experts to worry that it will lead to increased staff shortages.

Poor workforce situations and staffing shortages may lead to long-term care facility closures. More than half of nursing homes and assisted living facilities are at least somewhat concerned that these persistent challenges will force them to close, according to the survey results (78 and 61 percent, respectively).

In June 2020, AHCA/NCAL predicted that nursing homes and other skilled nursing facilities were on the verge of collapsing due to financial challenges stemming from the pandemic. Now, more than a year later, the same issue remains.

“Our caregivers are the backbone of long-term care, and they deserve the full support of our lawmakers,” Parkinson added. “We cannot allow facilities to close because of these challenges, which will directly impact residents and their families, especially when lawmakers have the means to help solve this dire situation.”