Senior Care Facilities Still Facing Staffing Shortages, Economic Crisis on the Horizon

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities nationwide continue to face a serious staffing and economic crisis, according to a survey of nursing home providers by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), representing more than 14,000 facilities.

Key survey findings include these: 

• 60 percent of nursing home providers said their workforce situation has worsened since January.  
• 87 percent are facing moderate to high staffing shortages. Of those, nearly one-half (48 percent) are facing a high level of staffing shortages. 
• 98 percent are experiencing difficulty hiring staff. 
• Nearly all (99 percent) of nursing home providers are asking staff to work overtime or extra shifts to adjust for staffing shortages. More than 70 percent have hired temporary agency staff. 
• Nine out of 10 nursing home providers have offered increased wages and bonuses. 
• 71 percent of providers said the lack of interested or qualified candidates is their top obstacle. 
• 76 percent or providers said their current financial situation and lack of funding is an obstacle to being able to offer competitive wages to hire new staff. 

The workforce crisis is interconnected with the economic stability of the sector. Without enough staff, nursing homes cannot care for as many residents, and the already underfunded health care sector struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. These dual workforce and economic crises ultimately threaten access to care for hundreds of thousands of seniors.

Other survey findings: 

• 61 percent of nursing home providers are limiting new admissions due to staffing shortages. 
• 73 percent are concerned about having to close their facilities over staffing woes. 
• Providers estimate their costs have increased by an average of 41 percent since last year. 
• Nearly six out of 10 nursing home providers are operating at a loss. 
• More than one-half (53 percent) of nursing home providers said they can’t sustain current operating pace for more than one year.