Staffing is the Key to Quality Care
We know that higher levels of staffing lead to better care, but the federal government does not require nursing homes to have at least a minimum number of staff on duty. As a result, every day across the country there are nursing home residents who aren’t getting the care they need because there aren’t enough aides and nurses. Under-staffing harms nursing home residents and can lead to pressure ulcers (bedsores), infections, malnutrition, dehydration and injuries from falls.
Nursing home resident experiences and more than 100 studies, articles and government documents have identified the important relationship between staffing and quality of care. Even the best nurses and nurse aides can’t deliver quality care if there aren’t enough of them.
The Federal government has found that nursing homes that do not meet a recommended level of 4.1 hours per day of total nursing time per resident may be putting their residents at risk. This is an issue that affects all of us; more than 40% of Americans who reach the age of 65 will spend some time in a nursing home during their remaining years.
With Connecticut having one of the lowest staffing requirements in the country, the Long Term Care Ombudsman is in support of raising the minimum staffing requirement. Our Nursing Home Staffing Campaign seeks to educate the public and policymakers about the need for stronger nursing home staffing laws at both the state and federal levels and advocated for such laws to be passed.
Join us in our ask of local and state representatives for an increase in minimum staffing requirements here in Connecticut.
For Further Information on the need for better staffing in long term care, the national consumer voice web page has additional information.
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