By Noah Taborda
According to the state long-term care ombudsman, a higher-than-average 13 nursing homes have closed since the beginning of the year. Before the pandemic, there was at least one assisted living facility in all 105 Kansas counties. Now, there are facilities in just 99.
(Photo- The Good Samaritan Society in Lyons is set to close its doors for good Dec. 31 after difficulty finding and retaining staff.- Screen capture from Google Maps)
Last month, the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society in Lyons announced it would be closing its doors. While there is still an assisted living facility in Lyons, the loss of the nursing home could uproot families, said Lyons city administrator Chad Buckley.
“The loss is twofold. It has allowed many families to stay close to their loved ones over the years. That opportunity is now ending,” Buckley said. “It has also provided employment and employment for nurses and others serving the population for many years.”
Employment, specifically maintaining workers and minimizing turnover, was the primary reason for closure cited by The Good Samaritan Society. The employment crunch and potential ramifications are felt by long-term care facilities across the state and country.
A September survey from The American Health Care Association found 99% of nursing homes across the country are facing at least a minor staffing shortage. The workforce situation has worsened in 86% of U.S. nursing homes in the past three months.
An earlier AHCA study in collaboration with the National Center for Assisted Living indicated three-fourths of all nursing homes surveyed are not confident they can keep their doors open through next year.
That was the reality for the Lyons facility, said Courtney Bailey, administrator of the Good Samaritan Society in Lyons, and Aimee Middleton, executive director, in a November statement.
“Inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not keep up with the cost of care we provide, combined with these other challenges, has led to a situation that is not sustainable,” Bailey and Middleton said. “Leadership and employees have worked hard to find creative solutions, but the efforts are unfortunately not enough to address the long-term challenges we face.”
Camille Russell, the Kansas long-term care ombudsman, said there are likely more facilities that have closed or consolidated but have not informed the state yet. In worst-case scenarios, nursing homes have been found empty, with no residents or staff on the premises.
State staffing requirements set the minimum number of hours per day a resident needs direct care from nursing staff at 4.1 hours, just to prevent poor outcomes. Russell said before the pandemic, most homes in the states were getting half of that. Being behind the eight-ball when the pandemic hit left the state in the lurch.
“We not only get calls from residents and family members, but during this time we’re getting more and more calls from staff themselves who are desperate,” Russell said. “They’re the only ones there, they can’t leave, they’re going to have to work another shift, and there’s not somebody coming to relieve them. In some places, I would say the word desperate is probably not too strong at all.”
One cost-efficient way to help improve the staffing shortage would be to work on advertising the field as one of importance to communities across the state. Also ensuring these care positions are important steps in the employee’s career development would ensure higher quality, caring employees.
“When people are treated like they’re tasked to be completed, instead of knowing the person and treating them with dignity and respect, we’re going to have poor outcomes,” Russell said. “Not just a toxic emotional situation, but we’re going to have those health and safety issues that we’re seeing now.”
Last month, the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society in Lyons announced it would be closing its doors. While there is still an assisted living facility in Lyons, the loss of the nursing home could uproot families, said Lyons city administrator Chad Buckley.
“The loss is twofold. It has allowed many families to stay close to their loved ones over the years. That opportunity is now ending,” Buckley said. “It has also provided employment and employment for nurses and others serving the population for many years.”
Employment, specifically maintaining workers and minimizing turnover, was the primary reason for closure cited by The Good Samaritan Society. The employment crunch and potential ramifications are felt by long-term care facilities across the state and country.
A September survey from The American Health Care Association found 99% of nursing homes across the country are facing at least a minor staffing shortage. The workforce situation has worsened in 86% of U.S. nursing homes in the past three months.
An earlier AHCA study in collaboration with the National Center for Assisted Living indicated three-fourths of all nursing homes surveyed are not confident they can keep their doors open through next year.
That was the reality for the Lyons facility, said Courtney Bailey, administrator of the Good Samaritan Society in Lyons, and Aimee Middleton, executive director, in a November statement.
“Inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not keep up with the cost of care we provide, combined with these other challenges, has led to a situation that is not sustainable,” Bailey and Middleton said. “Leadership and employees have worked hard to find creative solutions, but the efforts are unfortunately not enough to address the long-term challenges we face.”
Camille Russell, the Kansas long-term care ombudsman, said there are likely more facilities that have closed or consolidated but have not informed the state yet. In worst-case scenarios, nursing homes have been found empty, with no residents or staff on the premises.
State staffing requirements set the minimum number of hours per day a resident needs direct care from nursing staff at 4.1 hours, just to prevent poor outcomes. Russell said before the pandemic, most homes in the states were getting half of that. Being behind the eight-ball when the pandemic hit left the state in the lurch.
“We not only get calls from residents and family members, but during this time we’re getting more and more calls from staff themselves who are desperate,” Russell said. “They’re the only ones there, they can’t leave, they’re going to have to work another shift, and there’s not somebody coming to relieve them. In some places, I would say the word desperate is probably not too strong at all.”
One cost-efficient way to help improve the staffing shortage would be to work on advertising the field as one of importance to communities across the state. Also ensuring these care positions are important steps in the employee’s career development would ensure higher quality, caring employees.
“When people are treated like they’re tasked to be completed, instead of knowing the person and treating them with dignity and respect, we’re going to have poor outcomes,” Russell said. “Not just a toxic emotional situation, but we’re going to have those health and safety issues that we’re seeing now.”
1 comment:
This is Sad - That our Elders may not have suitable places to live for the remaining years of their lives. Future Generations will look back and Judge us on how we took care of our Elders and the Respect and Treatment - We should have offered to them.
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