Maureen Westfall
Caring for seniors means sacrifice, diligence and unwavering commitment to a cause — and that is exactly what the caregivers at Colorado’s long-term care communities possess and display each and every day.
As a regional nurse for Stellar Senior Living, I see firsthand the dedication that goes into caring for our residents. Each senior in our care becomes like family, brightening our days with their jokes and stories and giving each of our careers a distinct feeling of purpose as we give them the highest quality of care they not only require but also so greatly deserve.
We have fought a global pandemic, but a new challenge has emerged as we now face a historic labor crisis. There are significant workforce shortages within the long-term care sector, which have been magnified by a pandemic-induced exodus of workers. Now, the Biden administration is considering implementing an unfunded federal minimum staffing mandate on nursing homes which will make this challenge considerably worse.
Nursing home caregivers faced unprecedented levels of stress and burnout during the pandemic, and many have left to work for staffing agencies that can offer higher salaries and increased flexibility. Inadequate resources and funding have made it challenging to recruit more workers. As a result, we are estimated to be thousands of employees short of pre-pandemic levels. In our 12 communities alone, we have more than 240 job openings.
This crisis has not just affected long term care. From hospitality to food services to other health care sectors, workers are in short supply and job openings are only rising. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that there are nearly two job openings for every unemployed individual in our state. Job seekers are likely to choose to work in industries that offer the highest wages and most desirable benefits, and nursing homes often struggle to compete in the labor market.
Increasing staffing minimums at the federal level would cost nursing homes approximately $10 billion each year and 187,000 new nurses and nurse aides. If the talent pool is already limited and resources are thin, an unfunded federal staffing requirement would be impossible for long-term care communities like mine to meet.
We are doing all we can to recruit more staff, but there is only so much that we can do by ourselves. What we need now is government funding that will help us attract workers back to our nursing homes. Medicaid is the primary source of our funding, but reimbursements do not cover our expenses — and the gap has only worsened during the past two years. Receiving adequate Medicaid funding is a pivotal first step in helping us strengthen our workforce.
We need lawmakers to step up for our nation’s seniors. We do not need unfunded mandates that will further cripple nursing homes. Congress must prioritize long-term care facilities and enact meaningful solutions that will bolster our workforce. Let’s give caregivers the support they need so we can continue delivering the highest level of care for our seniors.
Maureen Westfall is a regional registered nurse at Stellar Senior Living in Colorado Springs.
