Many adults in New Mexico are eventually forced to decide how to care for their aging parents. If this adult child can’t provide full-time care, and many can’t, this person might consider placing their parents in nursing home facilities. However, before you make this decision, it’s wise to learn about specific things nursing homes don’t want people to know about.
Staffing problems are running rampant
A June 2022 American Health Care Association survey reports that 98% of nursing home facilities surveyed faced challenges in hiring staff. Of these facilities, 61% have had to turn admissions away due to short-staffing issues. The main reasons for this problem stem from a lack of qualified talent and nursing homes facing budgeting difficulties to offer high enough employee wages.
Turnover rates remain high
Besides having trouble finding staff, elderly care facilities face challenges keeping the employees they hire. This turnover can come from people unwilling to work in the healthcare industry. Turnover also comes from skilled caretakers not willing to accept working in a low-quality care facility.
Some patients aren’t receiving adequate care
As people get older, they can need help with various daily activities. Unfortunately, many nursing homes don’t have enough staff to care for all of their patients. Whether it’s intentional or not, having far more patients than caretakers can lead to nursing home negligence.
The goal of this information isn’t to claim that all nursing homes provide inadequate care. But it’s imperative to research any nursing home closely you move a family member into. Touring a nursing home of interest is also beneficial to ensure you choose a high-quality facility.
