The need for improved nursing home care has been discussed for a long time. It is not hard to find individuals who are not happy with the care an elderly loved one received in a nursing home. And yet, nursing home care is an essential fact of life in a society where people are living longer.
The issue has been highlighted by the fact that nearly a quarter of the people who died from Covid 19 were either residents in or workers in a nursing home.
However, as pointed out by Kaiser Health News, the changes proposed by the President “will hit a hard reality: Nursing homes face severe labor shortages. Recruiting employees is a challenge because of the difficult work involved, the risks of covid, and the meager average pay.
“Improvements to nursing home care can be expected to take time. Some proposals will need congressional funding, and although nursing home safety has general bipartisan support, there are many interests competing for federal dollars. In addition, making changes through regulation is a time-consuming process.”
