The pandemic has been devastating to residents of long-term care
facilities and their loved ones. More than 200,000 residents and staff
have died from COVID-19; countless residents have suffered from
isolation and neglect.
The Biden Administration’s recently announced initiatives to reform
nursing homes are the most significant increase in protections for
residents of long- term care in decades. The plan would create a
minimum staffing standard in nursing homes, ensure accountability for
poor performing nursing homes, increase transparency around ownership
and finances, and provide support for direct care staff.
Chronic understaffing has been a serious problem in nursing homes for
decades and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem
has reached crisis proportions in thousands of facilities across the
country.
My mom was in a nursing home and I saw the horrible situation
first-hand. Too many nursing homes are channeling money into profits
and salaries for owners and administrators, not investing in adequate
staffing that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of residents, or in
living wages, benefits, and training that will attract and retain
qualified staff.
– Mrs. June Schneider / Boones Mill VA
