Community
BY SARAH HERNANDEZ
Senior Living Guide
2024
A note from the general manager For many of us, the holiday season is an opportunity to slow down and focus on our family. Among the celebrations, we may also make observations about our aging loved ones and assessments about their changing needs. This issue includes a Senior Living Guide with the intention of bringing hyperlocal options to your coffee table should this be a topic in your household. Recently, it has become one in mine. Whether you plan to make a decision in the new year or simply want to learn more, we hope it proves helpful.
Premium sponsor:
Deeda Lovett General Manager dlovett@ communityimpact.com
Four Oaks Medicare Planning https://www.gofouroaks.com/ 512-298-5404
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What's inside
Discover senior living facility options in Southwest Austin, Dripping Springs (Page 26)
Find out about a nonprofit’s resources for the aging community (Page 29)
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Texas nursing homes face continued staffing shortages
a grade of F and the lowest ranking out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Looking ahead New rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aim to combat poor quality of care in nursing homes. It outlines minimum staffing requirements that mostly impact registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses and certified nursing assistants by requiring additional hours of care a nursing home patient receives daily. “It’s a great concern for the nursing home environment because while you can mandate these requirements, there are just not enough nurses or clinicians out there to meet this requirement. It’s unrealistic,” Caballero said. The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies recommends several plans for improving staff retention and recruitment in long-term care facilities, including pay increases, recruitment plan improvements and educational partnerships.
Nursing homes in Texas and across the U.S. face high staff turnover rates due to exhaustion, linger- ing effects of the pandemic and staff’s tendency to leave for other health care jobs, according to the American Health Care Association. The context In 2022, the median turnover rate for direct resi- dent care registered nurses and licensed vocational nurses in long-term care facilities was over 50%, an increase from previous years, according to the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies. Leticia Caballero, director of government rela- tions for HMG Healthcare, said a reason for the high turnover rates after the pandemic was exhaustion. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rates U.S. nursing homes based on their quality of care and staffing. Families for Better Care, an Austin citizen advocacy group dedicated to creating public awareness of nursing home conditions uses the ratings to compile state report cards. Texas received
Nursing home staff turnover Texas nursing homes have a higher staff turnover rate than the national average.
Nursing staff turnover rate as of November 2024
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
National average
SOURCE: CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN - DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION
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