According to the White House, a facility with 100 residents would need two to three registered nurses, at least 10 to 11 nursing assistants, and two additional nursing staff to meet the standard. Additional nursing staff could include registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, or nursing assistants.
In our letter, Sweeney noted that CMS has granted significant flexibility to nursing homes in areas facing the most severe staffing shortages, such as rural communities, including a longer period to meet requirements and the ability to apply for waivers.
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“If a nursing home does not have enough staff to care for its residents, it should not admit new residents,” Sweeney wrote.
Research suggests that adequate staffing leads to higher quality care. In our letter, we shared the story of a Virginia woman whose mother was forced to sit in her urine-soaked clothes while staff tended to other residents.
Join the fight to protect vulnerable older adults
Tell Congress to reject bill that would cut minimum staffing standards for nursing homes
Sweeney said she is one of thousands of AARP members whose loved ones have suffered because of staffing shortages, and she cited a recent study that estimated the new standards would save nearly 13,000 lives each year.
“We must ensure that facilities that receive taxpayer money provide care that is commensurate with what they are being paid,” Sweeney wrote.
Read our letters and stay up to date on AARP’s nursing home coverage.