NURSING HOMES NEED MORE STAFF!Nursing Home Staffing Campaign

National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care

The Problem:

Not enough staff to care for residents

Residents can be harmed physically when there are not enough staff

http

s://w

ww

.flic

kr.c

om/p

hoto

s/su

ltan/

3213

6466

05/

Residents can be harmed emotionally when there are not enough staff

http

://al

zhei

mer

s-re

view

.blo

gspo

t.com

/201

1/04

/clin

ical

-dep

ress

ion-

as-r

isk-

fact

or-fo

r.htm

l

Others suffer too • Staff• Families of residents• All of us - American taxpayers

http

://he

alth

.how

stuf

fwor

ks.c

om/m

enta

l-hea

lth/d

epre

ssio

n/qu

estio

ns/d

epre

ssio

n-ru

n-in

-fam

ilies

.htm

What can be done? • Require a minimum staffing standard to prevent harm to residents

• This would create a minimum staffing level below which a nursing home can’t cut

What is the current standard? • Current federal regulations:

• “Sufficient” staffing to meet the needs of residents • The federal government does not require minimum staffing levels in nursing homes

http

://br

ittan

ylav

an.w

ordp

ress

.com

/wha

t-effe

cts-

qual

ity-o

f-car

e/co

nseq

uenc

es-o

f-und

erst

affin

g/

How do we know what a minimum staffing standard should be? • The federal government’s own study determined that to avoid

harm, residents should receive at least 4.1 hours of care from nursing assistants and nurses per day.

• 4.1 hours would avoid quality of care problems

• Examples: pressure ulcers, dehydration and the loss of the ability to carry out daily tasks like eating, getting dressed and walking.

4.1

Better Staffing = Better Care• There is a direct link between staffing levels and quality

care• There are more than 100 studies, articles, and government

documents showing this link• Requiring a minimum staffing standard will increase

staffing levels; Increased staffing levels will help improve care

http

://w

ww

.theg

uard

ian.

com

/com

men

tisfre

e/20

13/o

ct/1

9/m

othe

r-ho

me-

lone

ly-je

rem

y-hu

nt-e

lder

ly-p

eopl

e-ca

re

What can you do?• Contact your members of Congress. Tell them about

your experience. Ask them to protect nursing home residents by increasing staffing levels to 4.1 hours per resident per day. • Email your members of Congress using the Consumer Voice easy

online system: www.theconsumervoice.org/betterstaffing (Click on one of the links to e-mail Congress)

• Sign and return postcard to Consumer Voice: National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care

1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #425Washington, DC 20036

• Spread the word! • Tell the people you know to help nursing home residents by

contacting their members of Congress.

What can you do?• Join the Consumer Voice Nursing Home Staffing

Campaign!

• Go to: www.theconsumervoice.org/betterstaffing • Email: info@theconsumervoice.org• Call Consumer Voice at: 866-992-3668 (toll-free)

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A

DIFFERENCE!