Originally Posted by
Wondergirl
I was in a for-profit health-care rehab last year -- very understaffed, one nurse and one CNA for every 15 patients, many of whom needed two people to transfer them to a wheelchair, a toilet, and help them bathe, exercise, etc. It took 20-45 minutes for call lights to be answered. The staff was stressed and very tired by the end of the shift. On weekends the ratio was too often 2:25. On the Alzheimer's floor, the ratio was even greater (yet those patients needed even more hands-on care).
Only so many patients on Medicaid are allowed in at one time. The majority are private insurance + Medicare or private pay. The daily cost is $275 and up. I see a need for more nurses and CNAs. Also, more facilities like this are being built in this area. That means more housekeepers and kitchen help as well as medical staff. And our population is aging with people living longer, thanks to medical science, than ever before. I think the problem here is in my first sentence -- "for-profit." So what's the solution for the understaffing?