The New York Times on Sunday had a troubling front-page article Sunday on nursing homes masking the depletion of their staffs. Nursing homes are not ALFs, so why should this bother us? For two reasons:
- Many people don't distinguish between nursing homes and ALFs, and commonly refer to the latter using "nursing home." So in the context of government regulation, publicized issues could end with legislation which paints with a broad brush.
- Based on my own experience, many ALFs are also flying by the seat of their pants with staffing. Cost-cutting is always important, but maintaining a healthy staff-to-resident ratio should be of paramount importance. Otherwise, problems with response times and delivery of services give PI firms kindling for their fires. In addition, the industry has a fiduciary duty to its residents for their care.
Food for thought.
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