Hiring and retaining direct care workers is a common challenge across the country, and according to one long-term care facility owner in Oklahoma, staff shortages are crippling the industry.
Scott Pilgrim, owner and CEO of the Diakonos Group, knows the challenges well. Earlier this year, the company closed its Servant Living Center in Medford, OK. Two of the nursing home’s 41 residents were moved to a local facility, and the rest were relocated to a facility 120 miles away in Oklahoma City. All of these changes occurred within a 30-day period.
“Coast to coast, long-term care facilities are struggling to acquire and retain talent — which is leading to devastating consequences for America’s seniors and their families,” Pilgrim wrote in an opinion piece for Tulsa World. “If we can’t find enough caregivers to support our residents, this limits their access to high quality long-term care.”
As the McKnight’s Business Daily previously reported, direct care workers’ perceptions of low wages and job quality are contributing to workforce challenges. Pilgrim noted, however, that many small care facilities can’t afford to pay workers more. He called for the federal government to help and suggested starting with the Medicaid program and then looking at other assistance programs.
“A properly funded Medicaid program will enable providers to invest in their workforce, hire the best and brightest talent, and offer them competitive wages and benefits,” Pilgrim said. “We also need assistance programs that support caregivers with their everyday lives, such as tax credits, loan forgiveness, child care and affordable housing.”
