Elder Care Shortages

Many experts believe that Texas will face a nursing home shortage in just a few years – a combination of an aging population, Medicaid issues, the struggling industry, and the recent recession. These adult care shortages will have a number of serious ramifications – and will likely lead to an increase in nursing home abuse and neglect as facilities cut staff and cut corners in order to continue operating.
Let’s take a closer look at why Texas nursing homes face an uncertain future:

• The baby boom generation is getting older. In recent years, the first of the baby boom generation has hit age 65. In time, we will have 75 million new seniors with growing health issues and in need of care.
• The elderly are living longer. Experts expect that there will be three times as many 100-year-olds by 2030 and fifty percent more people who are older than 80. More people will need assisted living and nursing home care, and these residents will live significantly longer.
• The government is offering less elder support. With budget issues abounding, Medicaid is being slashed. Just last year, the federal government cut reimbursement rates for nursing homes by 11 percent. This is leading to staff shortages at some nursing homes and forcing other homes to closed. Just last year, nursing homes lost an estimated $6.3 billion due to Medicaid losses.
• Seniors have fewer assets than before. Many seniors depend on selling their home to fund their nursing home stay – but the recent housing crash means that literally trillions of dollars in equity were lost.
• Fewer nursing homes are being built. New nursing home construction has fallen by 30 percent during the recent recession. Other issues in the industry – such as those listed above – mean that fewer people want to enter the already struggling nursing home business.

If your elder loved one has been the victim of Texas nursing home abuse or neglect, you may wish to speak to a Texas nursing home negligence attorney about your case – both to find justice for your loved one and to protect others in the nursing home from similar injury. Rasansky Law Firm offers its clients a free, no-obligation legal consultation.