Title: Nursing Home Understaffing - Causes, Risks and Consequences
Headings: Nursing Home Understaffing
Nursing Home Understaffing
Nursing Home Understaffing Reasons
Impact of Overtime
Nursing Home Understaffing Consequences
Immobile Patient Consequences
Neglect of Needs
Abuse of Patients
Prevalence of Nursing Home Understaffing
Preventing Nursing Home Understaffing
Handling Understaffing Consequences

Content: Nursing Home Understaffing - Causes, Risks and Consequences
Nursing Home Understaffing
Nursing home understaffing may be one of the biggest contributing factors to nursing home neglect. Understaffing can also indirectly contribute to nursing home abuse, as overwhelmed staff members and caregivers will be more likely to abuse a patient. Understaffing is dangerous for both staff members and patients, and is increasingly being viewed as a crime. Nursing Home Understaffing Reasons
Nursing home owners or management may intentionally understaff in order to increase profits. Labor is one of the most costly expenses in a nursing home, so management may dictate unreasonable patient to staff ratios. In some cases, nursing homes may have difficulty finding or retaining enough properly trained nurses to provide adequate care for all residents. High turnover due to unreasonable demands may further increase understaffing issues. Impact of Overtime
Overtime is very common among nursing home staff, and can contribute to stress levels as staff members work longer hours. Overtime is viewed as a benefit by many nurses and other staff members, as wages will increase for overtime hours. Overtime is also viewed as a way to show loyalty and earn respect from administration, contributing to a dynamic in which staff feels compelled to work an unreasonable number of hours and patient care suffers.