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(St. Paul, MN) — Workforce shortages continue to impact nursing homes and assisted living centers around the state.
Leading Age Minnesota President and CEO Kari Thurlow says low wages seem to be the key factor behind the shortages.
She says what many people don’t understand is that state lawmakers provide reimbursement rates to pay wages.
Those reimbursement rates haven’t kept up and so wages haven’t kept up with the rapid inflation that we’ve seen in other parts of the economy. Thurlow says they are asking lawmakers for one-billion dollars in budget surplus money to go toward senior caregiving across the state.
She says if we don’t have careers that are paying family-sustaining wages in senior care — our loved ones will ultimately pay the price.