Staffing crisis squeezes Texas nursing homes

Trying to shore up a depleted staff at the nursing home she runs, Celisse Rideaux tried signing bonuses: $6,000 for nurses and $3,000 for nurse’s aids. She offered the staff bonuses for referrals. It’s not helping. “We’re just not even getting anybody to apply,” she said. Rideaux is an administrator at Heritage at Turner Park in Grand Prairie. Like other North Texas nursing homes and long-term care facilities, it is struggling to get enough nurses and nursing assistants to care for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents. A growing number of nurses and certified nursing assistants who handle the bulk of care are joining agencies that offer flexible hours and better pay. Others left the field in the past two years, burned out from the long hours and health risks they faced during COVID-19 pandemic. All employers are struggling to fill open positions. There were 11.4 million advertised openings in April, down slightly from the record 11.4 million in March, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. At long term care facilities, the staffing problems were exasperated by COVID-19. For Rideaux, the pandemic has dragged on longer than she ever expected. But amid the stress, she has worked to stay focused and remember why she loves her job: the residents, who benefit from consistent care. “I’m praying for a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. The Texas Legislature addressed the staffing challenges affecting the health care industry sending them millions in COVID-19 relief dollars. But long term care professionals say more help is needed to ensure adequate staffing in a state where the number of adults requiring long term care is expected to double by 2050. Read this subscriber-exclusive story from reporter Eleanor Dearman Struggling to navigate long-term care for your loved one in Texas? Follow these tips. Check out today’s eEdition And support local journalists with a subscription