June 29, 2011

MIAMI — Advocates for nursing home patients and the workers who care for them are calling on facilities to maintain their current staffing levels even though more lax standards go into law Friday.

The new staff-to-resident ratio requirements reduce the average amount of direct care provided residents by 18 minutes a day.
AARP and the United Healthcare Workers are both issuing calls not to reduce staffing.

AARP says relaxing the standards “could put tens of thousands of very frail, vulnerable Floridians at risk.”