My Mother’s  sixteen month stay at an Assisted Living facility has been tremendously impacted by staff turnover.  Every time a “new” Assisted Living Director starts we schedule a care conference to ensure that the plans for my mother are well understood and will be implemented.  However, we have found that it is not that simple… for things don’t seem to go as planned.  A recent change in Assisted Living Directors has resulted in a scarce nursing staff, laundry that does not get done, lunch that doesn’t get delivered and dishes that remain in the sink. 

The bottom line is that my Mother suffers each time staff turns over.  Caregivers suffer too, as they are concerned about lapses in care and frustrated by dealing with the same issues over and over.  It doesn’t  seem that it should be that difficult to get the laundry done….esp. when the facility is charging $5K a month. 

Turnover is a problem for everyone.   Number one – it impacts care.  Number two – it is time consuming to constantly readdress the same issues.  Number three – it can’t help but influence staff morale which can affect actions and attitudes during daily resident interactions.

Based on our experience, I would definitely ask questions about management and staff turnover when touring  Assisted Living Facilities or other senior residences.  If the number seems high, think seriously about how this will affect your parent’s care and well-being.  The most beautiful building in the world won’t make up for a breakdown in staff communication, training and service delivery.