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Caregivers Corner
December, 2000
A National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) is a membership organization devoted to strengthening the retirement future of citizens -- from the "twenty-something" generation and baby boomers, to the nation's thirty-four million seniors. NCPSSM's policy experts and lobbyists educate and inform members of Congress and policymakers in the Executive branch about proposals and initiatives that may affect the integrity and benefits of Social Security and Medicare.
Founded in 1982, the National Committee is a non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt organization with millions of members and supporters across the nation. Supported by dues and contributions from members, the National Committee receives no funding from any government entity.
A growing concern of the National Committee is the widespread understaffing in nursing homes across the country. There were 1.6 million individuals in nursing homes last year. Most have impaired physical or mental function and, therefore, need competent professional care and observation. Thoughtful, thorough care requires time as well as skill, but nurses and CNAs in many centers are routinely given workloads that are beyond their ability to complete in the assigned time.
The National Committee supports greater accountability for public funds spent for the provision of care and advocates the use of a Minimum Staffing Standard proposed by the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing and the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform. The Minimum Staffing Standard includes:
 | an RN supervisor on duty at all times; |
| one direct caregiver (RN, LPN, CNA) for every 5 residents during the day (every 10 residents in the evening, and every 15 residents at night); and also |
| one licensed nurse (RN or LPN/LVN) for every 15 residents during the day (every 20 residents in the evening, and every 30 residents at night). |
The NCPSSM recognizes that part of the problem lies in reimbursement and that Medicare payment rates have, in some states, been insufficient to support good care. The National Committee believes that payment levels must be adequate for nursing homes to recruit and retain competent and committed staff.