In 2021, the total price per bed for nursing homes has risen to a whooping $90,700. This a 22% increase over the prices in 2020 and is the second-highest price point ever recorded for nursing homes.
The coronavirus hit America’s nursing homes harder than any other part of the country. Nearly one out of every 10 nursing home residents died from Covid-19. So with such devastating statistics, why are nursing homes substantially more expensive now than they were last year?
Did Nursing Homes Implement New Cleaning Procedures in Response to Covid-19?
Nursing homes notoriously mask deep problems. More than 130,000 nursing-home residents died of Covid-19, and people at five-star facilities were as likely to die from the coronavirus as those at one-star homes.
The sad mortality statistics above show that even if nursing homes did implement new cleaning procedures, the tactics used in 5-star facilities were no more effective than the tactics used in 1-star facilities.
Charlene Harrington shared that nursing homes were “less prepared in the pandemic” because they were “allowed to not have enough staffing, and they were allowed to ignore infection-control deficiencies, so they had poorer quality than the public knew about.”
In this sense, the rising costs of nursing homes are not directly linked to increased cleaning costs.
Rising Nursing Home Costs are Linked to Short Staffing Rather than Cleaner Facilities
The rising costs of nursing homes are most likely linked to severe short staffing due to the strains put on nurses and administrators during the pandemic.
In recent years, nursing professionals had already been difficult to recruit and retain. Covid-19 exacerbated this difficulty with increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and parents now needing to stay home with school-age children.
Inflation is also another potential reason for rising costs. Only time will tell if inflation will subside so that prices for nursing homes can be manageable for people who are living on a fixed income.
How Can Nursing Homes Have Cleaner Facilities Without Raising Prices Even More?
Are you looking for a trustworthy cleaning company who can ensure your loved one’s nursing home is fully cleaned and ready for visitors? There’s no one better than CST in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad.
Contact us today to get started towards a more thorough and profitable nursing home cleaning experience.