New study finds that Oklahoma is the worst state for senior care staffing

A new study found that Oklahoma is the worst state for senior care staffing due to its low ratio of nursing home staff to occupied beds and low occupancy rate.

According to a study from Seniorly, an online platform that compiles reviews and costs for assisted living, there are 1.4 nursing home staff to occupied beds in Oklahoma and an occupancy rate of 63.8%.

The state also has a 59% median staff turnover rate, according to the study.

The study cited the states understaffing for long-term care as a potential reason for the low occupancy rate.

How does senior care staffing look across the nation?

In 2024, 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 years old, according to Axios, and every year through 2027 in what's being called the "Silver Tsunami.

According to the  American Health Care Association, long-term care facilities are 120,000 staffers short of the pre-pandemic level, and 99% of nursing homes reported having unfilled jobs.

A JAMA study found that in early 2023, there's a positive correlation between stable RN staffing levels and quality of care, and a a 2020 study showed a positive correlation between overall staffing levels and quality of care.

The Seniorly study cited burnout, low wages and the rise of remote work for the cause of failing recruiting efforts. Nationwide, there's a 52.1% median turnover rate at nursing homes.

Southern states, including Oklahoma, prove worst for senior care staffing

The Seniorly study found that southern states, like Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia, were among the bottom states for senior care staffing.

In the bottom 10 are: Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Utah and Montana.

Like Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, Louisiana and Illinois have a 1.4 ratio of nursing home staff to occupied beds, placing them at the bottom of the states.

Texas and Montana ranked below Oklahoma in nursing home occupancy rate at 66.7% and 69.4%, respectively.

Oklahoma legislation aimed at improving senior care staffing

At the beginning of 2024, the Caring for Caregivers Act went into effect, which gives an expansive tax credit to Oklahoma family care givers.

Unpaid family caregivers were able to claim up to $2,000 or $3,000 in tax credits in the 2024 tax year for out-of-pocket costs incurred for eligible expenses, depending upon the person for whom they are providing care.

Additionally, nine bills related to nursing homes and long-term care were up for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, but none of them met passage requirements before pending deadlines.

In 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden introduced a proposal that would require nursing homes to provide two hours and 27 minutes of care per resident each day from nurse aids. This would require nursing homes to have roughly ten nurse aides per each eight hour shift in a facility with 100 residents, according to the proposal.

At the time the proposal was announced, opponents in Oklahoma argued that the rules would punish long-term care facilities and exacerbate an already existing health care worker shortage, while supporters contended nursing home reforms are sorely needed.

The proposal has not been finalized.