I. FOLLOWING THE NARRATIVE: A quick summary of national media trends last week.
(* indicates that LeadingAge is featured in the story.)
Continuing negotiations on Build Back Better legislation dominated news coverage, with some speculation about which aging-services sector programs — from affordable housing to home and community-based services — are most vulnerable to cuts. Vaccination mandates in healthcare and their impact on staffing shortages in nursing homes and other care settings stayed on reporters’ radar, as the long-term caregiver crisis deepens in some areas.
Reconciliation, Vaccine Mandates & Booster Shots:
- TIME: Americans Overwhelmingly Back Funding Home Care for the Elderly. Will It Survive in Democrats’ Spending Bill?
- The Washington Post: She’s desperate to get home care for her mom. In Maryland, 21,000 are on the wait list
- Politico: Maxine Waters ready to battle over potential cuts to housing aid
- Detroit News: HUD Secretary Touts Biden Agenda at Senior Complexes in Detroit
- The Hill: COVID-19 vaccines may have saved the lives of 39,000 seniors in US: HHS study
- The Washington Post: Biden’s vaccine mandates are still in the works
- Axios: COVID vaccine mandates are working — for now
- *McKnight’s Senior Living: Religious exemptions: COVID-19 vaccination about ‘good of community,’ not just individual rights
- The New York Times: New York’s largest health care provider fires 1,400 unvaccinated employees
- The New York Times: How a Vaccine Mandate Could Worsen a Shortage of Home Care Aides
- Home Health Care News: Home-Based Care Providers Face Major Losses Ahead of Vaccine Mandates
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: Should there be a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for nursing home staff?
- *ABC News: As nursing home staff vaccine rates remain low, advocates push for federal mandate
- Modern Healthcare: U.S. Unveils Guidance for Federal Vaccine Mandate, Exemptions
Caregiving Crisis & Workforce Shortages
- The Associated Press: Ghost towns: Nursing home staffing falls amid pandemic
- The Associated Press: Nursing home staffing falls as patients plead for help
- *McKnight’s Long Term Care News: Agency staff more prevalent but less dependable: survey
- MPR News: Long-term care CEOs: Pandemic pushing staff shortages to crisis levels
- The Associated Press: Minnesota long-term care facilities have 23,000 job openings
- WTOP: Home care for older adults increased during COVID, but direct care workers remain hard to find
- The San Diego Tribune: San Diego County to create pipeline for home health workers
II. Other Clips that Influenced the Week: LeadingAge is a sought-out, reliable source for multiple trade and national media outlets (see that coverage posted in our LeadingAge Press Room). Other key clips that shaped the narrative last week:
- McKnight’s Long Term Care News: ‘Trajectory seems good,’ nation’s top nursing home leader says about COVID recovery
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Nursing Homes Experienced Steeper Increase In COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in August 2021 Than the Rest of the Country
- HealthDay News: U.S. Nursing Home Deaths Rise as Delta Spreads
- AARP: Nursing Homes are Filled with Empty Beds, Raising More Concerns About Care
- *McKnight’s Long Term Care News: One new law requires operators to provide tech for residents; another supports access to dementia screening tools
- *Home Health Care News: Shift to Home May Be Coming for SNFs as Choose Home Bill Introduced in the House
- PBS Newshour: LGBTQ seniors fear discrimination when searching for housing
- Skilled Nursing News: 566-Bed SNF Nursing Director Says New Clinical Skills Needed for LTC
III. What’s On Our Radar — this week’s likely priorities:
- Continuation of reconciliation legislation negotiations
- Waiting for interim final rule details and implementation guidance from CMS and OSHA on federal vaccine mandates
- Impact of vaccine mandates on staff
IV. National Statements & Products (all posted on the Press Room page):
