April 21, 2008

CONTACT:
Van Jensen
University Relations
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Georgia State study finds troubling staff turnover rate in assisted living facilities

ATLANTA – A worrisome paradox exists among employees of assisted living facilities in Georgia. While the vast majority of those staff members enjoy their work, nearly two out of three will leave their job in a given year, according to a new study from researchers with Georgia State University’s Gerontology Institute.

“Turnover is a problem throughout long-term care,” said Mary Ball, an associate professor of gerontology who led the study. As baby boomers age, “you’re going to have more and more old people, so it will become a bigger problem.”

In dozens of assisted living facilities – which bridge the gap between independent living and nursing homes – throughout Georgia, a variety of negative factors have created a revolving door for employees, the study found. When staff members constantly come and go they can’t develop good relationships with residents or learn their medical histories. That damages the quality of care, Ball said.

Most employees choose to work in assisted living because they strongly value helping others, especially seniors, the study found. But most also still need the job to make ends meet, which becomes a struggle when their average salary in Georgia is only $8.40 per hour, Ball said. And nearly half the staff don’t have health insurance, either because their employer doesn’t offer it or the employees can’t afford the company’s coverage. With a lack of advancement opportunities at most facilities, workers have to jump to a new facility if they want a substantial raise.

“No one is satisfied with the pay,” Ball said. “There’s got to be an improvement in wages.”

The study, which was funded by the National Institute on Aging, also revealed that assisted living workers, who are primarily black, often face racial discrimination from residents, who are primarily white. Nearly half of black employees reported experiencing racism, Ball said, with many of those situations arising from comments made by residents suffering from dementia. Overall, she said, facilities need to make sure their employees feel valued and appreciated.

“You do that by building relationships,” Ball said. “A frustrating aspect of work is not feeling appreciated. The values and the relationships that develop are what need to be reinforced.”

Ball and her colleagues are compiling their research into a book to be published by The Johns Hopkins University Press. The study is available online at: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwger/news/draft_report_to_providers03268msrev.pdf