Georgia nursing homes face a severe staffing shortage [Video]

At a recent new employee orientation at A.G. Rhodes nursing home in Marietta, the classroom was full, a sign of how things used to be. 

The non-profit’s CEO Deke Cateau says prior to the pandemic, the company’s 3 long-term care facilities were staffed at “very high levels.” 

Cateau says finding new employees, and funding competitive salary increases to retain the staff they have, has become increasingly difficult lately. 

“Nursing homes are competing with hospitals,” Cateau says. “They’re competing with doctors’ offices.” 

And, he says, their employees have come out of the pandemic asking for more flexible working hours, while their resident families want consistent staffing. 

“They expect a consistent caregiver taking care of their mom or their dad each and every day,” Cateau says. “That is not always possible, especially in this environment. A lot of times it does not happen.” 

Georgia’s 357 nursing homes, home to about 4,000 residents, …