What challenges are facing senior care?

At a time when our aging population is dramatically increasing, Minnesota’s senior care settings are battling severe workforce shortages and inadequate reimbursement from the state of Minnesota for the rising costs of care. One in five caregiving positions is vacant, and low wages negatively impact the ability to recruit and retain these essential workers.

Most providers can’t afford to simply raise wages because the funding to support that is tied directly to reimbursement rates determined by the state of Minnesota. The state’s formula has fallen far behind the rising costs of care for our state’s growing senior population.

As a result, hundreds of nursing homes are being forced to place holds on admissions and deny seniors the care they need. 11,000 Minnesota seniors were turned away from long-term care in just one month due to workforce shortages.

Despite repeated calls to Governor Walz and state lawmakers, the latest “One Minnesota” budget targets do not provide the funding needed to protect access to senior care. Fund Senior Care MN is an effort to ensure lawmakers prioritize seniors and increase funding to support their professional caregiving workforce, resulting in improved access to care for our state’s older adults—today and in the future.

Your support is critical to this effort. Choose an option at the top of this page to easily contact Governor Walz and your lawmakers.

Questions?

If you have any questions, comments, or need help with any advocacy issue, contact us!