Meanwhile, the more-dependent residents need help getting to and from the bathroom, having diapers changed or being turned every two hours so they don't develop bedsores. Somewhere in there, Romps says, she tries to find time to just talk with residents. But not all nurse aides pull their weight, she said. I was a candy striper at 12. You cannot say it's for a paycheck.
People can flip burgers and have less stress for that kind of money.
Few nursing-home employees stay in their line of work for as long as Romps. Since February, the Health Care Association of Michigan, the for-profit industry group, has been circulating a draft proposal that it contends will lower turnover. It calls for increased wages and benefits, more-effective screening and better management practices. The proposal is meant to take the wind out of the sails of the legislation mandating the hiring of additional nurse aides. In an innovative argument, the industry says it can piggyback on Michigan's recent changes in welfare regulation.