Minnesota long-term care facilities turning away seniors at ‘alarming rates’

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - New data has painted a bleak picture of Minnesota’s long-term care landscape. Industry leaders said the situation is not getting better but instead continues to deteriorate.

A new survey of senior care providers shows that nursing homes and assisted living facilities are struggling with staffing shortages. As a result, they are reducing capacity or closing altogether, leaving families with dwindling options.

"We would say that the sector is on the brink of collapse, and it's getting worse," said Kari Thurlow, the president and CEO of LeadingAge Minnesota.

The survey was conducted by the Long-Term Care Imperative, which is a partnership of Minnesota's two senior care provider associations, Care Providers of Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota.

The survey shows day facilities are denying an average of 450 hospital referrals, with denials having increased by 44 percent in just the last six months. In March alone, nearly 14,000 referrals were denied. The Long-Term Care Imperative called the rates "alarming."

"Oftentimes, those seniors are left waiting in hospitals much longer than they have to. We see that time and time again," Thurlow said.

She said the other option is families have to look further and further away to find placement for their relatives. Particularly, in greater Minnesota, it’s not uncommon for families to search for options hundreds of miles away from their home communities, she explained.

The staffing shortage is an industry-wide problem, which has been exacerbated by pandemic burnout. The survey shows that nearly 40 percent of assisted living facilities and 75 percent of nursing homes do not have enough staff.

"We've never seen it this bad. You can talk to providers throughout the state, many of whom have had 30, 40-year careers. We have never seen a crisis of this proportion," Thurlow said.

Industry leaders said 17 nursing homes have closed statewide since 2020, with two more in northwestern Minnesota planning to close. Other facilities have had to limit how many seniors they can take in, with a total of about 2,400 beds already cut.

In the meantime, senior care provider associations are pushing state lawmakers to provide more funding so that providers can increase caregivers' wages. If the situation does not improve, Thurlow believes more facilities will have to close.