Program planning for long-term care: meeting the demand for nursing services.

The recruitment of nurses who are key to the delivery of quality long-term care is clearly an important issue. Nursing homes are admitting elderly persons who, in the recent past, would have been cared for in the acute care hospital. Nurses must care for ventilator dependent persons and others whose lives are supported by high technology. At the same time, nursing skill and expertise is essential to maintenance of functioning in elderly residents who are dependent in routine activities of daily living. The reimbursement rates of third-party payers contribute to the inability of nursing homes to be competitive with acute care facilities in the recruitment of qualified nurses. As demonstrated through implementation of the nurse refresher course and development of the in-house nursing program, long-term-care facilities can be creative in their endeavors to overcome obstacles associated with nurse recruitment. Implementation of an education program emphasizes the necessity of having capable and caring nurses prepared for long-term care. Development of a mechanism such as an in-house nursing agency enables better compensation to nurses. Consequently, care to elderly in nursing homes is recognized as important, and nurses are better valued for services that are indispensable.