Understaffing in Nursing Homes

When There Aren’t Enough Caregivers, No One Is Truly Safe

Understaffing isn’t just a logistical issue—it’s the root cause behind many of the worst outcomes in long-term care. When there aren’t enough nurses or aides to go around, residents are left waiting for medication, meals, wound care, toileting, or help out of bed. Delays become infections. Missed signs become emergencies. And preventable harm becomes routine.

At The Higgins Firm, we work with families across the country to investigate how short staffing has contributed to serious injuries or death. We don’t just expose negligence—we trace it back to the systemic decisions that allowed it to happen.

What Is Nursing Home Understaffing?

Understaffing occurs when a facility fails to employ or schedule enough trained personnel to meet the medical and daily care needs of its residents. This includes:

• Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)
• Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
• Registered Nurses (RNs)
• Wound care specialists
• Medication aides
• Housekeeping and dietary staff

Facilities often operate with bare minimum coverage—particularly on nights, weekends, and holidays—leaving residents exposed to serious risks. These decisions are frequently driven by cost-saving measures, especially in for-profit or corporate-owned facilities.

What Happens When Nursing Homes Are Understaffed?

The effects of understaffing are visible in nearly every type of nursing home injury and illness we handle:

In many of our cases, families reported noticing signs—residents sitting in soiled clothing, call lights unanswered for 30+ minutes, or rushed staff who simply didn’t have time to explain or update. These aren’t isolated mistakes. They are structural failures.

Signs of Chronic Understaffing

Families may not be told directly that a facility is understaffed—but they often observe:

• Call lights going unanswered for long periods
• Visible distress from residents who need help eating, toileting, or moving
• Aides working long shifts or appearing exhausted
• Frequent infections, bedsores, or sudden declines in condition
• No staff present during meals or in common areas
• Revolving door of unfamiliar caregivers or constant staff turnover

If these red flags are present, your loved one’s safety may be in jeopardy.

Why Understaffing Happens—And Who’s Responsible

Understaffing is often the result of intentional business decisions, not bad luck or short-term absences. Facilities—especially those owned by large corporations or private equity firms—frequently:

• Cut labor budgets to boost profits or satisfy investors
• Stretch staff across more residents than is safe or sustainable
• Rely on unlicensed or underqualified aides to fill roles meant for licensed nurses
• Fail to adjust staffing levels for high-acuity or high-risk residents
• Avoid hiring replacements for staff who leave or take leave

In these cases, management is responsible—not just for failing to hire, but for putting residents in harm’s way.

Federal Staffing Requirements—and Where Facilities Fall Short

The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 requires facilities that receive Medicare/Medicaid funds to provide:

“Sufficient nursing staff to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident.”

However, federal law currently does not require specific minimum staffing ratios, which means enforcement often comes down to:

• State regulations (which vary widely)
• CMS inspection surveys
• Reported incidents and complaints

As of 2024, CMS has proposed new federal staffing mandates, but compliance remains uneven—and many facilities continue to operate dangerously short-handed, especially in rural or for-profit homes.

How We Investigate Understaffing-Driven Neglect

At The Higgins Firm, we conduct in-depth investigations to connect staffing failures to preventable harm. Our legal team will:

• Obtain staffing records and nurse-to-resident ratios for the days leading up to the injury
• Analyze care logs, medication administration records, and incident reports
• Review inspection reports and past violations from CMS or state agencies
• Interview former staff and witnesses to uncover what was happening behind the scenes
• Work with medical experts to demonstrate how understaffing caused or contributed to injury, infection, or death

We don’t stop at the surface—we go deeper to expose the policies and patterns that put your loved one at risk.

Your Family May Be Entitled to Compensation

If understaffing contributed to your loved one’s injury, hospitalization, or death, your family may be eligible to pursue compensation for:

• Medical bills (past and future)
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of dignity and quality of life
• Wrongful death damages
• Funeral and burial costs
• Punitive damages in cases of reckless or profit-driven neglect

Every case we handle is built to reflect the true impact on the resident’s life—and your family’s loss.

Why Families Across the U.S. Trust Higgins

• We focus exclusively on nursing home abuse and neglect cases
• We represent clients in all 50 states, based out of Nashville, TN 
• We understand the intersection of business decisions and medical harm
• We communicate clearly, act decisively, and treat every case like it matters—because it does
• We hold major national chains and corporate owners accountable, even when others won’t

Speak With a Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Today

If you suspect your loved one’s care was compromised because there simply weren’t enough staff on hand, don’t wait. Understaffing is one of the most common—and most preventable—forms of nursing home neglect. We’re here to help you take the next step.