ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida placed 38th in a new elder care ranking, though the researchers acknowledge that a workforce measure used in the study likely understates the state’s caregiver availability.
The analysis by home care agency 24 Hour Caregivers compared states using 11 factors across four equally weighted categories: care quality, assisted living capacity, caregiver workforce and affordability.
Utah ranked first, followed by Alaska and Minnesota. Oklahoma finished last.
How Florida performed
Florida received an index score of 36.6, below the study’s average of 50. The score reflects relative performance within the ranking, rather than a percentage grade for care.
The study’s Florida figures included:
- 3.97 nursing staff hours per nursing home resident per day.
- 41.2% annual nursing staff turnover.
- 4.19 out of five for nursing home quality-measure ratings.
- 29.5 assisted living and retirement community jobs per 1,000 residents ages 75 and older.
- 36.3 home health and personal care aide jobs per 1,000 residents ages 75 and older.
Florida’s nursing home quality-measure rating was higher than those of several states near the top of the overall ranking. That measure represents one component of the broader analysis.
A limitation in the caregiver count
The researchers flagged Florida and Oregon as likely understated in their care aide employment measure.
Those figures cover payroll employment and exclude self-employed caregivers and caregivers employed directly by households. The limitation matters because workforce availability contributes to the overall ranking.
The study also uses assisted living and retirement community employment as an indicator of capacity, rather than directly measuring available beds.
Wage estimates are not care prices
The analysis estimated Florida’s annual home care wage bill at $37,180, equivalent to 62% of the median income of households headed by someone 65 or older.
That estimate assumes 44 hours of care each week for 52 weeks at the local median aide wage. It excludes agency fees and overhead and should not be interpreted as a provider’s quoted price.
According to its methodology, the study drew on federal nursing home and home health data, employment statistics, population estimates and household income data.
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