Dedicated caregivers fleeing underfunded Texas nursing homes

AUSTIN, TX (KTRK) -- Dedicated caregivers are fleeing low-pay, high-stress jobs in Texas nursing homes at record rates, a long-term care expert told members of a House Appropriations subcommittee.

The Lone Star State is home to one of the lowest care payments for medically dependent seniors, and has the toughest regulatory system in the nation for nursing homes.

"Registered nurses in Texas nursing homes have a 94-percent annual turnover rate," said Scot Kibbe, director of government relations for the Texas Health Care Association. "These are the folks who take care of most of our parents or grandparents or, even most of us, eventually."

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