Florida falls below average in national elder care rankings

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 performedFlorida 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