Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) increased pay to management-level employees by 2.73% on average between April 2020 and March 2021.
That’s according to the 24th annual CCRC Salary & Benefits Report from Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service. The annual report is endorsed by industry association LeadingAge, and draws on responses from 545 CCRCs.
Among CCRCs that participated in both the 2020 and 2021 reports, average executive director compensation increased 3.25%, to $177,149. Overall, national average executive director compensation came in at $172,414.
This year’s report also includes findings from survey questions related to Covid-19. As the pandemic swept across the United States, 25.5% of CCRCs increased the hours of key clinical staff — registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs).
A majority of respondents — 57.8% — provided pay adjustments to key employees and those working with Covid-19 patients. The most common adjustments were appreciation pay, one-time bonuses and hazard pay for direct care workers.
The national average hourly rate for RNs in CCRCs increased 3.42%, compared with a 2.74% increase the previous year. Turnover among RNs increased from 34.81% to 40.45%.
The average hourly rate for CNAs increased 4.10%, while CNA turnover increased from 41.08% in 2020 to 45.87% in 2021.
This release of this report comes at a time when employers of all kinds are facing intense labor pressures, which they attribute to a variety of factors. Enhanced unemployment benefits are a commonly cited issue, but the pandemic also caused some workers to change jobs or careers, and created upheaval as people relocated on a temporary or permanent basis.
Within senior living and long-term care, providers are reporting serious worker shortages. In a recent survey from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), 94% of nursing homes and 81% of assisted living facilities reported staff shortages in the last month.
A majority of nursing homes and assisted living facilities said that better pay and benefits — supported through higher reimbursement rates — would help address the issue.
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