https://archive.md/RqEVA
"Two decades ago, a group of senior-housing executives came up with a way to
raise revenue and reduce costs at assisted-living homes. Using stopwatches,
they timed caregivers performing various tasks, from making beds to changing
soiled briefs, and fed the information into a program they began using to
determine staffing.
Brookdale Senior Living, the leading operator of senior homes with 652
facilities, acquired the algorithm-based system and used it to set staffing at
its properties across the nation. But as Brookdale’s empire grew, employees
complained the system, known as “Service Alignment,” failed to capture the
nuances of caring for vulnerable seniors, documents and interviews show.
At a Brookdale facility in Chicago, tiny elevators prevented residents from
being herded en masse to dinner, necessitating more trips and more time than
Service Alignment allotted. At a facility in New Port Richey, Fla., the
algorithm recommended fewer caregivers than buildings, making it impossible to
monitor all residents at all times. And at a facility near Fort Worth,
residents often could not undress, shower and get dressed again within the
allotted 20 minutes — constantly putting caregivers behind in their tasks.
In emails and phone calls to Brookdale executives, building managers repeatedly
complained that the company’s algorithm underestimated the amount of labor they
needed to meet resident needs, according to court records, internal company
documents reviewed by The Washington Post and interviews with more than 35
current and former Brookdale employees. Several managers said they quit or were
fired after objecting to the system, including Patricia McNeal, 53, who spent
six years overseeing Brookdale facilities in Ohio and Florida.
“Brookdale is handing you this thing that says, ‘This is what it says you need,
hire for that,’” McNeal said. “My eyes told me that we weren’t getting enough”
staff to care for residents.
While assisted-living chains promote their properties like all-inclusive
resorts with round-the-clock care, many operate more like assembly lines, where
low-wage workers perform a series of discrete, predictable tasks, documents and
interviews with industry veterans show. Brookdale, based in Brentwood, Tenn.,
pioneered staffing systems based on algorithmic formulas, an approach experts
say is ill-suited to caring for the elderly, who are growing more frail and are
more likely to suffer from chronic conditions than previous generations."
Via
The RISKS Digest Volume 34 Issue 14:
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/34/14#subj4
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
