‘Where are we going to get the workers?’: Senior group unsure of staffing for new N.B. nursing homes

Seniors advocates in New Brunswick are worried about how 10 new nursing home facilities in the province will be staffed, saying that there are more jobs than there are those trained in the specialized field.

Premier Brian Gallant announced the new facilities in three separate announcements on Monday.

READ MORE: N.B. announces 1,000 new nursing home beds over next 5 years

Both Moncton and Saint John will see new facilities created that will house 60 beds apiece while 18 memory care beds for those with dementia are coming to Charlotte County.

“These are going to help ensure that seniors in the region, seniors across the province, are going to get the care they need and deserve,” said Gallant at the announcement in Saint John.

Over $20 million is being invested in this year’s budget toward senior services.

That includes support for wage increases for those working in the industry.

Gallant admits attracting new workers will be a challenge although it’s one he calls better than not having positions open for New Brunswickers at all. However, some interested parties are concerned about the difficulty in recruiting the right type of people to those jobs.

“How do you attract people? Do they really understand what they’re doing when they go into a home for example, or a nursing home or a special care home?” asked Jean Mowatt, president of Senior Watch, a seniors support group. “Each of those three areas demands something extra from that individual.”

“Where are we going to get the workers to man them?”

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Gallant indicated they expect construction on the new nursing homes to begin this year, meaning recruiting will have to happen fast.

Mowatt points to the intensive training required for the job, as a possible issue when staffing the facilities.

“We are personal care workers, we go to school, we get 800 hours of training,” she said.

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“All of that has to be considered in this greater answer to what’s going to happen.”

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