Until now, the only staffing rule for nursing homes has been that they have “sufficient” staff, without specifying what that means.

The government wants to set staffing standards at nursing homes, but the industry says there are too few nurses to allow it to comply.

The pandemic changed tech and personnel matters, says surgeon Eric Henderson. But the empathy required and the lovely setting remain the same.

Hospitals compete for these skilled personnel, some of whom make $8,000 a week. But the work is difficult and there can be tension with colleagues.