An ageing population driving higher care demand
Demographic trends reinforce the pressure on nursing homes. In the WHO European Region, the number of people aged 60 and older is projected to rise from about 215 million in 2021 to 247 million by 2030, and over 300 million by 2050, with those 80 and older more than doubling in that period. This places increasing demand on health and care systems, including nursing homes.
The Joint Research Centre also reports a significant future increase in Europeans aged 50+ with long-term care needs, meaning more residents requiring daily assistance, personalised care, and monitoring at a time when the workforce is not growing at the same pace.
Work in long-term care is demanding, and difficult working conditions add to the challenges of recruitment and retention. Nearly 38% of long-term care workers in the EU were aged 50 or over in 2019, and the workforce remains predominantly female, a demographic reality that intersects with broader workforce trends.
A scoping review in the European Journal of Public Health emphasises how long-term care homes are “task-oriented, with demanding work and insufficient resources,” contributing to stress, reduced job satisfaction, and turnover, key drivers of staffing gaps in nursing homes.
In Germany, higher nursing shortages have been linked with lower nurse-to-resident ratios, changes in staff qualification mix, and reduced occupancy rates, factors that risk care quality and operational stability.
These structural pressures extend beyond individual facilities and reflect broader challenges in health care labour markets across Europe and elsewhere.
Addressing the shortage of staff in nursing homes requires a mix of operational, workforce, and technology-enabled strategies. Below are practical approaches that can support teams right now.
1. Flexible and shared staffing initiatives
In times of high demand or staff absence, creating shared staffing pools, where care professionals can work across multiple facilities, can help stabilise coverage without overburdening core teams.
Flexible scheduling and per diem workers also help distribute workload more evenly and make roles more appealing to candidates who value work-life balance and flexibility.
2. Partnering with training institutions
Establishing relationships with vocational schools, colleges, and healthcare training programmes expands recruitment pipelines and can bring future staff into nursing homes during their training.
Internships and student placement programmes give learners real care experience while giving facilities early access to potential employees.
3. Improving workplace culture and retention
Incentives such as recognition programmes, professional development opportunities, and flexible hours strengthen morale and help retain staff.
Creating a supportive environment where caregivers feel heard and valued can reduce burnout and turnover. Staff retention is as important as initial recruitment, especially where care continuity matters most.
4. Using temporary and agency staffing strategicallyCare homes can partner with specialised staffing agencies to bridge gaps during peaks in workload or unexpected absences. Short-term or travel nursing staff help maintain care quality and relieve pressure on permanent teams without long-term commitments.
This approach should be used strategically and sparingly, given cost implications, but can offer immediate relief in acute staffing shortages.
5. Investing in professional development and training
Ongoing training and upskilling initiatives help existing staff feel confident and competent in their roles. This can include hands-on workshops, simulation exercises, and clinical shadowing, all of which support job satisfaction and retention.
Well-designed career advancement paths make roles in nursing homes more appealing and help communities retain experienced caregivers.
6. Leveraging technology to support workflows
Technology cannot replace the human touch of caregivers, but it can help teams allocate time more effectively.
Nursing home monitoring systems and remote patient monitoring can reduce routine manual checks by providing continuous awareness of residents’ movements, vital signs, and patterns that matter. These systems help alert staff to important changes while reducing repetitive tasks.
Remote monitoring has been shown to support operational efficiency, for example, by enabling specialists to review data without always being on site, and by supporting daily care decisions in understaffed environments.
Other technologies, such as telehealth services and AI-powered alert systems, are being adopted in some facilities to extend the reach of existing staff and support timely interventions.
Our remote monitoring system LYNG can provide caregivers with an instant overview of the ward without needing to do the rounds. That is especially helpful during the night shift. When residents condition changes abnormally, caregivers can see it from their station or mobile app.
7. Community engagement and volunteer networks
Community partner organisations and volunteer networks offer supplementary support during staff shortages. These partnerships can help with non-clinical tasks, create a sense of shared responsibility, and foster local involvement in care.
8. Advocacy for systemic improvements
Long-term solutions also require broader systemic efforts, from better funding for care work to policies that make care roles viable careers. European health initiatives, such as the EU’s “Nursing Action” project, aim to support recruitment and retention of nurses by improving working conditions and mentoring programmes.
Handling staffing shortages in nursing homes is not just a recruitment problem, it’s an operational and sustainability challenge. When facilities adopt flexible staffing models, supportive workplace cultures, and thoughtful use of technology like nursing home monitoring systems, they can reduce the time caregivers spend on routine checks and enable them to direct attention where it matters most.
This approach supports staff and improves continuity of care, even in the face of limited workforce capacity.
The shortage of staff in nursing homes and understaffing in nursing homes will continue to affect care delivery and workforce planning. Addressing these challenges requires strategies that support people, workflows, and environments — not just quick fixes.
Purposeful workforce planning, ongoing training, flexible staffing strategies, and supportive technologies like nursing home and remote monitoring can help care teams focus on meaningful caregiving rather than constant routine tasks.
The future of long-term care depends not only on numbers, but on how care teams are supported, enabled, and empowered to work efficiently and compassionately in resource-constrained environments.
Are you interested in exploring what this could look like in your nursing home?
If you’re considering a pilot of a remote monitoring system, or simply want to discuss how technology can support your team under real staffing constraints—we’re happy to talk.