As we step into a new year, senior care facilities face increasing pressure to do more with less. The persistent staffing crisis, compounded by surging care demands, is pushing facilities to seek new ways to maintain safety, efficiency, and peace of mind for staff and residents alike.
According to the AHCA, 94% of nursing homes reported staffing shortages. These shortages are unlikely to ease in the near term, making now the time for forward-thinking and smart facility planning.
Looking Back to Leap Forward: 2025 Lessons
One of our most-read blogs last year, “3 Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Long-Term Care”, laid the foundation for how care environments are evolving. Wander management systems, nurse call solutions, and Location-Based Data Solutions (LBDS) went from future-forward to mission-critical.
Facilities that took early action were better equipped to handle staffing fluctuations, resident safety concerns, and holiday surges with minimal disruption. Those still catching up may find themselves in a more precarious position heading into 2026.
Why Staffing Alone Isn’t the Answer
Hiring alone won’t solve the problem. For many facilities, open positions stay unfilled for weeks, if not months, due to labor shortages, competition, and training lags. That’s why technology that supports and extends staff capacity is crucial.
Secure Care’s Senior Living industry solutions empower care teams with tools that monitor, alert, and respond faster without needing additional headcount.
Increased automation and connectivity free up staff to focus on meaningful care instead of constant surveillance or manual check-ins.
What to Watch for in 2026
Beyond flu spikes and respiratory infections, the new year also brings:
- More patient elopements due to visitor distractions
- Higher risk of slip-and-falls during icy conditions
- Increased chances of door security breaches during shift changes
- Greater burnout among nursing and security staff
Real-time alerting tools can help identify incidents before they escalate, especially when paired with Bluetooth badges, zone-specific permissions, and auto-escalating notifications.
Explore our hospital industry solutions to see how we tailor safety technology to complex clinical environments.
Holiday Coverage & Off-Hour Risk: What the Data Says
Staffing challenges don’t just occur Monday–Friday. A 2022 NIH study found that in-hospital cardiac arrest outcomes were significantly worse during holiday periods, even when patient risk levels were the same. The researchers noted staffing density and composition as likely contributors to the disparity.
This is especially relevant in long-term care environments, where around-the-clock protection is non-negotiable. With smart alerts and location tracking systems in place, facilities can minimize the risks of response delays during weekends, overnights, or holidays.
What’s at Stake in 2026?
More than 913,000 hospital beds were staffed in 2025, but nearly 780,000 of them were in community hospitals, many of which rely on long-term care and senior living facilities to absorb patient overflow. That means your facility may not just be caring for its own residents—it may be supporting broader healthcare system gaps.
Now is the time to ask:
- Is your facility equipped to respond to wander events during understaffed shifts?
- Can your call response times hold steady when staffing dips or demand spikes?
- Do you have visibility into resident movement during nights or weekends?
How Secure Care Can Help
From Location-Based Data Solutions (LBDS) to secure perimeter alerts and wireless call buttons, Secure Care’s suite of products is built to amplify your care team’s capacity without added overhead.
- Wander Management Systems: Monitor resident movement and prevent elopement with DoorGUARDIAN.
- Wireless Nurse Call Solutions: Reduce emergency response times and streamline communication.
- Location Data & Staff Duress Systems: Protect caregivers and residents in real time.
➡️ Contact us today to learn how you can future-proof your care model before 2026 challenges arrive.
➡️ Learn more about Secure Care Products
About Secure Care Products
For the past 45 years, Secure Care Products, A Subsidiary of Valstone Systems Corporation USA, Inc, has been committed to providing improved safety and locating solutions through best-in-class service and innovative design for your most valuable assets. As the first company in the world to design and manufacture electronic monitoring equipment for wander-prone residents, we empower long-term care and healthcare facilities around the world. Using state-of-the-art, cutting-edge technologies, we keep people and things protected. Let us know how we can help you by calling 1.800.451.7917 or sending us a message.
