Smaller is better Renee Lohman Renee Lohman “Smaller is better” var acc = document.getElementsByClassName("mechanic_chapters"); var i; for (i = 0; i In Massachusetts and elsewhere across the country, there is insufficient senior housing, and what exists is usually too expensive. Far too often, institutional housing options for elders lead to impersonal living conditions for residents and impersonal working conditions for staff — to the detriment of both. Those working conditions, combined with low pay, have created a shortage of people who want to work with elders, particularly those trained to staff the nation’s nursing homes. At a median salary of just $13.14 per hour, the certified nursing assistants in this country are expected to provide care every day to sometimes as many as 30 frail elders. It’s no wonder that there is high turnover and a dearth of employees to care for our nation’s elders.