Patient/Nurse ratio

In daycares there is a required ratio of 5 kids to one caretaker. I have been in nursing homes where the nurse/patient ratio far exceeds this. How can we implement safer nursing and getting this issue resolved?
I think all patients should be given an acuity score. Acuity would be determined by the time needed to care for the person. I think this should go for nurses and CNAs. It takes more time to shower an immobile patient with severe dementia and rigidity than it does an ambulatory patient recovering from surgery, for example.