Home Health Care Providers Experiencing Shortage of Caregivers

There is a national shortage of caregivers. Many elderly live alone with no family members to take care of them, and the need for home care aides continues to grow.

Comforcare owner/president, Jeff Stone of Miami-Dade and Broward agencies reports:

"From my perspective the caregiver shortage has occurred due to both economic and social issues.

Over the past few years companies like Amazon, WalMart, Publix, Starbucks, Costco etc have implemented $15 hourly minimum wage. Caregivers as well as other hourly wage workers are quitting their current jobs to go to these companies. Caregivers are also putting pressure on their current employers to increase wages. In order for Home Care companies to attract and retain quality caregivers, we will have to increase our wage base as well. The result being a much higher cost to consumers for Long Term Care in South Florida. Just over the past 2 years the hourly price of home care to consumers has risen approximately 20%. in South Florida. I believe this trend will continue for the next several years.

The second major factor is COVID related school shutdowns and fear of contracting the virus. Caregivers have had to stay home to take care of their children instead of working while the kids are in school. Even though the schools are reopening, thousands of children are being quarantined and some schools have shut down entirely. This makes working a regular schedule impossible.

The US Dept. of Labor estimates that 4 million workers are not going back to the workforce due to fear of contracting COVID.

Until we get COVID under control, we will have a caregiver shortage."

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Report Sheds New Light on Looming Caregiving Crisis

By Joyce Famakinwa | July 7, 2021 printed in Home Care News

As the U.S. population ages, there has been a struggle to keep up with the demand for caregivers. Building the caregiver workforce will take a number of strategies that each address the various challenges that these workers face.

Roughly 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day, some statistics suggest. Within the aging population, about 70% of individuals have severe needs for long-term services and support.

Plus, receiving care in the home setting has become increasingly popular among seniors. Almost 80% of adults 50 and older have a desire to stay in their homes as they age, according to AARP.

These demographic realities and care delivery preferences have led to a spike in the demand for caregivers. At the same time, the home-based care industry is experiencing a workforce shortage.

In fact, a national shortage of 151,000 caregivers will exist by 2030. There will be 355,000-caregiver shortfall by 2040, according to the report.

In order to meet the growing demand for caregivers, there will need to be a major shift when it comes to the profession. .