Sitters Etc. Shared – Crisis Brewing Regarding the Number of In Home Care Providers for the Future

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Crisis Brewing Regarding the Number of In Home Care Providers for the Future
MARCH 26, 2014 BY VALERIE VAN BOOVEN RN BSN LEAVE A COMMENT

There is a care giving crisis that is apparently brewing within the United States and there is strong evidence to shortage of home care workers show that the number of in home care providers will fall short of the requirements in the next several years. One of the strongest pieces of evidence regarding this shortfall comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics projections that were released at the end of 2013.
Of the top ten job titles expected to grow between 2012 and 2022, home health care in some form or another tops the list and accounts for the Number 1, Number 4, and Number 6 positions on this list. The number of new personal care aides will be, approximately, 580,800. New home health aides will number 424,000 and nursing assistants will total 312,200 positions. These are new positions that are expected to be created (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Each of these caregivers provide similar services to patients who require some form of home care. They may be responsible for assisting patients with bathing and toiletry needs, getting dressed in the morning, and performing any number of tasks. They will also be required to fill positions within nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the country.
The total number of potential new positions that will be created, or that will need to be filled equals 1.3 million new home health care or in home care providers across the country. This is what is expected to be required in order to meet the demand.
Some agencies are stating that these figures are actually underestimating the total positions, as well as demand, that could be required by the year 2022. PHI, which was formally the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, projects that by the year 2020, “the direct care work force –by that point, about 5 million strong- will become the largest occupation in the United States, surpassing the number of retail salespeople (New York Times).”
One reason for the differential between PHI’s estimate and the government’s prediction is that the federal government doesn’t include private consumers who hire caregivers directly, as opposed to hiring through Medicare, Medicaid, or other government funded programs.
Normally, this level of growth and demand would drive up prices as well as wages. However, that is not expected to occur within the home health care industry. The reason is that middle class families –the largest population that relies on in home care- simply can’t afford any significant increases in prices.
Currently, the average cost for in home care through an agency is $18 per hour. For home health care aides, it’s $19 per hour. Aides generally take home about half that amount for their wages.
The concern for some within the industry will be paying for this increased demand, as the Affordable Care Act and the National Commission on Long-Term Care have not yet addressed national financing measures to help cover the cost for these services for many families.

About Valerie Van Booven RN BSN
Valerie Van Booven, Managing Partner/ Co-Owner of LTC Expert Publications
Valerie’s motto and favorite saying is: “Impact is not created by big budgets, impact is created by innovative marketing ideas!”
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Valerie is a Registered Nurse and the author of three books, Aging Answers (2003), The Senior Solution (2007) and Priceless Care giving (2009). Her adventure in internet marketing began as a self-promotion experiment and ended up becoming a full time marketing consulting business for the elder care market.
Valerie has appeared on national television (Today Show), has hosted her own local radio show, and has been interviewed for dozens of publications and radio shows across the country regarding her business and the business of elder care.
She fast became the foremost authority in driving sales via the internet, seminars, and e-mail for senior service providers and elder care entrepreneurs. While Valerie’s best known for her expertise in marketing, her students share that her biggest impact comes from her ability to make things happen quickly, even on a small budget.