By
Lanee’ Blunt
There
is a shortage of caregivers as baby boomers age (people born between 1946 to
1964). There are many people that are caring for their aging parents now but, within
20 years baby boomers will be in their 80s and there won’t been enough
caregivers to fill the demand, according to, The Aging of the Baby Boom and the
Growing Care Gap, an AARP report.
The Problem
There
are a large number of baby boomers and they have had fewer children than
earlier generations. Family caregivers
have been giving people the independence to stay in their own homes or
apartments because they have had help from their children, family members or
spouses. Some nursing homes rely on an agency to hire and about 75 percent of
services are provided by home care agencies that are funded by Medicaid and
Medicare. This makes it harder for wages to increase because most middle class
families can’t afford to pay for these services and will care for family
members themselves.
If
elderly people are without this type of support system they are more likely to
have to live in a nursing home. According to AARP, boomers were in their prime
caregiving years in 2010 the number of those ages 45-64, considered potential
caregivers, and grew faster or by 77%.
Employment Projections
The
Bureau of Labor Statistics released a projection that the caregiving jobs were
expected to grow between the years of 2010 to 2020 which is 20% faster than
average for other occupations. These
numbers are based on the top list of jobs that are expected to grow from 2010
to 2020. A nursing assistant is number 6 on the list with 312,200 jobs, home
health aides, number 4 (424,200 jobs) and number 1 is personal care aides (580,800),
and all are new positions.
Duties and Responsibilities
These
positions provide basic living care to the elderly and disabled in hospitals and residents of
long term care facilities. The care
includes cleaning and bathing patients, performing other tasks as toilet and
dressing, turning patients and lifting patients between wheelchairs and their
beds. They groom and comb patient’s hair and feed them their meals. The home
care nursing assistants provide care which allows their patients to feel more
independent to stay in their home because they also shop for them and drive
them to and from medical and recreational appointments.
What can be done about the Shortages?
For
the areas that have a shortage of certified nursing assistants, many nursing
homes are offering free training to candidates that are interested in working.
They require that the candidate works for them when their training is completed
and have successfully passed the state certification exam. Many people are
suggesting that these jobs need to have more opportunities for advancement,
higher wages and better supervision and training to attract more people to the
impending caregiver crisis.
References:
AARP:
AARP Predicts Shortage of Caregiving Support for Aging Boomers
Bureau
of Labor Statistics: Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants
