Staff shortages aren’t new in senior care. While they were exacerbated by the pandemic, the staffing crisis started well before 2020. According to a LeadingAge poll from 2022, 93% of nursing home providers and 80% of assisted living providers reported severe or significant workforce shortages.
At a LeadingAge Annual Meeting session in Nashville, Tenn., this week, Bill Charnetski, executive vice president of health system solutions and government affairs at PointClickCare, told attendees that by talking to policymakers, he’s learned that staff shortages are starting to affect access, especially for small, independent and rural operators. Organizations are having to close or reduce their capacity.
In addition, Charnetski pointed out that the number of people over the age of 80 is increasing as baby boomers grow older, but the number of people age 18 to 40 who act as caregivers is decreasing.
“The delta is only getting bigger,” he said. “We’re now approaching a point that by 2040, the sector will need 3 million more workers.”