The Growing Need For Senior Home Health Care Jobs

Boomers are ageing, and we are happy that we live in a time when we are living longer and we are living healthier. However, in a post a few months ago I discussed the fact that even though we are living longer for most of us, we will spend at least two to three years needing care. There is a problem with that because we do not have enough people trained to look after an ageing senior population. 

In a 2015 report, Future Care for Canadian Seniors: A Status Quo Forecast, the Conference Board of Canada estimated that by 2026 over 2.4 million Canadians age 65 and over will require paid and unpaid continuing care support — up 71 percent from 2011. By 2046, this number will reach nearly 3.3 million. In the US for the first time, people 65 and older will outnumber those 18 and younger in 2030. Indeed, 1 out of every 5 Americans will be at or past retirement age.

Those numbers, from the US Census Bureau, are fairly staggering, and represent some fairly enormous social changes over the last few generations. Better medical care improved awareness of what is and is not healthy, and declining birth rates mean that America is ageing (though slower than Europe or parts of Asia).

When you dive a little deeper, the numbers might really surprise you:

• By 2035, there will be 78 million people 65 and over
• By 2060, that number will jump to 98 million
• By 2060, people 65 and older will make up 24% of the population

This means people are living longer and have more time to explore and learn and live their lives to the fullest. The rate of immigration will keep the US population growing at replacement rates, with the happy outcome of making this country much more diverse.

That being said, of course, an ageing population brings with it its own set of social and economic challenges. A larger problem looms in the medical and health care needs of an ageing population.

There is a growing need for doctors, nurses, and professional caregivers, especially in home-based care. We have a need for committed, compassionate, and professional care that helps older adults live their best lives. Understanding that the market can help younger people find jobs that will be challenging, interesting, fulfilling, and filled with love.

Writing at Quartz, Dan Kopf calls jobs involving the personal care of older adults the “future of employment.” Indeed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as he points out, says that this will be the fastest area of employment growth from 2016-2026 (and, one can surmise, beyond that, but the latest numbers are through these years).

To back that up, Kopf gave some more impressive numbers. Over the next decade:

• Personal care jobs will grow by 750,000
• Home health aides will grow by 425,000
• These jobs will grow from 2.3 to 3.4 million jobs overall
• These jobs will grow 37% and 37%, respectively, the 3rd and 4th fastest growing jobs in the US

So, it is pretty clear that the ageing population is going to have a direct impact on what work will be like in the future.

This work isn’t all uniform, of course. There are many different jobs, including working at hospitals and at nursing care facilities. But more and more, the bulk of jobs is moving toward senior home health care as the result of cultural and sociological shifts.

In Canada, spending on care for seniors across all 10 provinces will increase from $28.3 billion in 2011 to $177.3 billion in 2046. With two-thirds of this spending provided by governments, spending growth will significantly outpace revenue growth for most provinces.

By 2046, over 11.6 million Canadians will be counted on to provide some level of unpaid continuing care support to seniors.

In the last few decades, we’ve seen a cultural move toward ageing in place. While many nursing care facilities are amazing places staffed with wonderful, dedicated people who work hard to build a true community, more and more people want to stay in their homes or with a loved one in place of starting over.

That’s not easy, of course. While there are programs to help, it can be challenging to age in place. It can be hard to care for yourself, and it can be hard to care for a loved one, especially if you have a full-time job and family of your own.

That’s where a caregiver comes in. Whether you have a full-time caregiver who might specialize in your specific health needs or a part-time one who can come in and handle things like medicine or bandages or basic chores like cooking, caregivers are an enormous help. They are companions and nurses, friends and chefs, someone to talk to and someone to laugh with and someone to lean on. They are people who help older adults age in place, with the comfort and dignity they deserve.

In both Canada and the USA labour demand growth for this sector is projected to far exceed overall labour force growth.

2015 was the first year that home health care in America surpassed nursing care in terms of money spent. That will grow, of course, as the population ages and cultural changes become embedded. And right now, there seems to be a large, perhaps dangerous, shortage of home health care workers.

There are reasons for this. For one, not everyone knows that this is a growing industry. And there are some unfair structural reasons. For one thing, the average pay is low, often under $15 an hour depending on the state. Few jobs come with benefits, and few have consistent hours. That makes people reluctant to take a job.

But that could change. Indeed, the shortage of workers, combined with the growing need, will demand that changes. When labour becomes necessary, wages and benefits go up. It seems almost inevitable.

That’s why not only is this job growing in importance, but as more people realize its importance and the shortage of workers become more apparent, this is a position that will be able to provide a stable and steady income for anyone with the dedication and the heart to take it.

To do so, though, there is a need for home health care. That need is growing, and the profession is changing and getting the esteem and respect it has always deserved. Ideally, wages and other benefits will grow accordingly.

That’s not just a matter of basic economics. It’s not just supply and demand. It comes from recognizing what is important as the nation changes and recognizing what needs to make it happen. That’s why senior home health care jobs are the fastest growing in the country