OLYMPIA, Wash.- The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responding to a national shortage of professionals to provide direct care to seniors and people with disabilities.
HHS announced the Direct Care Workforce Intensive Technical Assistance initiative on Feb. 27, which will coordinate with federal, state and private groups to find ways to recruit and retain more direct care professionals.
According to HHS, there are a number of reasons why there is a national shortage of direct care professionals.
“Low wages, lack of benefits, limited opportunities for career growth and other factors have resulted in a long-standing shortage,” HHS said.
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services operates the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA) to assist adults who require care.
ALTSA’s strategic plan emphasizes finding more direct care providers as an agency priority, and projects that there will be a need for more long-term care workers in the next two decades as Washington’s population ages.
According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management, the percentage of Washingtonians who were 65 or older increased by 4.8% from 2010 to 2022.
As more people across the Evergreen State require direct care, the federal government is working to foster the workforce necessary to respond to that need. Whether such initiatives will be enough to overcome the currently low pay and advancement opportunities in care work remains to be seen.
