CAREGIVER • SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2019 • 5
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GROWING CONCERNS
from workers retiring and
leaving the field, that study
found that the direct care
workforce will grow at a
rate higher than any other
occupation in the country
between 2016 and 2026.
That will equate to 7.8
million job openings nationwide.
Finally, an analysis by the
Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services Office of
the Actuary found that the
United States will spend almost
$103 billion on home
health care in 2019, and
by 2026 that number will
reach $173 billion.
Part of the challenge with
the shortage of workers,
Threlkeld said, is not only
finding people to fill the
jobs, but the right people to
fill the jobs.
“It requires a certain personality,
a willingness to
travel and a willingness to
care about others deeply,
and we’re talking about
people they otherwise
wouldn’t know,” he said.
“In some cases, you have
to perform intimate tasks
such as helping with bathing
or toileting, that sort of
thing. Not everyone is suited
to that kind of task, so
it’s difficult. Staffing shortages
are regular topics when
we talk to our member organizations,
and it’s among
their top priorities to find
enough not just bodies, but
qualified people.”
Amy Oswald and her
husband started Happy
at Home in-home care in
McMurray roughly six years
ago after their personal
experience trying to find
care for ailing members of
the family.
“Our slogan is, we’re like
an extra pair of helping
hands so you can take your
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