Redeploying our national workforce as in-home healthcare workers creates dire, predictable economic, wellness, employment, family, and equity consequences.
— Jeannette Galvanek, Founder and CEO, CareWise Solutions
OLDWICK, NJ, USA, November 8, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — Policymakers are finally listening to messaging to support families and caregivers. Companies of all sizes can also make their voices heard. It is time to REBALANCE the healthcare-to-home strategy. Redeploying our national workforce as in-home healthcare workers creates dire, predictable economic, wellness, employment, productivity, family, equity, and community consequences.
Family Caregiving is a Global Workforce Crisis. Organizations in every corner of the globe face the same issues as family caregivers are distracted, absent, and driven from the workforce to care for aging relatives. Especially in America, as baby boomers live longer and prefer to stay independent, employed relatives are under immense strain. Organizations aware of today’s workforce instability often underestimate the impact of aging Baby Boomers.
These are some of the critical facts that demonstrate the need for bold change in the way we work and support families. Statistics from a 2021 Survey by The Rosalyn Carter Institute for Caregivers show:
• 73 percent had to leave work early or unexpectedly.
• 68 percent did not take on additional responsibilities or projects.
• 60 percent felt the quality or timeliness of their work suffered.
• 59 percent had to take two or more days off in a row from work.
• 52 percent lost income because they had to miss work.
Voter Support
• 89% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans support expanding services to help seniors live at home instead of a nursing home.
• Black voters, women, Democrats, and Latinos agree support for caregivers are key issues. 77% of women, 82% of Black voters, 71% of Latinos and 77% of Democrats say expanding services to help seniors live independently is extremely important.
• Anxiety over caregiving is not limited to those currently providing care—more than two-thirds of voters express concerns about whether they will be able to get the care they need as they grow older or live independently. ~ Impact Research, AARP, 2023
For leaders in the US to demonstrate resiliency in all facets of their respective businesses, it is imperative that they redirect funding toward a more caregiver-centric employee experience. The risks to the care economy are too great to ignore. Address today’s pain points of every employee’s collision with the work and aging family caregiving crisis. Forward-thinking businesses are building the equitable capacity to expand, offering good health, great working relationships, and rewarding careers for everyone.
Forerunner Ventures explains, “Ultimately, investing in caregiving isn’t just a social issue — it’s an economic one. The US could lose roughly $290B in GDP each year starting in 2030 because of this growing caregiving crisis, both from growing care worker shortages and the resulting outflow of talent from the workforce taking on caregiving roles.”
As influential as businesses are in moving the needle on the care crisis, this issue is too large for one sector to tackle alone. Partnership with the public sector is a major component of addressing the potential GDP loss.
Next Steps
Here are the recommended next steps based on feedback from executives.
• Discuss business goals with an expert to make a difference with innovation and to create a leading-edge employment brand.
• Bring together the senior team and discuss an alternate perspective.
• Engage people across the business – listen and learn from everyone. Invite Employee Resource Groups and frontline workers to contribute. Consider surveying the team to collect data on the extent of the problem in the organization.
• Initiate an employee communications effort from the executive team and appoint all team leaders as wellness, work, and care advocates.
• Invest in an employee benefit that provides resources to employees with caregiving responsibilities.
Families struggle to care for elders. They need a paid job, good relationships with their own family, and the ability to pay for expenses when they reduce their working hours. Until policies change, organizations are left to implement practical solutions to stabilize their workforces, maintain productivity and profitability, and attract and retain talent. The dire consequences of Redeploying our National Workforce are right in front of us.
JEANNETTE GALVANEK
CAREWISE SOLUTIONS
[email protected]
What are the dire consequences of Redeploying our National Workforce as in home healthcare workers?
Originally published at https://www.einpresswire.com/article/666446945/a-perspective-on-the-caregiving-crisis-redeploying-the-national-workforce-has-dire-consequences