Home Care Workforce Action Alliance Formed as Providers Hit All-Time Case-Decline Highs

It is often said that storytelling can be a powerful tool for change. This is what the members of the newly formed Home Care Workforce Action Alliance are banking on with the announcement of the Voices for Care at Home campaign.

The Home Care Workforce Action Alliance is the byproduct of some of the biggest industry stakeholders on the trade association side. The Home Care Association of America (HCAOA), and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) are joining forces to tackle the ongoing home care staffing crisis.

The Voices for Care at Home campaign asks individuals to detail their experiences trying to gain access to care. The Home Care Workforce Action Alliance will then amplify these stories.

“Being in this space for more than two decades, and being an advocate for home care, I am always struck by the stories I hear about everyone’s experience when it comes to caring for an elderly parent or family member,” Vicki Hoak, CEO of HCAOA, told Home Health Care News. “We wanted to collect those kinds of stories.”

Along with the experiences of individuals trying to access care, the campaign aims to include stories from families, caregivers and nurses.

“I think stories are powerful when it comes to advocacy, and that is why we decided to launch this campaign,” Hoak said.

Overall, the goal of the campaign is to gain allies in state and federal legislatures and engage more providers in the ongoing workforce mission.

Care demand outpaces supply

Though staffing has always been a challenge for home care providers, this moment in time may be unprecedented in terms of the severity of the issue.

Demographic shifts mean the amount of people who need care is on the rise. Specifically, 81 million people in the U.S. will be older than 65 years, compared with 72 million under the age of 18, by 2040.

Additionally, individuals turning 65 today have nearly a 70% chance of needing long-term care and support.

On the flip side, home care providers are struggling to keep up with that demand for care.

“Agencies are reporting that they’re turning away 20, 40, 80 cases a month because they just don’t have the aides and nurses to staff those cases,” Hoak said during a Home Care Workforce Action Alliance press conference on Wednesday.

Hoak noted that there will be an estimated national shortage of 151,000 paid direct care workers by 2030, and 355,000 by 2040.

David Totaro, another member of the Home Care Workforce Action Alliance, noted that 98% of providers operating in Pennsylvania had to deny new cases during the past two years.

“When there isn’t enough supply to meet the demand, the nation’s most vulnerable population suffers,” he said during the press conference. “When this occurs consistently and frequently, most are forced to seek health care services from much more costly settings, such as nursing homes and hospitals.”

In addition to his above-mentioned membership, Totaro is also a NAHC board member and serves as chief government affairs officer at Bayada Home Health Care.

Bayada is no different than its industry peers. The company is currently at an all-time high for declined referrals and open shifts, according to Totaro.

In September 2021, Bayada had to decline about 50% of all the cases it received. By the end of March 2022, the company’s declination rate was nearly 67%.

Moving forward, reform will be crucial, William A. Dombi, president of NAHC said during the press conference.

“Reform on federal and state policies, reform regarding education, reform on worker supports, and an overall increase in the workforce,” he said.

Dombi urges home care stakeholders to collaborate with the Home Care Workforce Action Alliance.

“[Home care stakeholders] would include representatives of patients, the direct care professionals, congress, governors and state legislators, educators and many more,” he said. “We’ve all recognized this is a problem that needs to be addressed, but we all continue to work within our silos. By joining together, we can succeed.”