The pandemic offers us the opportunity to expand the home care workforce.
Home health care must expand to meet the needs of many people with COVID-19, write geriatricians Madhuri Reddy, Nathan Stall, and Paula Rochon in The Conversation. That expansion could lessen the stress on our health system during the pandemic, but several factors will limit the number of workers willing and able to provide home health care:
- About 90% of home health care workers are women who have not completed college.
- Nearly 60% belong to racial or ethnic minority groups with a disproportionately high rate of illness and death from COVID-19.
- One in five lacks health insurance.
- Only one-third are employed full-time.
- Median pay is $12 an hour.
Many home health care workers piece together full-time work by traveling to multiple homes. But that practice puts them at risk for infection and increases the risk that they could bring the coronavirus into the homes of frail older adults.
The authors make 10 recommendations to better support the home health care workforce during the pandemic and beyond:
- Offer workers access to personal protective equipment.
- Make regular COVID-19 testing available to workers and clients.
- Offer home care workers full-time positions with paid sick leave.
- Provide flexibility in how care is delivered by promoting telehealth and virtual training.
- Expand the definition of “home health” to include “personal care” to help socially isolated clients and free up nursing home space.
- Expand the definition of “homebound” so more people can qualify for home care services.
- Provide federal funding for community health workers.
- Recruit more home care workers from industries experiencing significant layoffs.
- Train, authorize, and compensate home care workers to carry out more complex tasks.
- Create career ladders with growth opportunities.
“We cannot return to past ways of doing business,” the authors conclude. “The pandemic offers us the opportunity to expand the home care workforce to benefit those they serve. After all, a crucial part of valuing our older adults is to value those who care for them.”