The Shrinking Home Healthcare Workforce

The home health care industry's workforce shrank by about 3.1% from February 2020 to February 2021, according to the nonprofit research and consulting firm Altarum. In terms of raw employment figures, that translates to an overall loss of about 47,000 home health professionals.

At first glance, a loss of 47,000 home health workers may not seem too steep, especially considering the extraordinarily difficult circumstances of a global pandemic.

But home health operators had already been feeling labor-supply pressures long before the public health emergency, with recruitment and retention being top priorities for practically all agencies.

Our guest is Kathleen Carmody, Owner of Senior Matters Home Health Care and Consulting. Kathleen comes to us with years of experience in the home healthcare field. She began Senior Matters in 2013.

Many employers are having difficulty finding workers for their organizations in today’s economy. For example, restaurants, factories, delivery drivers, office support. However, this is not a new problem for caregiving companies.

Just getting applications from candidates is a huge step. But there are so many other considerations. Particularly in salary and benefits and in retaining good workers. Kathleen provides us with information and unravels the myths many have over the wages of these workers.

In many fields, there is a disconnect between applicants and the skills needed for jobs in today’s economy. We talk about the type of training that she views as most helpful in the caregiving industry. As well as how and where workers get that training.

She is finding her employees using the STNA training as a stepping stone to other positions in health fields. Those could include LPN’s, RN’s, or even Pharmacy Techs. Also, those trained in other health fields are going into caregiving roles.

Families need to also do “their homework” when hiring an agency and/or individual caregiver. They need to ask all the appropriate questions and receive solid answers. The consequences of not making the right decisions could put their loved ones in danger. And the crucial question – how does a family afford such care? Kathleen offers her suggestions.

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Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.