McKnights Senior Living

Healthcare workforce shortages are at crisis levels and need attention from policymakers, according to senior living advocates.

The US House of Representatives’ 21st Century Long-Term Care Caucus and LeadingAge co-hosted a congressional briefing Wednesday to highlight the long-term care sector’s challenges in recruiting staff, as well as legislative proposals to address workforce issues.

The briefing provided a glimpse into what workforce shortages mean for providers, who discussed their experiences from the affordable senior housing, home health and hospice, and skilled nursing perspectives, LeadingAge Director of Health Legislative Affairs Todd Adams said during the association’s member policy briefing on Wednesday.

Critical workforce issues within long-term care, according to LeadingAge, include offering a living wage, establishing a pipeline of foreign-born workers, expanding direct care workforce training and advancement opportunities through existing federal programs, and enacting “meaningful and equitable” financing.