"High-demand roles should not equate to servitude: Examining educational system shortcomings through the lens of a demanding profession"
Spanish: ¿Qué pasa con las auxiliares de enfermería de cuidados Domiciliarios en los Estados Unidos?
WASHINGTON - May ha cuidado durante muchos años a su tía anciana. Cuando su tía murió, May, con 41 años, decidió dejar su trabajo parcial como operadora de ventas a distancia y convertirse en auxiliar de enfermería domiciliaria a tiempo completo.
Dijo que pensar en ayudar a otras personas como a su tía sentía como una vocación. "Simplemente la alegría de ayudar", dijo.
En los once años que ha trabajado como auxiliar de enfermería domiciliaria, May estima que ha cuidado a cien ancianos mayores en sus hogares.A algunos les basta con preparar una pequeña comida light, pero otros necesitan ayuda mucho más. "No podían moverse en absoluto. Tenía que cambiarlos, alimentarlos, lavarlos, todo."
Más de treinta millones de ancianos estadounidenses desean envejecer en casa. Pero la falta crítica de personas para cuidarlos requerirá más que los miles de billones de dólares federales propuestos por el gobierno de Biden para la asistencia de largo plazo en el hogar. Se necesitará un cambio completo y sustancial en el sistema de formación, carrera profesional, salario y condiciones laborales de las auxiliares de enfermería domiciliarias, según afirman los expertos y defensores.
Si esto no se hace, el sufrimiento se sentirá no solo por las "millones y millones de personas que trabajan muy duro en trabajos muy difíciles y raciales y reciben salarios de pobreza", dijo Paul Osterman, profesor de recursos humanos y administración de MIT y autor del libro "¿Quien nos cuidará?" También se sentirá el efecto en toda la familia y en cualquier otro anciano o anciana que desee envejecer en su hogar. El cargo tendrá un efecto en la salud financiera y en la salud mental de las cuidadoras interinas sin pago.
"Es un gran problema para la sociedad", dijo Osterman.
ElNeed for auxiliares de enfermería de cuidados domiciliarios aumentará en un 34% entre 2019 y 2029
También es un ejemplo de cómo el sistema de capacitación de los Estados Unidos no se organiza bien, se carece de incentivos para que gente tome estos trabajos críticos y, a menudo, dejan a los consumidores en busca de sí mismos y pagar más dinero en su educación que lo que realmente sería rentable Considerando esto
Hay casi 54 millones de estadounidenses de 65 años o mayores, según la Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos. Espera que el número aumente a 95 millones a 2060. Los ancianos han demostrado una clara preferencia por quedarse en su casa, por la autonomía pero también por la comodidad y las conexiones sociales.
Estar en casa es típicamente más económicamente rendible que mudarse a un centro de atención de larga duración y tuvo una mayor seguridad durante la pandemia de la COVID-19, cuando aproximadamente más de 184.000 residentes y personal de enfermería murieron en hogares de ancianos y cuidados intermedios.
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Источник: Qualitative Research in PsychologyDRABICK, T. (2021). The Acceleration of the Involvement in Health Care Experiences of Black Women and Care Fragility. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 725735. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.725735Enabling Aging in Place: Expanding the Number of Home Health Aides
Caretaking often falls on the shoulders of the unpaid family members — déjà vu? Sure, let's keep it going:
Key to enabling more older adults to remain at home is expanding the number of home health aides, workers usually seen as being on the lowest rung of the health-care ladder. These aides provide day-to-day support such as feeding and dressing as well as doing shopping and laundry, and a much-needed respite for overwhelmed or absent relatives.
There is already a shortage of health aides, and demand is skyrocketing; one study estimated that 70 percent of adults over 65 are expected to need some form of basic assistance. But attracting and retaining home health aides is challenging; it's exhausting work, with low pay, often no benefits and little respect, and it’s overwhelmingly done by women of color and a dwindling number of immigrants.
President Joe Biden wants to increase the supply through an infusion of $400 billion into home- and community-based care for the elderly and people with disabilities over the next eight years, close to doubling what's being spent now.
Although these measures are a step in the right direction, they are insufficient to address the shortage, especially considering the rapidly aging population. To address this issue, solutions must focus on systemic changes to improve recruitment and retention rates for home health aides.
Strategies for Improving Home Health Aide Recruitment and Retention
Here are a few strategies to address the home health aide shortage by strengthening recruitment and retention efforts:
- Raise wages for home health aides to provide living wages: The median wage for a home health aide is $24,000 a year, according to the article, which is approximately $500 more than a fast-food cook. However, this wage is far from enough to provide a decent standard of living. Raising wages for home health aides would attract more people to the profession and help retain current workers.
- Provide benefits such as paid time off and health insurance: Many home health aides do not receive benefits like paid time off or health insurance, which makes it difficult for them to manage their personal and financial situations. Offering these benefits would help make the profession more appealing and provide workers with the security they need.
- Improve working conditions through training and professional development: Providing training and professional development opportunities can help increase the skills and confidence of home health aides, improving their ability to provide quality care. Offering career advancement opportunities within the field can also improve retention rates.
- Make the profession more appealing and respected: By creating regular recognition and appreciation events for home health aides, we can help show the value of their work and make the profession more respected. Additionally, funding campaigns to increase public awareness of the home health aide shortage can help encourage more people to enter the profession.
- Implement hiring and retention incentives for agencies: Agencies can use incentives such as signing bonuses, retention bonuses, and other rewards to attract and retain high-quality home health aides.
By implementing these strategies, we can help address the home health aide shortage and ensure that older adults can age in place with the care they need. Together, we can create a more just and equitable society.
Conclusion:
The home health aide shortage presents a significant challenge to our society. However, by addressing the underlying systemic issues and implementing effective solutions to improve recruitment and retention rates, we can create a more sustainable workforce that better serves the needs of aging adults. Through collaboration and action, we have the power to create positive change for our communities. Keep the conversation going and join the movement to ensure that everyone deserves a life of dignity and respect.
- To enable more older adults to age at home, it is crucial to expand the number of home health aides, who provide essential day-to-day support.
- Attracting and retaining home health aides is challenging due to exhausting work conditions, low pay, lack of benefits, and minimal respect, with the work predominantly done by women of color and immigrants.
- President Biden aims to increase the supply of home health aides through an infusion of $400 billion into home- and community-based care, but this may only partly address the issue as demand skyrockets and the population ages rapidly.
- Strategies to address the home health aide shortage include raising wages, providing benefits, improving working conditions, making the profession more appealing, and implementing hiring and retention incentives.
- By implementing these strategies, we can create a more sustainable workforce that serves the needs of aging adults, creating a more just and equitable society based on dignity and respect.
