Staffing Crisis in Long-Term Supportive Services

July 14, 2003
An AARP report on long-term supportive services for people 50 and over concludes that there is an unprecedented shortage of frontline workers to provide services to people over 50 with disabilities, and that the need for such services will double over the next decade.

“The connection between staffing and quality of care has never been clearer,” the report found.

According to “Beyond 50 2003: A Report to the Nation on Independent Living and Disability,” the workforce crisis spans all settings, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day programs, and private homes. Low wages, lack of benefits, growing consumer needs, and high turnover rates are identified as contributing to the problem.

The 212-page report includes new estimates of disability levels and the use of personal assistive services among people over age 50, as well as the results of an AARP Harris poll in which older adults with disabilities were asked what would make their lives better as they seek long-term independence.

The full text of the report can be found at research.aarp.org/il/beyond_50_il.html