WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 15,000 nursing homes and other long term care (LTC) facilities across the country that provide care to approximately five million people each year, today launched “Caregivers for Tomorrow,” a new initiative designed to advance policy solutions that strengthen and sustain the long term care workforce.
“Caregivers across the nation deliver high-quality, individualized care every day, but as our population ages, the demand for skilled, compassionate caregivers is far outpacing our current supply of workers,” said Clif Porter, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “This is a clear signal to policymakers that strategic, collaborative action is needed to build a sustainable workforce that is equipped to meet the growing needs of our seniors and individuals with disabilities.”
Caregivers for Tomorrow, a component of AHCA’s forward-looking policy agenda, The Better Way, calls for investing in workforce development, streamlining career pathways and fostering environments where caregivers can thrive. The Caregivers for Tomorrow key policy priorities and solutions are:
Recruitment & Retention
- Develop incentive programs to recruit workers to long term care, such as loan forgiveness, tax credits, affordable housing, and childcare support.
- Offer grants to support partnerships between nursing homes and higher learning institutions that include student scholarships or employment of students at LTC facilities.
Training & Career Growth
- Expand and expedite career ladder programs in nursing to increase the availability of registered and licensed nurses, with a focus on upward mobility from entry-level roles.
- Provide grants to support the development of skills and ongoing training for the nursing workforce, including the expansion of apprenticeship programs and accessible education programs.
Technology & Innovation
- Extend telehealth flexibilities to improve access to care, especially in rural areas.
- Advance federal health information technology and AI clinical policies to include long term and post-acute care providers, to streamline processes for and reduce burnout among caregivers.
Building The Pipeline
- Allocate funding to nursing schools that both address faculty shortages and promote graduate placement in nursing homes.
- Pass common-sense immigration reform that expands and streamlines legal pathways for international caregivers to work in the long term care profession.
“Now is the time to reimagine and invest in the future of long term care in America,” continued Porter. “This is the moment for policymakers, regulatory agencies and stakeholders at every level to come together and champion substantive policy solutions that drive meaningful change within our workforce. We need to act now to ensure all seniors and individuals with disabilities have access to high-quality long term care for generations to come.”