Wilson: How Arizonans can help end our caregiver crisis

Sara Wilson, Home Assist Health

Brandon Sullivan for Home Assist Health

Arizona is in the midst of a caregiver crisis.

Caregivers are the largest job role in the state, as well as experiencing the fastest growth and demand. Why? Because the number of caregivers is drastically diminishing while the number of people needing in-home and assisted living care is rising.

Arizona’s 65+ population is among the largest and fastest growing in the nation and it’s estimated that by 2030, Arizona will need 190,000 caregivers to meet the growing needs of our rapidly aging population. That’s more than twice the number of teachers in Arizona.

When such a critical need cannot be met, lives are at risk.

Causes of this shift include continued post-pandemic staffing struggles, inability to match pay rates of other industries and more people choosing positions that allow them to work from home. Additionally, government- funded caregiving agencies have a fixed pay rate and cannot raise wages to compete with other industries.

Historic underinvestment in paid caregivers’ jobs has led to poor compensation and high turnover. The rising minimum wage in Arizona has tightened competition for caregivers and other industries that have the lowest barriers to entry, like fast food and retail. Despite the growing demand for paid caregivers, they are historically undervalued and underpaid.

Without intervention, the paid caregiver crisis will worsen at the risk of Arizona’s fastest-growing population — our seniors and individuals with disabilities.

How can Arizonans help?

• Understand legislators control state reimbursement rates for caregivers.

• Increase understanding of home care workers critical role serving one of our most vulnerable populations.

• Elevate our perception of home care worker salaries. It isn’t and never has been a minimum wage job. The required certifications and skills demand twice minimum wage.

• Start advanced care planning early. Understand your options, communicate your wishes, choose your preferred care setting, and prepare a financial pathway to support it.

• Ask your legislator to fund caregivers at a rate that rises with minimum wage and competes with the job market so we can provide seniors the care they need.

As an industry we’ll continue focusing on improving workforce development and recruitment while we advocate to overcome legislative hurdles.

Funding and protecting the home-care workforce is critical to ensuring Arizonans’ quality of life. We ask Arizonans to continue using your voice and vote to ensure the valued home care workforce can care for our most vulnerable Arizonans.

Editor’s note: Sara Wilson is CEO of Home Assist Health, a Phoenix-based non-profit that provides more than 440,000 hours annually of personalized home- and community-based services to seniors and individuals with disabilities. Learn more at https://homeassisthealth.org. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.