Pennsylvania Faces In-Home Care Crisis Amid Severe Workforce Shortages

By Danielle Smith, Keystone State News Connection

A lack of access to in-home care in Pennsylvania has reached a crisis point, according to professionals in the field, leaving thousands of residents without essential services.

More than 400,000 Pennsylvanians rely on in-home care for daily support.

Mia Haney, CEO of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, said Gov. Shapiro’s budget puts seniors at risk, as it only includes $21 million for direct care workers and only for what’s known as the directed model, which employs just 6% of them, leaving 94% without funding.

“We do not have enough workers to meet the need for folks who are looking for services, and every single month, 112,000-plus shifts go unfilled,” Haney pointed out. “That could be an eight-hour shift, it could be a six-hour shift, but a caregiver is not coming, and someone is waiting for services.”

Haney emphasized legislators control budget priorities and insisted they must support the direct care workforce this year. Without funding increases, she argued, many will go without care, leading to harm and unnecessary nursing facility placements for those who could receive services at home.

The General Assembly must vote on the budget by Monday, June 30.

Haney noted that by 2030, one in three Pennsylvania residents will be over 65, increasing the demand for caregivers. Meanwhile, the number of potential caregivers remains steady, creating a growing shortage as the elderly population rises.

“We just this year had a study released that showed that the rates here in Pennsylvania are insufficient, meaning that you cannot possibly recruit and retain quality workers with the Medicaid reimbursement rate that we have today,” Haney reported. “In fact, (it) indicated that we are 23% below where we should be.”

Pennsylvania’s average reimbursement rate for in-home care is just $20.63 cents per hour, which some feel is insufficient to maintain a stable workforce.

In comparison, neighboring states — such as Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia — offer rates that are 25% to 75% higher for the same services.

The post Pennsylvania Faces In-Home Care Crisis Amid Severe Workforce Shortages appeared first on BCTV.

Source: bctv