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n1.pngRising Demand, Workforce Shortage 


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"People live better lives thanks to home caregivers like me because they can remain in their own homes. That freedom of living at home is threatened when you've got a revolving door of care because workers leave for better paying jobs." Tasha McGhee, St. Louis home care worker As the baby boom generation ages, the demand for home- and community-based services will skyrocket. Yet, even with the landmark Olmstead decision, which mandated that states provide greater access to home- and community-based services, states have been slow to build a stable, professional pool of in-home caregivers to meet the needs of citizens.

Missouri is expected to need thousands of new direct care workers to meet the demands created by aging Boomers. Yet, if trends continue, citizens will face a home care crisis, with too few caregivers trained and available to assist seniors and people with disabilities. In fact, as the elderly population increases, the supply of potential workers, already stretched to the limits, is expected to decrease.

  • Between the years 2000 and 2030 the elderly population in Missouri is expected to increase by 72%.
  • The potential direct care workforce (women ages 25–44) is expected to decrease by 3 percent over this same period.

n2.pngDifficulty Keeping a Home Care Worker


It’s hard to keep a home care worker who will provide continuous home care services. Turnover rates are high (40 percent to 60 percent) due to difficult working conditions, such as low wages, lack of benefits, especially health insurance, no paid sick or vacation time, and a lack of training and paths to advancement.

Quality_Care_Provider.pngn3.pngLack of Coordination and Backup


Missouri currently offers no statewide coordination of home care services that matches consumers with workers, offers referrals, builds a backup network, oversees employment issues for the workforce, or coordinates recruitment or training for the direct care workforce.

n4.pngLack of a Voice for People Who Use and Provide Services


Home care consumers and workers currently have no systematic or unified way to address statewide workforce problems. They lack a real voice for making improvements.