Wages and Benefits

Staff at the Hawaii ADRC were oriented to the ADRC model and trained in vital customer service and communications skills using these materials. The outline lists the objectives and time needed for training exercises. Two curriculum grids, one for ADRC orientation and one for customer service skills, list training areas, outcomes, and methods. Each grid contains materials for both paid staff and volunteers.

This quality improvement project was developed and implemented at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. The primary purpose of the Collaborative was to enhance quality of work life for home health aides while improving outcomes for home health patients. The Final Report examines three areas: patient outcomes; patient service use; aide job perceptions & retention. The Implementation Manual emerged out of the lessons learned from an evaluation of the agency-wide spread of tools and strategies.

This resource presents ten key facts showing the economic and health insecurity of the direct care workforce. It can be used to advocate for improved public policies and increase public awareness of the needs and importance of caregivers. The figures presented also illustrate the linkage between quality of care available to the growing population of older Americans, recruitment and retention of workers, and wage and benefits levels.

Agencies or programs can use this worksheet to generate and understand employee metrics related to retention, pay, services rendered, and marketing expenditures. These can help identify strengths and challenges of the agencies’ workforce structure.

Best practices in HCBS workforce development, Federal and state workforce initiatives, and research findings are highlighted in these slides and handouts. Presentations and workshops touched on wages and benefits, recruitment, credentials, peer support, policy, and more. The agenda, program, and evaluation results are also available. The symposium was hosted by the National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center May 8-9, 2008 in Baltimore, MD with support from HHS and the Dept. of Labor.

A broad coalition of stakeholders created this example of a comprehensive state-level workforce development plan. The document suggests solutions to the following workforce challenges: recruitment and retention; education, training and development; data gathering and monitoring; status and awareness of profession; and mentoring and supervision. An executive summary and 1-page call to action targeted at key stakeholders are included.

This document sums up the proceedings and conclusions of a summit convened June, 2007 in Washington, D.C. by Mature Market Institute and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Six recommendations for future research on family caregiving are made based on identified gaps in knowledge. Also presented is a list of the most important past studies, as identified by participant consensus. Experts in the fields of social work, sociology, economics, psychology, and gerontology participated.

This fact sheet summarizes and analyzes direct-care workforce statistics from the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s national occupational projections for 2006-16. The analysis shows that demand for workers will sharply exceed supply. Demand will especially surpass the number of women aged 25-54 entering the workforce, which is the primary demographic group from which direct-care workers are drawn. The analysis also shows that twice as many people will be working in HCBS settings than in facilities.

This assessment is designed to assist organizations in evaluating their readiness to perform key functions of ADRCs. The online version provides users with immediate feedback and links to resources to help build needed capacity. Functional areas measured include: organization and governance; personnel and training; service delivery and operations; outreach and marketing; IT; partnerships; and evaluation and monitoring.

This is a compendium of three discussion papers on the topics of direct service workers in long-term care and strategies for improving the quality of their jobs and services. The authors, each with a background that includes consultation and technical assistance on the topics, share the premises that these workers are fundamental to the future and quality of long-term care and that current and projected workforce shortages need to be addressed.