Spring Summer 2018

www.ohca.com Spring/Summer 2018 The Oregon Caregiver 17 DATA & RESEARCH In these counties, long term care providers must compete with other health care providers such as the local hospital for the very same skilled workers. Employees are often recruited from other counties, requiring the employees to commute long distances to fill these jobs. The shortage of skilled health care workers will only increase as the need for care grows. However, with more home and community-based care options, many Oregonians are delaying entry into the long term care system. This is not unexpected as Oregon has emphasized the use of home and community-based care for many years. Yet, delayed entry means providers see more residents with higher acuity and, therefore, with more intensive care needs. The percentage of residents with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia in assisted living and residential care is now estimated at 27 and 44 percent (figures exclusive of memory care), respectively, according to Portland State University’s Annual Community-Based Care Survey. Further, 81 percent of residential care and 73 percent of assisted living residents need assistance with taking oral medications. Higher acuity amongst community-based care residents requires more workers as well as higher skilled workers. Since higher acuity in community-based care is here to stay, providers must (and will) adapt. This will be challenging and will require public policies that support a skilled workforce and promote high quality care given the higher care needs of their residents. One way to help are innovative partnerships between providers, government, and educational institutions that can create clearer pathways for direct care workers to build the needed skills for career advancement within the sector. This will result in a higher skilled workforce, while improving staff retention. Oregon’s LiveWell project, a partnership between CareOregon and long term care providers, is already looking at the connections between workforce, retention, and other key quality measures. More collaborations like this will be needed to help address the many challenges facing the long term care workforce. Additional opportunities for easily accessible trainings are a part of this solution, and will ensure that workers are better prepared to support the care needs of higher acuity residents.  Dr. Dawson, D.Phil, is the Director of Research & Analytics at OHCA. The shortage of skilled health care workers will only increase as the need for care grows.