OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall/Winter 2019

www.ohca.com FALL/WINTER 2019 The Oregon Caregiver 15 DATA & RESEARCH longstanding concerns of a pending nurse shortage in Oregon, it appears efforts to meet the projected demand are paying off. According to the Oregon Center for Nursing, 1,527 new nurses graduated from Oregon nursing pro- grams in 2018. This reflects a continuing trend that began several years ago of more nursing graduates entering the field. However, specific challenges remain for the long term care sector in recruiting these newly minted nursing graduates as well as for geographic distribution of nurses to across the state. population of adults 85 years of age and over who are most likely to need some form of assistance to carry out their functions of daily life. By the year 2026, the need for personal care aides in Oregon will increase by over 25%, while the need for home health aides will rise by more than 35%. The demand for registered nurses will also grow by as much as 50% by the year 2025. The projected growth of our aging population and the subsequent need for direct care workers is large. Yet, it is not an impossible need to fill. Despite We must celebrate the invaluable contributions of direct care workers to our state. The long term care system Oregon has today would not be possible without them. We must also do more to support them in their work to care for aging Oregonians who have a need for assistance. The future of our state’s long term care system depends on it. Walt Dawson is a consultant for OHCA and an Atlantic fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute UCSF Memory and Aging Center. Oregon’s long history as a national leader in the long term care sector is due to direct care workers.