The Alzheimer’s Association 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report, (https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures) finds a shortage looming for direct care workers in New York and across the country. Direct care workers, including nurse aides, nursing assistants, home health aides and personal care aides play a vital role in caring for people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia in private homes, community-based settings such as adult day services and residential care, skilled nursing homes and other settings. According to the report, an estimated 1.2 million additional direct care workers will be needed between 2020 and 2030 — more new workers than in any other single occupation in the United States.
In 2020, there were an estimated 510,870 home health and personal care aids in New York state, according to the report. By 2030, 710,570 will be needed — a 39.1 percent increase.
Although more direct care workers will be needed in the years ahead, the long-term care field is already struggling to fill existing direct care positions. Turnover rates are high in this workforce — estimated at 64 percent annually for direct care workers providing home care and 99 percent for nursing assistants in nursing homes, according to the report.
“The report sounds an important alarm on the urgent need to attract and retain these essential front-line care workers,” Sobel said. “These valuable professionals are not only providing direct care to people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia, but they are vital in supporting family caregivers, particularly for those providing in-home care.”
This year’s report also examines the capacity of the medical specialty workforce essential for diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care for people living with Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. The shortage of dementia care specialists could soon become a crisis for Alzheimer’s disease care, especially with the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of new treatments targeting the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease, which is reframing the healthcare landscape for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the report, most states, including New York will have to nearly triple the number of geriatricians to effectively care for those 65 and older who are projected to have Alzheimer’s dementia in 2050. In 2021, there were only 568 geriatricians statewide. By 2050, 818 geriatricians will be needed to care for just 10 percent of residents across the state living with Alzheimer’s dementia.
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