Senate News Update
From Senator Jane Earll
August 5, 2005

New Report Offers Insight Into Long-Term Care 

As Americans live longer, it's important that communities be able to provide quality, affordable long-term care. 

Long-term care is valuable to older citizens and those living with disabilities. It can mean the difference between a life of daily struggles and one of vitality and compassionate assistance.

However, it is an evolving field and one that only recently has received significant attention from experts and public policymakers. A new survey on long-term care in Pennsylvania is a valuable asset to everyone involved in providing long-term care and those receiving it. 

The Intra-Governmental Council on Long-Term Care has been studying the long-term care system in Pennsylvania from a funding, operational and consumer perspective, so as to make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature on ways to streamline administration of the system, and develop a full spectrum of options for consumers and their families. 

The Council, which includes members of the General Assembly, recently released the results of a survey of long-term care providers, their employees and consumers of such care. The survey covered personal care facilities, adult day centers, skilled nursing facilities, and licensed and unlicensed home health care agencies. 

The survey of providers found that their main challenge was recruiting and retaining qualified workers. The average vacancy rate for all providers in 2004 was 9.1%. Further, 32% of licensed home health agencies reported having vacancies of more than 20%. 

Additionally, 60% of providers reported either "very serious" or "somewhat serious" recruitment or retention problems. Better wages and flexible scheduling were cited as ways to improve recruitment and retention of workers. 

As for employees, 82% of direct care workers view their work not simply as a job, but as a career. Respondents had been working in their field for an average 10.5 years. An especially positive sign: 87% would recommend their organization to a friend or family member who needed care. 

When asked for suggestions to improve their jobs, most cited increased wages and better management practices. Increased staffing was identified by nearly one-fifth of respondents, most often in adult care centers and nursing homes. 

Finally, consumers who choose and hire their own caregivers were surveyed. Interestingly, 19% said the biggest challenge was finding a qualified worker – the same percentage reported by provider organizations. Consistency is important, so it is good to see that 44% report having the same caregiver for more than a year. Consumers rated their caregivers' competence an average 8.3 out of 10. 

The report's recommendations for improving long-term care include: higher, uniform training standards for workers; state incentives for providers to improve the workplace; demonstration projects to see which improvement programs work best; and a marketing campaign to promote careers in long-term care. 

To view the report, visit the Department of Aging's Web site at www.aging.state.pa.us and choose the link titled "Publications." For help in understanding the long-term care and service options available throughout Pennsylvania, go to the site and choose "Long Term Care" under "Quick Links," or call 1-866-286-3636. 

Pennsylvania needs to develop a long-term care strategy, and studies such as this provide the information necessary to put together a solid plan.

As always, if you have any questions on this or any other state government matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office directly at (814) 453-2515.