Review of Yesterday's Meeting

The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Direct Care Workers Association held our monthly meeting yesterday. The group discussed:

1. The State Direct Care Workers Association
2. This Blog
3. The conferences on May 16th and July 25th
4. The future direction of the LV Chapter of DCWA.

We were very excited to have two managers from different facilities attend for the first time!

Meeting Today!

Today, Tuesday, April 15th from 2:30 - 3:30 will be the Lehigh Valley Chapter Meeting for the PA Direct Care Workers Association. There is no fee to join and you do not need to be a member to attend. So, please feel free to stop in and join us!

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley
2200 Avenue A, Third Floor
Bethlehem, PA 18017
Conference Room

Seniors Rock!

Lynn Marie Houghton, RN BSN of Seniors Helping Seniors sent me this wonderful video this morning with the following words, "Seniors Rock!"

Yes, they do!

Pennsylvania Holds Hearing on the Direct-Care Workforce

"I care for the seniors, but I care just as much for my co-workers and those who are looking to come into this profession. We need your help to invest in the direct-care workforce," hospice nurse aide Brenda Nachtway told the Pennyslvania House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee on April 2. Nachtway, who is co-chair of the Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association, was one of several direct-care workers, employers, and other stakeholders to testify at a public hearing on the direct-care workforce.

18% of All Boomers Expected to Develop Alzheimer's

According to an article in March 18th's USA Today, "about 14 million, or roughly 18% of the USA's 79 million baby boomers can expect to develop Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia in their lifetime." This is an increase over what had previously been expected. As the article goes on to explain, "Americans are developing Alzheimer's at an accelerating rate."

This, of course, means more Direct Care Workers will be needed to fill future vacancies.

Yet, there are already massive Direct Care Worker shortages across the country. The 2004 Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Workforce Surveys report, a report to the PennsylvaniaIntra-Governmental Council on Long-Term care, found that the average vacancy rate among all providers was 9.2 percent... in 2004!

As the number of baby boomers continue to age and the rate of dementia increase, the need to focus on strategies to increase recruitment and retention of the Direct Care Workforce will become increasingly imperative.