New Workforce Principles Proposed for Pilot and Demonstration Programs
April 19, 2011
Eldercare Workforce Alliance urges inclusion of principles in
program design and implementation
Washington – Demonstration projects and pilot programs that are about to be funded through the new Affordable Care Act must be patient-focused, family oriented and team-based, stated the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), to ensure quality care for older Americans. Today the Alliance published 12 principles it recommends to guide these new health care reform demonstration programs.
“With the first of the Baby Boomers turning 65 this year, it is crucial to address the need for improved recruitment, training, retention and compensation of a qualified eldercare workforce,” EWA wrote to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and other government agencies developing pilot programs under the new Affordable Care Act.
“EWA considers its proposed principles essential for meeting the needs of an elder care workforce already overwhelmed,” stated EWA Co-Convener Steve Dawson. EWA is a multi-disciplinary group of 28 national organizations representing a wide range of health care providers – physicians, nurses, direct-care workers, psychologists, social workers, pharmacists, physical therapists, as well as eldercare employers, consumers, and family caregivers – all of whom serve the needs of America’s growing older adult population.
Efforts to meet the growing demand from the rising tide of Baby Boomers means that agencies and organizations must “provide training opportunities for members of the care team, including family caregivers, so they are fully competent to deliver interdisciplinary geriatric care within a redesigned healthcare system,” noted Nancy Lundebjerg, co-convener with Mr. Dawson of the Alliance.
EWA is urging policymakers to draw on the findings of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) landmark report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, which recommends various models of care already tested in the field and makes a strong plea for “fundamental reform.” The IOM report cites a dozen recommendations ranging from explicit support for well-tested models, to enhanced geriatric training, as well as new investments in wages and benefits for health care professionals and direct-care workers.
