Age-Friendly Insights Poll: Direct Care Workers Are Underpaid, Lack Support and Oversight
The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) asked people living in America about their opinions regarding the frontline workers in nursing homes and home care. The main takeaway is clear:
Direct care workers need support now.
Key poll findings include:
- People underestimate the care they will need as they age.
- Nearly half of respondents said they do not think they will need support from a direct care worker as they age. In reality, 66% will.
- An overwhelming majority support higher pay and more training for direct care workers. The current median wage is $13/hour and federal guidance suggests nine business days of training.
- 72% of Americans overestimate how much direct care workers are paid.
- Upon learning the median wage, 73% say direct care workers are underpaid.
- 60% think direct care workers would benefit from more training.
- People expect government oversight to help direct care workers protect older adults.
- 94% of people believe government oversight of nursing homes and home care agencies is important to help direct care workers protect older adults.
Direct care workers are a lifeline for older adults and people with disabilities. They provide hands-on care with daily tasks like bathing and dressing in peoples’ homes and in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes.
The John A. Hartford Foundation is working with grantees and partners to invest in the direct care workforce.
- Advocating for the Direct Care Workforce
PHI advocates for high-quality training, a living wage and greater awareness of the important role direct care workers play. - Advancing Training and Leadership Skills
The Teaching Nursing Home model pairs academic nursing schools with long-term care facilities to improve training and education for staff, including direct care workers, providing them opportunities to foster and grow their careers and leadership skills. - Redesigning Nursing Home Care
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes is preparing recommendations for improving the quality of care in today’s nursing homes, partly by investing in a highly-skilled direct care workforce.
The poll is part of Age-Friendly Insights, a JAHF series measuring opinions on issues related to improving the care of older adults and support for family caregivers. Read the first Age-Friendly Insights poll on nursing homes.
All organizations and individuals working to advance the interests of direct care workers can use this research in their own work. We appreciate your attribution to The John A. Hartford Foundation.
To learn more about the poll:
- Review the methodology and dive deeper into the data
- Read a one-page overview of the findings
- Explore graphics and social posts to spread the survey’s findings and make clear that direct care workers need support now