These workforce trends are shaping the future of senior care

Despite positive developments over the past few years, intractable problems still exist in senior care: problems that ultimately threaten access to the vital post acute setting. To help leaders and healthcare professionals build a shared understanding and confront these problems head-on, we’ve released our annual resource "Senior Care Survey Report: Workforce 360."

Based on responses from nearly 1,000 senior care leaders, over 2,000 employees and more than 1,500 independent professionals, the report offers a 360-degree view of how leaders and healthcare professionals are responding to regulatory pressures, funding challenges, emerging technologies, and a rapidly aging population. We also explore evolving workforce expectations. 

Inside the report

The report delivers critical insights in the areas of technology, retention, burnout, workforce shortages and more. It also surfaces the differences in perceptions between employees, senior care leaders and independent professionals. For example, more than one-third of senior care employees (39%) want more mental health and wellness support, but only 28% of leaders count it among their retention strategies. Gaps like that can negatively impact satisfaction, performance and long-term retention.

“I think that we should get free access to mental health support. We love our careers, but nursing can have a huge impact on our mental health.”

One trend agreed upon by most respondents? Demand is increasing. This uptick is providing independent professionals with more opportunities, but both independent professionals and employees say it causes higher levels of stress and burnout.

Stress and burnout remain the top reasons for considering a career change, with 57% of employees citing these as reasons for contemplating leaving the industry, highlighting the need for senior care leaders to develop strategies that alleviate them — in collaboration with their employees. This can only be solved by increasing the number of nursing professionals in the field, whether as employees or independent professionals.

Another trend we uncovered is a healthy appetite for technology. Employee feedback/communication tools and workforce management/scheduling systems are at the top of leaders’ technology wishlists. More than half of employees surveyed say they’re excited about trying new technology, and 47% said more technology would be helpful, signifying the potential for high adoption rates once leaders commit. Even independent professionals want more technology, pointing to a willingness to learn new tools and systems across all types of workers.

For senior care leaders seeking insights into industry trends, leadership strategies and employee needs, our "Senior Care Survey Report: Workforce 360" serves as a key resource. Download it to discover how your organization stacks up against other organizations and find out what your employees want that you might not be offering.