Growing Demand For Caregivers Creating

Recession-Proof Employment Opportunities

By John Voket

The owner of a Sandy Hook senior care franchise, as well as its “Caregiver of the Year,” are both touting this rapidly growing industry as a haven for those seeking a career that offers immeasurable returns and virtually recession-proof job opportunities.

Sharon Massafra, certified senior advisor and president of the Home Instead Senior Care franchise in Sandy Hook, told The Newtown Bee this week that that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an increase in the personal and home care aides job category, forecasting it will be the second fastest-growing job group in the nation over the next decade.

“While that’s welcomed news in a recession,” explained Ms Massafra, “the rapid growth in this job group may not be fast enough. Home Instead Senior Care’s recent research indicates that demand for these jobs will outpace supply in a big way. This could become a national crisis issue.”

Home Instead Senior Care is a network of independently owned and operated senior care franchises worldwide. Each local area office employs professional “CAREGivers” who go into the homes of seniors to help them with their nonmedical needs such as companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands and shopping. Caregivers who are staff members of the franchise serve seniors and their families in 33 towns throughout northern Fairfield, southern Litchfield and northwest New Haven Counties.

“At our company alone, which is the largest of its kind, but one of many throughout our nation,” explained Ms Massafra, “the number of Home Instead caregivers nationally is about 60,000. To keep pace with this projected demand, our company will need to double our care force in just three years. On a positive note, these projections will result in job opportunities for local area workers, plus provide flexible part-time options for additional income or a new career in the field of caring.”

A Caregiver Recognized

One of these job-seeking individuals who came calling for work nearly two years ago is Basilla “Selina” Dawid of Ansonia. And it did not take very long for the kind of personalized attention Ms Dawid lavishes on her clients to be recognized.

In mid-January, she was named “Caregiver of the Year” for the greater Danbury, Waterbury, and Bridgeport regions.

Ms Dawid joined Home Instead Senior Care in 2007 and was quickly seen as someone who made an immediate impact on the organization’s senior clientele.

“Selina’s extraordinary demeanor shows in everything she does, and is continually demonstrated in her kindness, wonderful listening skills, compassion, and superb homemaking abilities,” Ms Massafra said.

The local company’s owner described Ms Dawid as “a quiet, unassuming angel among us.”

“She goes about her day without effort or thought, gently impacting the lives of her clients and their families,” said one client who requested her name not be used. “Before Selina, I hadn’t thought what the word ‘caregiver’ meant. It perfectly describes Selina. Not only does she have strength of character, she is kind, helpful, loyal, and patient. She devotes her enormous energy to caring for others.”

Ms Dawid draws from a lifetime of care giving to her own family, which she was enlisted to do at the tender age of 10.

“I was 10 years old going on 20,” Ms Dawid told The Bee. Having arrived from her native Sicily, the youngster was charged with taking care of the house and cooking for her parents, who both worked.

Today, Ms Dawid still enjoys caring for her mother, who is 81, and has arranged her work schedule to be home to get her mom set up in the morning, as well as coming home again to take care of her needs in the lunch hour. The balance of her week is spent providing similar care for three other clients, including a Sandy Hook resident who she cares for daily.

Job Prospects Growing

In Connecticut, the personal and home care aides job category is expected to increase from 6,340 jobs in 2006 to 8,450 positions in 2016, a projected 33 percent increase. Nationwide, this category is expected to grow by more than 50 percent between 2006 and 2016, increasing from 767,000 to a projected 1.15 million jobs.

The US government identifies personal and home care aides as professionals who help the elderly, disabled, ill, and mentally disabled live in their own homes or in residential care facilities instead of in health facilities. The growing number of seniors nationwide is expected to help fuel this job demand. According to the US Census Bureau, the age 65 and older population is projected to double between 2000 and 2050.

“We have definitely seen the needs of seniors in our area drive the demand for our services, which innately is creating more caregiving jobs,” said Ms Massafra.

National research conducted by Home Instead revealed that 86 percent of seniors want to continue living in their homes as they age. This surge in seniors at home will also help fuel the demand for caregiving professionals.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Economist Colleen Teixeira Moffat, who studies the occupation of personal and homecare aides, stated, “Increasing health care costs partly explains this growing demand. It’s much more cost-effective to leave a hospital sooner when all a senior might need is assistance with daily activities. A visiting nurse, home health aide, and personal and homecare aide would all be less expensive than a stay in a residential care facility.”

She added that the job’s flexibility and minimal education requirements are also attractive.

“So this job may appeal to an individual who is new to this country or who wants to put off college for awhile,” Ms Teixeira Moffat said. “A job such as this can give people an opportunity to get a feel for working with others. It’s also flexible for those caring for their own families or looking for a second job.”

Seniors Helping Seniors

Home Instead Senior Care has discovered that seniors themselves make great caregivers. The training process for the profession is comprehensive but not lengthy, industry experts note. Caregivers typically complete a four-step training program, which provides the basic skills and, for some, advanced skills necessary to care for seniors.

These include a focus on safety, communications, emergency first aid, activities and routine meal preparation and light housekeeping. The more advanced training prepares caregivers to perform personal services such as toileting and bathing.

Caregiving companies are gearing up to meet this expected caregiving need by offering incentive recruiting programs and reaching out to groups that have proven to be attracted to this job category, such as older adults.

 “At Home Instead Senior Care, we have focused our efforts on retaining quality caregivers, who in turn can recruit other outstanding caregivers,” Ms Massafra said. Based on the attitude and outlook of Ms Dawid, it is apparent that Ms Massafra’s efforts are working.

“This kind of work in the health field is the way to go for me,” said Ms Dawid, who never sought to become a certified nurse’s aide or nurse. “I feel blessed that the clients treat me like a member of their family.”

She says that every day is an adventure, and while that may sound cliché, Ms Dawid said although she typically only has two days off a month, she “loves getting up in the morning.”

“I love making a difference in people’s lives,” she said. “And I do that every day by trying to put myself in their situation to determine how I would want to be treated.”

In northwest New Haven County, Home Instead Senior Care serves the communities of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oxford, Seymour, and Southbury. In southern Litchfield County, it serves senior residents in Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Milford, Roxbury, Washington, Watertown, and Woodbury. The Sandy Hook office at 426-6666, or visit www.homeinstead.com for more information.