Experiences of Direct Care Workers and Family Caregivers of Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

(By Priya Chidambaram, Anna Mudumala, Alice Burns, and Robin Rudowitz for The Kaiser Family Foundation Published: Oct 30, 2024)

KFF estimates that there are over 4 million people using Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS), which include medical and supportive services that assist people with activities of daily living (such as eating, bathing, and dressing) and instrumental activities of daily living (such as preparing meals, managing medications, and housekeeping). Direct care workers play a pivotal role in providing such services for people who need help because of aging, chronic illness, or disability. Direct care workers perform demanding, high-stress work for low wages and often no benefits. There have been longstanding challenges finding enough direct care workers, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those issues considerably. In a 50-state survey of officials administering Medicaid HCBS programs, nearly all responding states reported they were experiencing shortages of direct support professionals, personal care attendants, and/or home health aides. Continue reading here…

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