Caring for the Future: The Power and Potential of Americas Direct Care Workforce

This report is the culmination of a year-long series of reports (released throughout 2020) providing a comprehensive, current-day analysis of the direct care workforce and its critical role in the long-term care system in the United States. By bringing these reports together, this final report provides: a detailed profile of these workers; a segmented look at the long-term care industry; a discussion on the evolving role of the direct care worker; a proposed framework for creating quality jobs in direct care; and a look forward at where this workforce and industry are heading. The report also offers concrete recommendations for policymakers, employers, advocates, and other long-term care leaders, and features stories of direct care workers from around the country, sharing their wisdom and ideas. In releasing this report, our goal is to strengthen the national dialogue on the direct care workforce, including what needs to change in policy and in practice.workforce,including what needs to change in policy and in practice