Caregiver and Clinician Shortages in an Aging Nation

Despite a burgeoning elderly population, the number of nurses and other providers of direct care has declined to critical levels at many health care facilities. There are also insufficient medical clinicians to meet the demand for health services. A shrinking workforce, an aging population, financial pressures, and increased consumer demand will translate into severe personnel deficits in the future. Similarly, family fragmentation and the trend toward bureaucratization of long-term care have reduced the availability of informal caregivers. Younger workers should be considered a scarce resource for health care organization and planning purposes. The ability of the United States to meet its entitlement promises is likely to be compromised by a reduced labor pool and simultaneous budgetary constraints. Because good geriatric care is often labor-intensive, meeting this goal poses an increasing challenge.