New Hampshire’s “baby boomer” generation will face an inadequately staffed direct-care workforce — unless the state’s legislators and home care agencies make a concerted effort to recruit and retain home-based workers, according to two new reports.

UNH Carsey Institute

The University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute report (pdf) provides an overview of the direct-care field in New Hampshire.

The authors found that the median wage for home care workers in the state is just $10 an hour, compared with $16.48 for all of New Hampshire’s workers. The Institute also reports that very few of New Hampshire’s direct-care workers have health insurance or even receive paid time off, and there is little opportunity for career advancement within the field.

NH Coalition for the Direct Care Workforce

A New Hampshire Coalition for the Direct Care Workforce (NHCDCW) report (pdf) outlines several strategies to help close the growing gap between the supply of, and demand for, direct-care workers.

The NHCDCW report concludes that:

• The state should adequately compensate New Hampshire’s home care agencies so that they can pay their workers a living wage;
• New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation should try to obtain federal funding for the training of home care workers; and
• State home care agencies should launch initiatives designed to retain workers, including steady work programs and employee loan programs.

Considered in tandem, the two reports “clearly show that even in these difficult financial times, it is important for states to help provide living wages, benefits, and advancement opportunities for direct-care workers,” says PHI Northern New England Policy Director Alexandra Olins. (The report’s authors relied on PHI’s experts to provide technical assistance and some original research.)

Failure to adequately support New Hampshire’s current direct-care workforce, Olins continues, “will make it harder to recruit and retain new workers — workers who will play a crucial role in enabling aging baby boomers to receive care and support at home when the time comes.”