WORKFORCE CRISIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM POLICY SOLUTIONS
BY KENYA MCCULLUM
Worker shortages are nothing new in the senior living industry—but COVID-19 has only made the challenge more pronounced. To get to where we need to be will require a multipronged approach. One of those prongs is developing and supporting the policies that can bring an influx of talent into the field. To get a look at possible policy changes
that can make a difference, we spoke to Maggie Elehwany, Argentum’s senior vice president of public affairs.
Q. Where does the assisted living industry currently stand in terms of policy resources? A. My number one job is to ensure that our members, these caregivers of two million se- niors across the country, have the resources they need to keep their seniors safe. During COVID, as we continue to battle new vari- ants, we have been fighting for the resources and relief that assisted living caregivers need just to continue to stay in business, to keep their doors open, and to continue providing the great services they do. A host of reasons has made this chal-
lenging. We aren’t necessarily on the federal government’s radar screen. It sometimes as- sumes we are taken care of, but unfortunately, we’re not. Through the pandemic, there have been literally trillions of dollars in COVID relief, much of it specifically targeted for long-term care providers. Yet because we don’t meet a typical definition of long-term care providers, we have been excluded from a lot of the relief and legislation. Argentum’s public affairs team and CEO are working to make sure we no longer are being left behind.
Q. Why was senior living left behind in these policy discussions? A. In large part, the senior living commu- nity is licensed on a state level. It has kept out of the federal arena purposely because providers have finite resources and really
wanted to focus those on what was going on at a state level. COVID changed everything for senior living. Our communities were subject to CDC and OSHA requirements to protect the population, and variants led to this national state of emergency for seniors. The senior living community invested in
safety: They invested in PPE and workforce training and education. They complied with the ever-changing CDC guidelines, and they spent a lot of their resources doing it. Of course, some also had to shut down communities and lost a lot of revenue from lack of new folks coming in. These are losses that will endure even if
the pandemic ends tomorrow. The federal government and Congress made a natural assumption that when dollars went out to long-term care, we were receiving relief. Unfortunately, we weren’t. What we are looking for is any moving
vehicle in Congress to attach the relief that our members need in the human infrastructure.
individuals to either be paid for caring for an aging or dis- abled person in their home, or to pay for a caregiver. Our position is
that assisted living, unlike other types of long-term care facilities, really are homes for two mil- lion seniors across the country and provide these caregivers. It’s the most cost-effective way of providing care. That’s the point we’re trying to make for Congress. The other part of the human infra-
Maggie Elehwany Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
structure bill is a significant investment in workforce development. This covers many different industries, but there’s also a special focus on the needs of the aging population and the workforce shortages there. Again, we are fighting to ensure that we are in the bill. The problem that we run into
PART OF THE HUMAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL FOCUSES ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE AGING--AND ARGENTUM IS FIGHTING TO ENSURE SENIOR LIVING IS IN THAT BILL.
Q. What is “human infrastructure”? How does it relate to senior living? A. President Biden proposed two large piec- es of legislation, one focusing on hard infra- structure and one focusing on less tangible infrastructure and human infrastructure. This means an investment in soft assets,
human assets—senior care, childcare, educa- tion, climate change benefits, energy policies. It’s an important bill, but as the president
indicated, there are dollars there for helping seniors in their aging process. An expansion of a Medicaid benefit is designed to allow
is that many leaders—both in the House and Senate—believe that assisted living is included in the bill—yet we’re excluded, be- cause they’re not using a specific definition of long-term care. So that’s our education battle with Congress right now.
Q. What is Argentum working for with regard to human infrastructure? A. Our advocacy efforts are trying to in- clude a definition of long-term care that includes assisted living so we will be able to access the resources in this bill if it does
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