Why Labour Shortage in Long-term Care Should Be a Greater Priority
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PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies, Health Policy Analyst
An increasingly person-centred and needs-based approach is expected in long-term care sector, which will also require more staff. In the future, the demand for workers providing long-term care services will grow, but the sector has an unattractive reputation, low wages and poor working conditions. Besides that, stress and high workloads make it difficult to keep people in the sector, as people with the necessary skills are not prepared to work under the existing conditions.
A survey found that the raising of wages, valuing of employees and supporting the taking into use of technological tools are the most important measures that, according to experts, need to be reviewed and renewed. The most important changes needed in the long-term care workforce relate to policy decisions. It is necessary to recognise at the national level that long-term care requires additional funding. In conclusion, it is important that all the proposed solutions work hand in hand and complement each other. The long-term care labour shortage needs a strategic and comprehensive approach, where different measures should complement each other. However, it is important to give the issue a higher political priority.