Workforce
Demand for healthcare services is on the rise amid a workforce shortage.
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Feelings Meet Facts: What We See When We Overlay Our Gallup Survey on the City Checkup
Nearly one in four U.S. workers, about 23 million people, say they're staying in a job they want to leave because they're afraid of losing their health insurance.1 Researchers call this job lock, and according to new research from our West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, it's risen eight percentage points since 2021.1,2 That's a feeling, captured the way we capture feelings through ...
Untapped Potential: The Older Workforce in America
The United States is undergoing a major demographic shift. By 2034 older adults are projected to outnumber children for the first time in the nation’s history. Falling birth rates coupled with longer life expectancies are driving this shift, with significant implications for families, communities, public programs, and the economy. Older adults can play a role in strengthening the U.S. workforce th...
The Mobility Crisis in Aging America: How Geography and Disability Shape Access to Transportation
Reliable transportation is essential for maintaining independence, accessing healthcare, and participating fully in community life. Yet for many older adults and people with physical disabilities across the United States, mobility remains one of the greatest barriers to healthy aging. The West Health National Aging Readiness Dashboard, shows that 1 in 5 (21%) adults age 65 and older who live alone...
America’s Unpaid Caregivers: The Hidden Workforce
According to the AARP-National Alliance for Caregiving in the U.S. 2025 report, about 63 million Americans, roughly 1 in 4 adults are caring for older parents, spouses, or other loved ones. Family caregivers provide approximately $600 billion in unpaid care each year, helping their family members live independently at home and stay connected to their communities.One of the most striking truths abo...
The Direct Care Workforce Shortage: Opportunities for States
As more older adults express a preference to remain in their homes and communities, the need for direct care workers continues to rise, particularly for home health aides and personal care assistants. These workers provide hands-on support with daily activities, filling critical gaps when family members or other informal caregivers cannot. They work across a variety of settings, from nursing homes...
Making Geriatric Emergency Departments a Nationwide Initiative
The Institute has partnered with JAHF to establish a national collaborative of nine leading geriatric emergency medicine programs to provide early evidence that GED guideline-based care improves patient outcomes and is cost effective, as well as build a data infrastructure for ongoing research and evaluation.Participating sites include: Mount Sinai Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Cen...