No one is immune to aging. And that means our families and communities are staring at a big challenge as the Baby Boom generation grows older. Taking care of our seniors is a societal issue impacting our workforce, housing, transportation, healthcare and other critical support systems in New Jersey – which begs the question: Are we prepared?

Sadly, we are not, according to information from the New Jersey Department of Labor. Data from the state shows that the healthcare field will need to add 85,000 more jobs through 2024 to meet the needs of our aging population. Most of them will be in nursing home and residential care facilities. We see the shortage already in caregiving jobs such as certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who work in nursing homes, or home health aides who help care for seniors in their homes. A recent survey of New Jersey nursing homes found that it takes an average of 18 weeks to fill open positions because of a nationwide shortage of CNAs.

Like so many New Jersey families, I’ve faced the difficult decision along with my siblings on how to care for an aging loved one. Those who make caring for seniors a career have my utmost respect. It takes the right type of individual to provide high quality, emotionally engaged care for people who live in a nursing home or who are aging in their homes. Having both the right number of people and also the right kind of people to care for our aging population is essential. 

We must look at this growing demand for healthcare workers as a community-wide challenge. Developing a workforce of people in caregiving careers requires proactive strategies, and it’s never too early to start. In our schools, we need to promote the many career possibilities for people who are interested in health sciences. Let’s also help students recognize that caregiving careers are for anyone, with no boundaries based on gender, race or religion.

We also need to recognize the social supports that CNAs, home health aides and other entry-level healthcare workers need to become certified and start their careers. Things like providing adequate child care, better transportation, even temporary housing so someone can complete a training program are needs that we must address.

There are easier jobs than caregiving, but few that are as important or provide such great emotional rewards. Those pursuing caregiving careers need to be passionate about people. The caregivers in our nursing homes and other healthcare facilities provide meaningful moments for our seniors every single day with a touch of a hand, a warm smile, a word of comfort, along with the delivery of personal care, assistance with meals or help with everyday tasks such as combing someone’s hair or tying shoes. These are all things that make up human dignity.

There’s a common saying when a challenge demands the attention of us all: “It takes a village….” I write this column because I hope to see our village come together to recognize and begin addressing the long-term workforce needs as our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and loved ones grow older and need our support.

Guest columnist Karen Ali is senior vice president of community partnerships for the New Jersey Hospital Association.