Workforce, Direct Care Workers

Direct care workers (DCWs) such as nursing assistants, home health aides, and personal care assistants play an essential role in the health and well-being of over 20 million Americans. Yet DCW wages are not enough to make jobs competitive with entry level positions in other industries with similar job requirements which exacerbates the challenges in recruitment and retention of these workers.

Due to the increasing demand for homecare workers and the high rate of occupational injuries among these workers, addressing homecare worker safety is critically important. High injury rates among homecare workers contribute to turnover and absenteeism, and lead to high costs of workers’ compensation insurance for employers.