Hundreds of thousands of migrants are facing uncertainty after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Syrian and Haitian nationals. It’s raising alarm among leaders in the senior care industry, who say workers with TPS make up a significant part of a strained workforce. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Katie Smith Sloan of LeadingAge.
Geoff Bennett:
Hundreds of thousands of migrants in the U.S. are facing uncertainty, as protections that allow them to live and work here near expiration. That comes after the Supreme Court cleared the way last month for the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Syrian and Haitian nationals.
Syrians are set to lose their status tomorrow, while a federal appeals court extended the deadline for Haitians until Monday. Now, that looming loss of those protections is raising alarm among leaders in the senior care industry, who say workers with TPS make up a major part of an already strained work force.
One of those leaders is Katie Smith Sloan, chief executive of LeadingAge, which represents more than 5,000 aging services providers.
Thank you for being with us.
Thank you for having me.
Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO, LeadingAge: Thanks for having me.
Geoff Bennett:
So let’s start with the scope of this.
To what extent does the senior care industry, to include residential facilities and in-home care, rely on workers who are here under Temporary Protected Status?
Katie Smith Sloan:
Well, overall, 25 to 30 percent of our work force in aging services, it’s far and more, people coming from other countries to care for older adults here.
And a large percentage of those are Haitians coming here to various parts of our country to provide services and supports. So this is not insignificant to us.
Geoff Bennett:
So, what does this mean in practical terms for an industry that is already struggling to hire and retain workers?
Katie Smith Sloan:
It means that, in one fell swoop, organizations will lose in some cases 40 workers, in other cases 16 workers, all at the same time.
And these are people who are providing — they’re nurses in some cases. They’re nursing assistants. They might be housekeepers. They might be providing culinary services. But these are all essential services leading to the quality of life of older adults.
Geoff Bennett:
Well, say more about that. How does this affect the care that seniors receive, I mean, in terms of the attention that they get and the continuity of care?
Katie Smith Sloan:
Unlike in a hospital, where somebody maybe two or three days, when somebody moves into a nursing home, that is their home. They’re there for months, sometimes years.
When somebody needs home health services, they’re receiving those services over a period of time. So they develop deep relationships with these caregivers. I have talked to residents who consider their caregivers part of their family.
And these caregivers understand what they like to eat. Do they like breakfast, to have oatmeal or Wheaties for breakfast? What do they like? What kind of music do they like? They have met their families. So they develop these deep relationships over time.
And when you take that worker away, you’re breaking not only a job, but you’re breaking an absolutely critical relationship. And there — and that contributes to care continuity issues. It breaks up the team that’s providing that support. And so it has huge implications for the residents themselves.
Geoff Bennett:
And as these deadlines arrive tomorrow and on Monday, are workers simply expected to stop reporting to work once they lose employment authorization?
Katie Smith Sloan:
Yes, indeed. Once they can’t — once they don’t have a work permit, they can no longer go to work. So, that’s problematic for the providers.
They have to fill those gaps, 40 workers that they would have to fill. So, what we’re seeing is job fairs and partnerships with hospitals and community colleges and offering training and paying for training to bring in to replace those workers as best they can. But then they have to start all over again with building those relationships. So it’s hugely disruptive.
Geoff Bennett:
Right, because it affects the workers who are here now and the pipeline of future talent; is that right?
Katie Smith Sloan:
Absolutely.
And if a provider organization can’t find those workers, then what we’re seeing is, if they’re in a nursing home, might be taking beds offline or closing a wing. Home health agencies here and home health agencies are just simply not taking more admissions.
And so when that access to care happens, the responsibility for caring for loved falls on family members, at great emotional, practical, and financial expense to them. I would say the other issue that we should be paying attention to from an access point of view is that, if an older adult is in a hospital and ready to be discharged, and there is no nursing bed or there is no home health nurse, they are going to stay in that hospital longer.
Nobody wants to be in a hospital any longer than they have to, but it’s also at great expense to our health care system.
Geoff Bennett:
Katie Smith Sloan, chief executive of LeadingAge, thanks again for being with us.
Katie Smith Sloan:
Thank you.
