Gaps in the Dementia Care Workforce: Research Update and Data Needs

On May 23, 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Population (CPOP) convened a seminar on gaps in the dementia care workforce. Representatives from CPOP and the NIA recognize that the nation’s health care workforce may not be prepared to meet the health and long-term care needs of the growing number of older adults, particularly those from at-risk populations. The goal of the half-day seminar was to review recent research on gaps in the dementia care workforce across various settings. Experts provided background in three broad areas: (1) current and future gaps in the paid dementia care workforce; (2) the implications of creating high-quality jobs for direct care and other paid workers; and (3) dementia care workforce issues for at-risk populations (i.e., rural areas, low socioeconomic status, non-English speaking). A meeting summary (PDF, 351K) is available.