In the United States, roughly 10,000 people turn 65 every day, according to UN Population Division estimates. The senior population is projected to more than double by 2050, comprising over 20 percent of the nation’s population. U.S. Census data also indicate there are about 73 million Baby Boomers who will all be 65 or older by 2030.
Given these trends, demand for senior living and care services is expected to grow substantially. The key question is whether the nation can build and staff the services and leadership needed to meet that demand.
Increasing demand, inadequate supply
There are about 50,000 retirement communities in the U.S., according to industry research. This total includes roughly 28,900 long-term care communities with close to one million licensed beds, based on CDC data. It also includes approximately 2,000 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs or “life plan” communities) with an estimated 640,000 residents, though some CCRCs are also counted among long-term care providers.
As noted in previous analyses, the nation faces a looming long-term care challenge: an estimated 52 percent of people turning 65 will require long-term care services at some point. In the coming years, demand could exceed the supply of paid caregivers and the number of senior care administrators willing and able to take on these demanding roles.
Compounding the problem, current industry leaders are aging as well. The average senior living administrator is over 50, meaning a large portion of today’s leadership will likely retire within the next decade.
>> Related: Inflection Point: Our Nation’s Ever-Growing Long-Term Care Crisis
An innovative program for future leaders
Recognizing the widening gap between demand and the workforce entering the field, senior care education leaders are working to expand training and recruitment. Dr. Doug Olson, a leader in senior care education, highlights the problem: “We have more people leaving the profession than entering it at the same time demand for professionals in the field is increasing.”
To address this, Dr. Olson and colleagues have launched Vision 2025, a collaborative initiative designed to grow college-level senior living and care administration programs nationwide.
Vision 2025 seeks to expand the pipeline of trained administrators and caregivers by focusing on three core strategies:
- Strengthening academic programs
- Establishing strong partnerships between schools and industry
- Providing quality, hands-on field experiences
Specific goals include developing at least 25 college and university programs focused on senior living and senior care administration, creating 1,000 paid internships with senior housing, care, and service providers, and building durable partnerships between academia and providers — all by 2025.
These efforts aim to ensure the industry has the leadership and workforce needed to meet growing demand and adapt to evolving care models and resident expectations.
>> Related: The Voice of the Resident: Why the Senior Living Industry Should Listen
Making the case and meeting the challenge
Attracting young people to careers in senior living and care requires changing perceptions and demonstrating clear career value.
“The field has image issues, so we have to find ways to change the perception,” says Dr. Olson. He emphasizes that prospective students should understand the field’s strong employment prospects, competitive salaries, and multiple career pathways as the sector evolves.
Dr. Olson adds that many students are drawn to the sector because it engages “heart, head, and hands”: heart, because they can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives; head, because effective leadership requires strong business and management skills; and hands, because day-to-day work is practical and people-focused.
He also notes that younger generations often want meaningful work and thrive on variety and challenge — qualities that align well with senior care leadership positions, where no two days are the same.
>> Related: When a Change in CCRC Leadership Causes Concern Among Residents
A model for Vision 2025
The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire offers one of the country’s most established senior living and care programs: the Center for Health Administration and Aging Services Excellence (CHAASE). CHAASE enrolls more than 200 students and graduates roughly 60 each year, compared with the typical program that may graduate around 10 students annually.
Graduates from UW–Eau Claire’s program are in high demand, with nearly all finding employment immediately after graduation. CHAASE was also the first program to receive health services executive accreditation from the National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards.
CHAASE’s success stems from close collaboration with industry partners and a required yearlong paid internship that provides students with real-world experience before they graduate.
Because of its proven outcomes, UW–Eau Claire and CHAASE have taken a leading role in executing Vision 2025, serving as a practical model for other universities and colleges seeking to build or expand similar programs.
“UW–Eau Claire and CHAASE are ready to collaborate and to lead so we can ensure that universities produce enough senior care leaders to meet the needs of all parts of the senior care continuum,” says Mike Schanke, a 1985 UW–Eau Claire graduate and member of the CHAASE board and Vision 2025 steering committee. “If people want to look to us as an example of what can work, we stand ready to help them.”