title: Path toward economic resilience for family caregivers: mitigating household deprivation and the health care talent shortage at the same time.
abstract: Rising costs and a workforce talent shortage are two of the health care industry's most pressing challenges. In particular, serious illnesses often impose significant costs on individuals and their families, which can place families at an increased risk for multigenerational economic deprivation or even an illness-poverty trap. At the same time, family caregivers often acquire a wide variety of health care skills that neither these caregivers nor the health care industry typically use. As these skills are marketable and could be paired with many existing medical certifications, this article describes a possible "path toward economic resilience" (PER) through a program whereby family caregivers could find meaningful employment using their new skills. The proposed program would identify ideal program candidates, assess and supplement their competencies, and connect them to the health care industry. We provide a set of practical steps and recommended tools for implementation, discuss pilot data on the program's appeal and feasibility, and raise several considerations for program development and future research. Our analysis suggests that this PER program could appeal to family caregivers and the health care industry alike, possibly helping to address two of our health care system's most pressing challenges with one solution.
authors: *Address correspondence to Melissa A. Simon, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; 633 N. St. Clair, Suite 1800, Chicago, IL 60611. E-mail: m-simon2@northwestern.edu.
authors: Melissa A
authors: MA
authors: Simon
authors: Brian
authors: B
authors: Gunia
authors: Emily J
authors: EJ
authors: Martin
authors: Charles E
authors: CE
authors: Foucar
authors: Tapas
authors: T
authors: Kundu
authors: Daiva M
authors: DM
authors: Ragas
authors: Linda L
authors: LL
authors: Emanuel
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics* / Q000193:education; D004651:Employment; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006280:Health Workforce; D018576:Home Health Aides / Q000191:economics* / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States
keywords: Caregiving—informal; Economic resilience; Economics; Education and training; Low-income populations; Workforce issues
references: J Clin Oncol. 2001 Jul 1;19(13):3219-25
references: 11432889
references: Health Econ. 2013 Oct;22(10):1230-49
references: 23225741
references: Gerontologist. 1985 Dec;25(6):612-7
references: 4085875
references: JAMA. 1994 Dec 21;272(23):1839-44
references: 7990218
references: J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2009 Nov;64(6):799-807
references: 19465748
references: J Palliat Med. 2008 Jun;11(5):746-53
references: 18588407
references: J Palliat Med. 2007 Oct;10(5):1190-8
references: 17985975
references: Gerontologist. 2012 Apr;52(2):177-88
references: 22298747
references: N Engl J Med. 2003 Aug 21;349(8):768-75
references: 12930930
references: Lancet. 2001 Sep 8;358(9284):833-6
references: 11564510
references: Am J Manag Care. 2004 Sep;10 Spec No:SP1-4
references: 15481430
references: Health Care Manag (Frederick). 2011 Jul-Sep;30(3):205-14
references: 21808172
references: J Palliat Med. 2010 Aug;13(8):941-4
references: 20712463
references: Soc Sci Med. 2006 Feb;62(4):858-65
references: 16099574
references: Gerontologist. 1981 Oct;21(5):471-80
references: 7338304
references: Health Aff (Millwood). 2006 Jan-Feb;25(1):186-96
references: 16403753
references: Cancer. 2008 Dec 15;113(12 Suppl):3548-55
references: 19058152
references: N Engl J Med. 1999 Nov 18;341(21):1612-6
references: 10577119
references: Perspect Psychol Sci. 2011 Jan;6(1):3-5
references: 26162106
references: JAMA. 2003 Mar 19;289(11):1371-3
references: 12636453