The article discusses the grave implications of potential deportations of immigrant caregivers in California, where a significant demographic shift is leading to increased need for long-term care services. With projections indicating that 22% of California's population will be aged 65 or older by 2040, the reliance on immigrants in caregiving roles is critical. However, anxieties about job security and the workforce's stability are rising, particularly with policies that could reduce the number of available caregivers. Experts emphasize the urgency of addressing these workforce challenges amid proposed cuts to Medicaid support.
"At a time where it seems fewer and fewer of us want to work in long-term care, the need has never been greater," Harvard healthcare policy analyst David C. Grabowski told The Times' Emily Alpert Reyes in January.
"I don't want to cry," she said, but losing her $19 hourly job would be devastating, because she sends money to the Philippines to support her family.
There are no good answers at the moment. Deporting care providers might make sense if there were a plan to make the jobs more attractive to homegrown replacements.
Employers were already having trouble recruiting and keeping staff to do jobs that are low-paying and difficult, and now Trump administration policies could further shrink the workforce.
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