Immigrants Play Crucial Role in Caring for Seniors

Senior care in the United States would not be as effective as it is without immigrant caregivers, reports WRAL-TV . "When people think of immigrant caregivers obviously they think, with all of the news media, people coming from Mexico and places like that," notes Right At Home CEO Tom Arnold. "But the immigrants in the United States that are caregivers come from 124 different countries and speak 157 languages." The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that roughly 8 million new direct-care workers will be needed by 2026, making it the fastest-growing low-skilled profession in the country. Arnold says "a lot of people leave the industry to go into higher-paying jobs," which is why immigrants are so vital. The BLS calculates that about one in four direct-care workers are immigrants, and many find the work fulfilling and plan to keep at it. "When we get a caregiver who is an immigrant, they probably came from a country where they put a lot of value on taking care of their older family members," Arnold adds.