Staffing shortages impacting senior care in Green Valley

GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Home health care providers across the country are grappling with severe staffing shortages, and the Green Valley area is no exception.

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, over 25% of referred patients were turned away due to a lack of available workers.

Embrace In-Home Care, a non-medical home care provider in Green Valley, has been deeply affected by these shortages. Founder Clarissa Alvarez, who launched the business after a personal health setback, said she was inspired by her own need for care during a difficult time.

"I came from a place where I got really sick once and I needed to have a lot of help, and it was a really uncomfortable experience," Alvarez explained. "That’s when I got into this side of things, to make the experience better for others."

Her goal has always been to provide dignity and comfort to her clients, but the pandemic made this mission increasingly difficult with less staffing. Embrace and other local care providers saw a sharp decline in available workers, leaving seniors more vulnerable.

This situation called for collaboration among home care businesses in the Green Valley area.

"We were seeing a real shortage of people,” Alvarez said. “We were connecting with all of our competitors, just helping each other, doing what we could."

While Embrace and others got through the pandemic, many of these people didn’t return to the field.

She says that many left due to needing emotional or mental breaks after the stresses of the pandemic.

The effects of this crisis are hitting the senior community particularly hard, as it exacerbates an already growing issue: social isolation.

"Isolation is horrendous for cognitive issues," Alvarez noted, pointing out the long-term impacts on the elderly. "There was a ton of isolation during the pandemic, and many older adults are still dealing with those effects."

Chris Erickson, Executive Director of Valley Assistance Services (VAS), also highlighted the serious health risks associated with social isolation.

"If you would take the effects of smoking and smoking about a pack and a half a day,” Erickson said. “We kind of relate that to what the effects of isolation, social isolation, is on someone’s health."

VAS works to mitigate these effects through in-home visits and transportation services for seniors, providing critical socialization and support.

The organization offers services such as a diaper bank and assistance with seniors needing help with rent and utilities.

Christie Fernandez, an Adult Resource Advocate at VAS, says that older adults face numerous barriers to developing a social life as they grow older.

“They’ve outlived a lot of their family and friends and aren’t as close with their neighbors,” Fernandez said. “They also don’t have a means to move around so they’re not able to attend social functions and church.”

To combat this problem, the organization provides transportation for medical appointments, grocery shopping and social events, traveling from Tucson to Rio Rico.

Gloria Espinoza of VAS also oversees various programs aimed at reducing isolation.

"We have socialization groups, support services, and grief groups, and our clients really enjoy coming to them," Espinoza shared. “They get to express how they feel.”

Friends In Deed, another Green Valley nonprofit, offers social groups to provide a sense of friendship and purpose.

Other organizations providing aid to older adults in the Green Valley include:

• Green Valley Cares
• Friends In Deed
• Pima Council On Aging
• Green Valley Food Bank
• Salvation Army - Green Valley Service Center

Along with the need for direct care workers, VAS and other nonprofits in Green Valley are seeking volunteers to help continue their mission across Green Valley.
Those interested in volunteering for VAS can visit its website.