America Is Running Out of Caregivers. Seniors Cannot Wait.
America's seniors built this country. They worked the factories, fought the wars, raised the families, and paid into the system for decades with the expectation that the system would be there for them when they needed it most. Today, that promise is in serious jeopardy, and Washington needs to wake up.
Across the country, the senior care industry is running out of workers. And if policymakers do not act, millions of aging Americans will be left without the care they need.
The Alarm is Ringing
The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) sounded the alarm at the start of this year in stark terms: "Simply put, there are not enough workers to meet the demands of serving a rapidly aging American population." ASHA President David Schless reported caregiving positions, dining services, and housekeeping roles are particularly challenging to fill, and that the sector faces a defining moment: address the workforce shortage, or fail the very generation that built our nation.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2025 that the 65-and-older population reached 61.2 million Americans, with seniors already outnumbering children in 11 states. The baby boom generation is not slowing down, and neither is the demand for care. Argentum, one of the nation's leading senior living industry associations, estimates that the sector will need three million additional workers in the next 15 years, and the broader long-term care continuum will require more than 20 million additional workers by 2040.
Runaway Demand for Senior Work & Housing
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration confirmed in December 2025 that long-term care workforce demand projections are growing dramatically through 2038, with direct care workers, nursing aides, home health aides, and personal care aides all facing significant shortfalls. These are the men and women who help our seniors bathe, eat, take their medications, and live with dignity. There are simply not enough of them.
Right now, adult children across this country are scrambling to find care for aging parents only to discover that waitlists are growing, facilities are understaffed, and the help their parents need is increasingly hard to come by. Senior housing occupancy is climbing toward record highs, with the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care projecting it will surpass 90 percent in 2026. Demand is outstripping supply. And the workforce to meet that demand is nowhere near large enough.
The Trump Administration Charts a Path
Solutions exist, and they require the political will to pursue them. Industry groups are already calling for expanded apprenticeship programs, partnerships with community colleges, and workforce development pipelines at the federal, state, and local levels. An Apprenticeship Expansion Program, funded by a Trump Administration grant, has built relationships with nearly 150,000 job-seekers. That is the kind of common-sense, results-driven approach that should be replicated and scaled.
A strong caregiving workforce is good for America's economy and good for families who are counting on a functioning system of care. One in three Americans aged 65 and older is economically insecure. The number of unpaid family caregivers is expected to decline in the coming years, making paid professional care even more critical.
Seniors Matter for America believes that a serious Seniors First Agenda must include a serious commitment to building the caregiving workforce this country needs. Washington cannot continue to sidestep this issue while millions of Americans age into a system that is not prepared to serve them.
America's Greatest Generation deserves better. It is time for their leaders to deliver.