This past year, a spotlight was cast on the essential work done by Americans who are unable to work remotely. This includes the 4.6 million direct care workers (DCWs) who provide caregiving services to people with chronic conditions or disabilities, both in homes and residential facilities. (Source: Commonwealth Fund)

Currently, there is a national shortage of in-home caregivers and direct care workers. In the state of Michigan, there are resources working towards eliminating this problem. The Upper Peninsula based Caregiver Incentive Project (CIP) is approaching the issue regionally and partnering with Michigan State University led IMPART Alliance to address this more on a statewide level.

Caregiver Incentive Project

Marquette-based Caregiver Incentive Project (CIP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity whose mission is to educate the public regarding the caregiver shortage, provide financial incentives in the way of scholarships and/or stipends, and provide training for new caregivers. By working closely with agencies that serve disabled individuals, the elderly, medically fragile individuals, and others requiring in-home care, CIP hopes to increase the number of in-home caregivers. 

Initial efforts include partnering with high schools and higher education institutions to establish intern programs for students regardless of their chosen program of study. These programs will provide free training to enhance study in fields such as, but not limited to, medical, social work, education, and clergy by providing “real life” experiences.  They also have a scholarship program for higher education students in the Upper Peninsula. 

Founder and President Eric Paad  was inspired to create CIP when caring for daughter Dorothy Paad. Dorothy is a person living with disabilities and requires support  24 hours a day, seven days a week. Despite challenges, Dorothy has pursued a love of dance and has even published a book inspired by her experience. 

“There are an estimated 1.3 million family caregivers in Michigan (AARP), but it is also estimated that Michigan is short 34,000 caregivers (PHI),” Paad said. “Our mission is to close that gap by ending the shortage of in-home caregivers. One of the ways we are aiming to accomplish this is through our training sessions. We have conducted three of these sessions to date, providing attendees with valuable information and the skills to become family and hired caregivers – which many of them have!”

Recently, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund awarded NMU and the Caregiver Incentive Project a grant of $100,000 to support a rural workforce initiative, The Caregiver Career Pipeline. These funds will be used to develop a pilot program aimed at widening the pipeline of qualified and committed DCWs in the Central Upper Peninsula.

CIP x Impart Alliance

IMPART Alliance

IMPART Alliance is a coalition of MSU led researchers, direct care workers (DCWs), clients, providers, advocates, and others that work together to strengthen the direct care workforce, improve the lives of DCWs and the clients they serve, and be a model for the nation. ​“IMPART” stands for Integrated Model for Personal Assistant Research and Training. Its sole mission is to help Michigan develop an infrastructure to build and support the direct care workforce through comprehensive training and advocacy. Although studies show that a stable, trained direct care workforce means higher DCW and client satisfaction, which directly correlates to lower DCW turnover rates and more positive health outcomes, no federal DCW training requirements currently exist for most DCWs.

The goals of IMPART Alliance include;

  • Professionalize the direct care workforce through competency, professional, and ethical standards, training guidelines, increased wages, benefits and respect, and development of career pathways.
  • Promote a standardized DCW training program with universal training
  • Provide avenues for information exchange among all stakeholders who are committed to these goals, and ways to mobilize rapidly to inform legislators and raise public awareness aimed at responsible policy reforms.

Clare Luz, PhD, Associate Professor, Family and Community Medicine, MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, is the founding director of both MSU AgeAlive and IMPART Alliance. She is a gerontologist whose two decades of research focus on quality of life for vulnerable older adults, long-term care health services, particularly the eldercare workforce shortage, and the intersection of aging, health, and the arts. Dr. Luz Co-chairs both the statewide MDHHS DCW Advisory committee and the statewide MI DCW Coalition comprised of employers, DCWs, clients, advocates and other stakeholders who are jointly generating innovative, feasible, affordable strategies to tackle the critical DCW shortage. Dr. Luz has served on the Michigan Long-Term Supports and Services Advisory Commission, the Michigan Society of Gerontology board, and the National Quality Forum’s Home and Community-Based Care Committee.

“The DCW shortage is putting Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) at risk. Providers are turning clients away and some are closing their doors. It is an imperative that we all work together to address this shortage,” Dr. Luz said. “Fortunately, there are many statewide initiatives in Michigan right now including the CIP, the recent development of the statewide MDHHS DCW Advisory Committee, the statewide IMPART DCW Coalition (EJEC), a new legislative Care Caucus, and more. We are urging people to join the Coalition and get involved so that we can move forward on important urgent reforms”

Bringing the two worlds together, Eric Paad from CIP is also the Chair of the IMPART Alliance’s Coalition and Policy Committee (CAP), which is part of a collaboration between IMPART and PHI called Essential Jobs; Essential Care (EJEC). PHI is a healthcare institute that works to ensure quality care for older adults and people with disabilities by creating quality jobs for direct care workers. The training, advocacy and research tackling the critical shortage of trained in-home caregivers is a focus that directly aligns with CIP’s mission.

Although approaching the issue from different angles, both the Caregiver Incentive Project and IMPART Alliance are tackling the caregiver workforce shortage on the State, local, and even national levels. To find out how you can help and to join the IMPART Alliance Statewide DCW Coalition, visit their websites: Caregiver Incentive Project || Impart Alliance

Other initiatives in Michigan currently supporting the Direct Care Workforce include:

  • The MDHHS/Bureau of Aging, Community Living, & Supports (BACLS) Statewide

DCW Advisory Committee provides content expertise, advising and strategic direction to develop policies, programs, and procedures, and short and long-term recommendations for addressing the MI DCW shortage. 

EJEC Project): IMPART Alliance and PHI have joined forces to lead a multi-year statewide advocacy initiative to transform jobs for MI’s DCWs through establishing a DCW Coalition to advance policy reform in three critical areas: improving compensation, enacting workforce innovations, and strengthening data collection. Learn More

The Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health seeks to improve the health and well-being of Upper Peninsula residents and communities by developing collaborative partnerships that enhance the access and availability of affordable, quality healthcare services. For questions or comments related to this story, contact ruralhealth@nmu.edu.