Nihal Satyadev, MPH | University of Medicine and Health Sciences; Norma Bostarr, and Heena Doshi, MPH
Competition Sponsor: National Academy of Medicine
Awardee Year: 2020
In the United States, more than 10,000 people turn 65 every day. Put this statistic alongside the fact that our birth rate is at an all-time low, and you are looking at a dependent society of older adults with not enough of a workforce to support aging-related needs. Our growing aging population is currently supported by millions of family caregivers, many of whom are overburdened and depressed. The Care Corps is a new service model that addresses the lack of an aging sector workforce, family caregiver stress and depression, social isolation of persons with dementia (PWDs), and helps to prevent spend-down by families to qualify for Medicaid-funded in-home care. This model would allow for family caregivers to re-enter the workforce, build a graduate-to-labor pipeline for caregiving, and save billions in taxpayer dollars through aging-in-place. The Care Corps will incentivize young American high school and college graduates to provide 1-2 years of near-full-time respite care for older adults with dementia in exchange for a stipend and educational grants upon completion of the service. National service models like AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and Teach for America have been successful in leveraging youth interest to address key societal issues. At a time when our elders need us the most, what could be more patriotic?
To learn more about this proposal email healthylongevity@nas.edu.
View this project poster, first displayed at the 2021 Global Innovator Summit.