Maine Faces Senior Boom, Worker Shortage in Preview of Nation's Future

Maine households face increasing strain from the state's burgeoning senior population and a nationwide worker shortage, and experts warn this heralds a national crisis, reports the Washington Post . States with fewer immigrants are expected to be profoundly affected, since immigrants make up the bulk of senior-service employees. "We have added an entire generation since we first put the safety net in place, but with no plan whatsoever for how to support them," says Caring Across Generations co-director Ai-jen Po. "As the oldest state, Maine is the tip of the spear — but it foreshadows what is to come for the entire country." Maine has been struck by record numbers of nursing community closures, and the AARP reports care workers in the state receive a minimum hourly wage of $11. About 33 percent of physicians in Maine are older than 60, while nearly half of the registered nurses in several rural counties are 55 or older and are expected to retire or work fewer hours within 10 years. With AARP projecting that Americans 85 and older will grow more than 200 percent from 2015 to 2050 — with those younger than 65 increasing by about 12 percent — federal programs like Medicare are lagging. SCAN Foundation President Bruce Chernof warns of a "catastrophic" outcome if these problems go unresolved.