That question will be the focus of a Sept. 18 regional conference in New York City when hundreds of people converge to discuss what programs and services could possibly change the trend. Also on the agenda is a proposed law that would repay college loans for people who agree to work in the geriatrics field after they graduate.

The conference on this pressing nationwide issue “Cutting Edge Approaches: Recruitment, Retention, Retooling, Policy/Advocacy – Sizing Up the Workforce for the Elderboom” will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Roosevelt Hotel, 45 E. 45th St., in Manhattan.

The day-long event is being presented by the New York Southern Area Aging Network (NY-SAAN), a consortium created in 2006 by Commissioner Mae Carpenter of  Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS) and Commissioner Edwin Mendez-Santiago of the New York City Department for the Aging.

NY-SAAN covers New York City, Long Island and five counties in the Lower Hudson Valley: Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess and Ulster.

Some 2.2 million people age 60 or older, who represent 68 percent of the state’s elderly population live in that territory. NY-SAAN members represent 41 community-based organizations, agencies and associations. The conference is open to professionals from throughout the Northeast.

Figures from government and other sources show the need for more workers in the health care and human services fields.

• More than one million new registered nurses will be needed between 2006 and 2016, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures by the Center for Health Workforce Studies. The study also projects that by 2016 one in every 10 jobs in the U.S. will be in the health care sector.
• The Institute for the Future of Aging Services reports that between now and 2015 the population aged 85 and older (those most likely to require long-term care) will increase by 40 percent. Meanwhile the native-born population aged 25 to 54, the pool of people from which both paid and informal caregivers will largely come, will not increase at all.
• Figures from the Hudson Valley Region of the New York State Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics underscore the need as well. In 2004 there were 23,200 nursing, psychiatric and home-health aides. But it is projected that the number of positions will grow almost 22 percent by 2014. The number of home-health aide positions alone will increase more than 33 percent in that time period.

“We must be pro-active,” said DSPS’ Carpenter, a leader in issues that affect the elderly and the work force. “We must be forward-thinking. We cannot ignore the gravity of this situation and become a society that asks ‘what happened?’ when older people have fallen through the safety net.”

Carpenter said it’s imperative to recognize that today families have more older people and fewer adult children. And because people live longer, the adult children must care for more individuals.

“Today a husband and wife could have four parents and two to four grandparents to care for as well as children and grandchildren,” Carpenter said.

“At one time it was the ‘sandwich generation,’ she said in reference to people who must care for their parents and children. “Now it’s the club sandwich generation,” because they might also be responsible for their grandparents. That’s why we need more people entering the health care and human services sectors. ”

The keynote speaker at the NY-SAAN conference will be Jack Mitchell, the author of “Hug Your People: The Proven Way To Hire, Inspire and Recognize Your Employees and Achieve Remarkable Results.” Mitchell’s book is on The Wall Street Journal’s best-seller list. All conference speakers will be nationally and internationally recognized experts on workforce issues and the elderly.

There will also be speakers from AARP and the Metlife Mature Market Institute. The conference will also feature eight workshops, including ones on health care, long-term care, nursing, social work, research,  intergenerational programs and philanthropy to deal with the work force crisis.

The Caring for an Aging America Act of 2000, which has been introduced in Congress by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California.), is on the agenda as well. The act addresses the gap in care between the rapidly growing number of older Americans and the critical lack of providers who are trained to care for the medical, health and social support needs of that aging population.

The act would establish a Geriatric and Gerontology Loan Repayment Program for people who work with the elderly who complete specialty training in geriatrics or gerontology and agree to provide full-time clinical work and services to older adults for at least two years after they graduate.

Carpenter said NY-SAAN is important because there is strength in numbers. “That strength is not only valuable from an advocacy standpoint to ensure older persons are getting their fair share of resources,” she said. “It’s also important in attracting national and international experts so that we can build upon  their visions and knowledge.” 

Register now on-line or by mail.