How Does an Aging Population Affect the Nursing Shortage?

July 12, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Factors Contributing to the Nursing Shortage

• Effects of an Aging Population

• Solutions to Assist an Aging Population 

The world is experiencing a significant demographic shift, with the aging population impacting the nationwide nursing shortage. This demographic change poses numerous challenges, including the nursing shortage. As more individuals enter their senior years, the demand for healthcare services, particularly nursing care, increases exponentially.

The nursing shortage is a multifaceted problem that extends beyond the impact of an aging population. Factors such as insufficient nursing schools, limited faculty, and inadequate resources for training new nurses all contribute to the scarcity of qualified healthcare professionals. This blog post will explore the intricate relationship between an aging population and the nursing shortage, highlighting the factors contributing to this issue and staffing alternatives that can assist hospitals overloaded with older patients.

Factors Contributing to the Nursing Shortage

In addition to an aging population, other factors contribute to the nursing shortage, making caring for older patients even more difficult for nurses and healthcare professionals. With your nursing staff continuously being faced with burnout and high-stress environments, it is evident that there is a clear need to assist nursing staff who are struggling at their facilities. Below are other contributing factors to the nursing shortage and a high aging population.

Retirement of Experienced Nurses

Many nurses from the baby boomer generation are reaching retirement age, creating a significant loss of skilled professionals from the workforce. The retirement of these seasoned nurses further widens the gap between the supply and demand for nursing staff.

Recruitment Challenges

Recruiting and retaining nurses has become increasingly difficult in the face of the aging population. With a higher demand for healthcare services, more nurses are needed. However, the nursing profession faces challenges in attracting new talent. Factors such as long working hours, high-stress levels, and limited career advancement opportunities contribute to the recruitment and retention difficulties that hospitals are facing.

Lack of Retention Strategies

To retain experienced nurses, healthcare organizations should implement strategies that prioritize their well-being and professional growth. Offering flexible work schedules, competitive salaries, and opportunities for advancement can improve nurse retention rates. Ongoing education and training programs can also enhance nurses' skills and knowledge, enabling them to better care for the aging population. Training new staff to be aware and equipped to care for an older generation will provide better patient care at a healthcare facility.

Effects of an Aging Population

The largest generation in America is growing older and will continue to affect nursing. According to the U.S. Census, by 2030, every baby boomer will be 65 or older, marking a turning point for U.S. demographics. Many healthcare facilities now worry about the stress this aging population will put on healthcare systems nationwide. As many members of the older generation require chronic or acute disease care at a higher rate than other major demographics, this will result in excessive patient care needed by healthcare professionals. Although individuals living over 70 with chronic diseases are a tribute to advances in modern medicine, it will require more patient care to manage their conditions. With healthcare facilities already facing short-staffed conditions, this will continue to strain healthcare systems nationwide. Below are the overall effects of the aging population on healthcare facilities.

Growing Healthcare Demands

An aging population requires more healthcare services due to the higher incidence of chronic conditions and age-related illnesses. This increased demand for medical care strains the already limited nursing workforce. As the elderly population expands, the nursing shortage intensifies, making providing quality care to every patient challenging.

Complex Care Needs

Aging individuals often have complex care needs that require specialized knowledge and skills from healthcare professionals. With a shortage of nurses, healthcare facilities struggle to meet these demands adequately. Managing chronic conditions, administering medications, and providing personalized care to older adults require a knowledgeable nursing workforce. Unqualified and inexperienced nurses hinder healthcare institutions from delivering optimal care to the aging population.

Impact on Quality of Care

The nursing shortage resulting from an aging population directly impacts the quality of care for older adults. Overworked and understaffed nurses may struggle to meet all the needs of their patients, leading to potential errors and compromised care. This situation can have serious consequences for the health and well-being of the aging population, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the nursing shortage. For older patients, it is even more crucial that healthcare professionals are precise and accurate with their care to avoid unfortunate consequences.

Shift Toward Geriatric Care

With a growing aging population, there is a pronounced shift toward geriatric care within nursing. Nurses must possess specialized knowledge and skills in managing older adults' unique physical, psychological, and social needs. The emphasis on geriatric care requires additional training and resources, exacerbating the nursing shortage as healthcare systems strive to meet the evolving demands with limited staff.

Rising Healthcare Costs

The aging population's impact extends beyond the shortage of nursing staff to financial implications. As the number of older adults increases, healthcare systems face rising costs associated with providing comprehensive care. This includes expenses related to chronic disease management, long-term care facilities, and specialized medical interventions. The financial strain can limit resources for retaining nursing professionals, hindering efforts to improve staffing levels.

Increased Complexity of Care

The aging population often presents with a higher complexity of care needs. Older adults commonly experience multiple chronic conditions that require ongoing management and coordination among healthcare providers. Nursing professionals are critical in ensuring the holistic care of aging individuals, including medication management, care planning, and promoting overall well-being. The increased complexity of care places additional demands on the nursing workforce, intensifying the shortage.

Knowledge and Experience Gap

Retiring experienced nurses from the baby boomer generation creates a significant experience gap within the nursing workforce. As seasoned professionals exit the field, their expertise and mentorship opportunities diminish. The loss of their valuable insights and clinical wisdom hinders the development of the next generation of nurses, further perpetuating the nursing shortage. Bridging this experience gap is crucial for maintaining quality care and addressing the needs of an aging population.

Solutions to Assist an Aging Population

The aging population increases the demand for healthcare services, including nursing care. As older adults face a higher prevalence of chronic illnesses and age-related conditions, the need for skilled nursing professionals to provide specialized care and manage complex medical needs rises significantly. This increased demand strains the nursing workforce and has left healthcare facilities desperate for solutions to how to aid and meet the needs of an aging population.

International Nurses

Hospitals need to find other ways to retain nursing staff to better care for an aging population at a facility. Hence, they have adequate healthcare professionals available to care for older patients. A solution is to hire international nurses, such as those from Avant Healthcare Professionals. By hiring international nurses, healthcare executives can enhance employee satisfaction, as staffing ratios won’t be as challenging as before and can help current staff with burnout and overtime hours needed to care for older patients. International nurses also bring a wide range of expertise and usually convert to full-time staff following their contracts with Avant, making them more comfortable and familiar with older staff.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Fostering collaboration between healthcare professionals at facilities can help mitigate the impact of an aging population on patient care. Nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers can share responsibilities, improve efficiency, and optimize care delivery by working together. Collaborative efforts can bridge the gap between the demand for nursing care and the available workforce, ensuring that older adults receive the comprehensive care they need.

Educating Patients

Healthcare executives must educate their staff on chronic conditions and diseases that older patients may be susceptible to. Your team should be aware of common health problems among the older generation. With this information, your team can share this knowledge with their patients, making them active participants in their own health. Knowledge is power, and by obtaining it, patients can act proactively to avoid life-threatening conditions in the future. Creating community support groups, providing educational material online, and handing out brochures or flyers with key facts can go a long way toward helping patients take more control over their health.

The Bottom Line

The aging population has impacted the nursing profession in many ways. There is now an increase in the demand for healthcare services, a rise in healthcare costs, and an increased gap between available current and tenured nurses. Addressing these impacts requires proactive measures to recruit and retain nursing professionals, invest in specialized training of patients and healthcare professionals, and promote collaboration between healthcare professionals. By acknowledging and responding to these challenges, healthcare executives can work together to ensure high-quality care for our aging population while addressing the nursing shortage.