Recently, a major senior care service based out of Tennessee announced that they would be laying off over 150 of their employees. This included care professionals, caregivers, and others. This particular service currently serves about 135 senior citizens, and the layoffs, although necessary because of economic cutbacks, cannot help but have an impact on the people that are served by this business.
So what does this mean for those people? What will the caregivers and others that will be losing their jobs sometime in December have to look forward to? What can the people that are served by this business expect as far as their care goes?
Each situation will be a little bit different. Some of the employees are likely to get hired quickly by another care service. Even though this particular business is struggling, senior care services across the country are experiencing a huge increase in attention. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic has made this a lot more difficult, but overall, there are more seniors in need in our country than ever before. These individuals need businesses and other agencies to step in and provide the assistance that they need. This is a job sector that is likely to explode in popularity over the next ten to twenty years. Losing your job is not easy (believe me, I’ve been there!) and I do not want to minimize the immediate negative impact that this can have on someone. But there is a silver lining to all of this. This will only be temporary and it will likely lead to better job stability with a stronger company in the near future.
It’s worth adding that the company in question here has had its fair share of legal issues lately. The validity of the accusations is not the topic of this article, and whether or not they are true is up to the court systems to decide. However, the fact that there are claims of Medicare and insurance misuse within this particular service has left them, their employees, and the seniors that they serve in a precarious position. The moral is that reputable services with a clean track record tend to provide more continuous, reliable care.
This may be a short term crisis for some individuals and families, especially those that rely on these jobs to support themselves. The families that are seeing care for their loved ones disappear are also experiencing crisis right now. Even if there is no lapse in care, these types of transitions are never easy. The greater the needs that someone may have, the more difficult these transitions become, too.
However, there is no need to think that layoffs and closings are a long term crisis. Sectors of the market and government institutions always rise up to meet the needs of the communities around them. But this doesn’t mean that individual businesses won’t come and go. It’s part of the natural order when it comes to business and economics. When you’re choosing care, it’s important to remember this and go with a company that will serve you into the future.
Leave a Reply