Addressing Elder Care Shortages Through Homecare Worker Cooperatives with Cindy Houlden

For the first time in history, the number of Americans 65 and older now exceeds the number of Americans five and under, according to census data. As the U.S. population continues to age, many rural communities are facing a lack of elder care facilities, forcing those in need of care to relocate to a larger community. Last year, the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center – or NCDC – at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, launched a six-week Homecare Worker Cooperative Academy in partnership with the Northwest Cooperative Development Center in Washington State. The program aims to address the potential elder care crisis by supporting the development of local homecare worker cooperatives that provide in-home care in rural communities. Cindy Houlden, cooperative development specialist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, discusses the issues facing long-term senior care in rural communities and the benefits of worker cooperatives for homecare workers and the community. Read more: https://cap.unl.edu/rural/homecare-worker-cooperatives-aim-support-aging-place-rural-nebraskahttps://cap.unl.edu/rural/homecare-worker-cooperatives-aim-support-aging-place-rural-nebraska.