A Job Paid With Love

If there is ever a time when seventeen-year-old Andrea thinks of concerning herself with the topic of global health above all things, this is it.

The healthcare industry is currently dealing with a substantial caregiver shortage that is said to worsen in the coming years. In 2023, the American Immigration Council (AIC) stated that “the United States will need to fill nearly three-quarters of a million open jobs for home health and personal care aides every year through 2031.”

A large number of immigrant workers have been taking up this role. Millions of seniors who cannot remain in their homes will be left due to the tremendous decrease of aides joining the workforce.

Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, the shortfall hit clients and benefactors alike. The insufficiency of available caregivers has increased the cost of care while leaving patients more vulnerable to decline in future public health crises. Prior to the pandemic, the global scarcity of healthcare workers was already proven to be problematic.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the shortage is predicted to increase from 7 million in 2016 to 18 million by 2030. The recent pandemic has further exacerbated the challenge exponentially, what with healthcare providers being at the center of the global battle against the contagious and evolving virus.

Frontliners had put their health and well-being at risk to care for patients and save lives. While hospitals were initially struggling with inadequate protective equipment and a lack of information, the focus had gradually turned towards staff shortages and mental health challenges.

At a time when life expectancy is significantly deteriorating, the miracle of longevity is an event to be celebrated more than ever. However, it also gives rise to new challenges that the healthcare system must be realigned to address.

Learning this has made people realize not only the severity of the situation in the healthcare industry but also the heightened value of being the receiving end of someone’s care and attention, which can be attained at its best form if it’s a loved one who’s fulfilling the role of a giver–for Andrea, it is her mother.

Filipinos are said to be among the best caregivers. Many own care homes in the Philippines, and sending their aging parents to a nursing home goes against their culture. Filipinos are in demand abroad for the excellent care they provide.

Although caregiving and parenting are two different roles that aren’t to be used interchangeably, especially considering that their primary aim is ultimately different even when they share a lot of common goals, the main point here is that they both provide the kind of care that many people in the world are currently in need of.

Andrea’s mother may have not received the sort of training that professional healthcare workers need to go through, but there’s no denying that she knows the craft well enough to even surpass all the basic standards of being a care provider.

Everyone faces multiple challenges in this world, but one factor will always remain constant–and that is the timeless importance of mothers and their invaluable contribution to raising the next generation. They play a critical role both in the family and the society. By rewarding their efforts and enhancing their living conditions, a better future for all can be secured.

Though not exactly a certified expert in any line of work, Andrea considers herself blessed abundantly for being able to entrust a very important job to her mother–the job to raise her into someone who knows how to care for others like how she’s been cared for.