There's a great need for quality, dignified, person-centered elder care in Cincinnati, Louisville and the surrounding Tristate region right now.

Part of the boost in demand for professional senior caregivers is due to the Baby Boom generation's having reached peak retirement. But the labor crunch in senior healthcare isn't expected to subside as the Boomers' numbers diminish.

That's because Americans are living longer. And, with greater health challenges than their predecessors did.

Our goal, here at ERS, is to keep Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana seniors "living well into the future." We need help in that mission, so we're always looking for qualified, passionate healthcare, wellness and caregiving providers like you.

Today, let's talk about 10 reasons why you should consider a career in elder care with ERS.

1. High labor demand? Better earning potential.

Like we said above, the supply of retirement caregivers is too small to meet demand.

Senior care organizations like Episcopal Retirement Services are building more affordable senior apartments and residential nursing capacity.

But the labor market simply isn't supplying enough qualified, licensed home health nurses, patient care assistants, physical/occupational/respiratory therapists, senior wellness and nutrition experts, geriatricians, etc., right now to staff them all.

So, for the foreseeable future, elder care providers are likely to command higher average wages and realize more attractive benefits than their counterparts in other health care niches.

2. You can learn a lot about life when you work with seniors.

One of the most amazing benefits of working in elder care is the opportunity to hear our residents’ life stories and learn from their shared wisdom.

Older people have hard-earned wisdom. And they often have a deep desire to pass on their wisdom to younger members of society.

Our elder care residents talk with us. They help us to avoid mistakes they made when they were our age. Sometimes, they volunteer their personal stories. Sometimes, we just learn from listening and observing.

Older people advise us how to handle trying circumstances. They show us how to accept adversity with grace and show us how to grow stronger from it.

Our senior residents help us to understand the true value of achievement. And they truly inspire us.

3. Many Years = Many Thanks.

Many healthcare professionals and home health providers suffer from compassion fatigue and burnout.

But, as practitioners of senior care, we can testify: people do "mellow out" as they age. Most lose their sense of self-importance. They become focused on their immediate surroundings. They’re less concerned with proving their place in the larger world.

So, when we help an elder they often thank us, without reserve. They smile. They're grateful somebody cares about them. And we're grateful for the opportunity, because it makes us feel good in turn.

4. We often develop meaningful care relationships with our senior residents.

In the hospital, providers don't tend to develop friendships with their patients. They only see people for a short period of time, then those patients move on.

In elder care, though, we often care for patients for years. We get to know them well. We meet their spouses, their children and their grandchildren. Sometimes, we even their great-grandchildren.

In elder care, we develop care relationships that enrich and shape our own lives. It's an intangible career benefit but, for many of us at ERS, it's the most important one.

5. We're growing.

Over the past several years, ERS has moved beyond the Greater Cincinnati area and expanded operations to Louisville, Lexington, the Dayton area, rural Ohio and rural Indiana.

Our Affordable Living by ERS senior apartment initiative continues to grow. We're nearing completion on renovations and growth at Marjorie P. Lee. And we've added residential and community services across the board.

At ERS, you can grow with us. Because when people begin working with us, they tend to stick around a long time.

6. We've been named a Tristate "Top Workplace" for nine years in a row.

Every year, the Cincinnati Enquirer releases its list of Top Workplaces in Greater Cincinnati. We're a perennial listing.

Why? Simple.

We have a passion for providing senior care. We believe in our mission. And we treat our residents — and each other — like we'd treat members of our own families.

7. We don’t use employment agencies for staffing.

That's not said with any disrespect to employment services or to providers who contract with them. Many provide excellent care.

But we’re looking for a particular type of care provider: someone who is passionate about rendering person-centered, dignified care here, not just a provider who's looking for his or her next gig.

We believe that, when you love what you do, it shows in the quality of care you provide. The people who work here love what they do; they wouldn’t do anything else, anywhere else. So, we keep our hiring in-house.

8. We stick to a person-centered care model.

We don’t just provide assisted living services, residential nursing care and memory care for our residents. We provide them with dignified choice.

We give our senior residents, and their families, as much freedom and control of their care as we safely can. We render assistance to residents on their terms and on their schedule, not on ours.

We’ll sit and listen to them. We’ll make eye contact with, and smile at, every resident we meet in passing in our hallways and common areas. We’ll greet everyone by name.

That’s what “person-centered care” means. And it's this major differentiator in care philosophy that sets us apart. It's why our senior residents do so well in our care.

9. You'd have the opportunity to work across a range of care services.

We don't just provide residential senior care, memory care and skilled nursing care. We provide community-based services, too, like Deupree Meals On Wheels, Living Well Senior Solutions and our Parish Health Ministry. We provide case management services and caregiver support, too.

Some services we provide are skilled nursing, yes. But the vast majority of our roles are supportive care, preventative care and social care. We have need for a full range of elder care professionals.

10. We offer flexible scheduling.

We’re not just person-centered in our approach to senior care. We’re person-centered in our approach to team management, too.

We have positions available on all shifts, so you can work around your family life, instead of working your family life around your career.

We understand that you have a life of your own to manage, so we'll accommodate those needs to the fullest extent possible.

If you’re considering career in senior care, ERS needs you.

From our clinical providers, to our allied health professionals and support staffers, we have one goal: to help Cincinnati and Louisville-area seniors continue “Living well into the future."

Do you have a passion for rendering person-centered, dignified care? Then we invite you to explore the opportunities here with us.

Click here to see our available roles in Cincinnati, Louisville and the surrounding region.