More than one in six Americans are now 65 or older, and more than five million need direct care workers. Direct caregivers range anywhere from home aides to certified nursing assistants, and they provide essential support to older adults. At the same time, 90% of older adults have experienced at least one traumatic event during their lifetime, making person-centered, trauma-informed care a necessary component of quality aging services. 

 

Despite serving as the backbone of the nation’s long-term care system, direct care workers often face low wages, physically demanding work, limited opportunities for professional advancement, and high rates of stress. Trauma can further complicate caregiving by affecting communication, relationships, and care delivery, creating challenges for both the older adult and the professional who supports them. 

 

Jewish Federations of North America’s Center on Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Care is helping address these challenges by advancing the person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) approach to aging services. Advanced research, training, and technical assistance done by the Center equips organizations with the proper tools needed to strengthen the direct care workforce and improve care for older adults with a history of trauma. 

 

The Center’s 2025 National Study found that 89% of organizations using the PCTI approach reported improvements in staff knowledge, caregiving skills, job satisfaction, and retention while reducing burnout rates. 

 

Only 39% of organizations demonstrated organizational capacity to fully implement this care, emphasizing the need for continued investment. To help meet this need, Jewish Federations launched PCTI Essentials for Aging Services, an online training program that has already enrolled more than 1,200 learners. Participants completing the course demonstrate dramatic gains in understanding the PCTI approach, going from 14% before the course to 92% afterward. These findings stress the important role that education and capacity building play in creating a stronger, more resilient direct care workforce equipped to meet the needs of an aging America.