Why You Can’t Find Good Caregivers for Your Loved One (And What to Do About It)
Let’s talk about something that’s probably kept you up at night.
You’ve found a caregiver for your loved one.
They seem capable.
They show up on time. At first.
Your family starts to breathe again.
Then, a few weeks or months later, they’re gone.
No real explanation, no smooth transition. Just gone.
And you’re back at square one, scrambling to fill the gap while your loved one wonders where their person went.
If this cycle feels painfully familiar, we want you to know two things.
It’s not your fault, and you’re far from alone.
A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight
What you’re experiencing at home is actually part of a nationwide emergency that most people outside of the disability community never hear about.
The direct support professional (DSP) workforce – the people who provide hands-on daily care for individuals with intellectual, and developmental disabilities – is in crisis.
How bad is it?
According to ANCOR’s 2025 State of America’s Direct Support Workforce Crisis report…
88% of disability service providers nationwide experienced moderate to severe staffing shortages in the past year.
Nearly two-thirds had to turn away families seeking services because they simply didn’t have enough staff.
And 29% of providers had to shut down programs entirely.
Perhaps the most alarming number…
52% of providers said they’re considering even further cuts to programs if things don’t improve.
A dramatic jump from just 34% the year before.
These aren’t abstract statistics.
They’re the reason your phone calls go unreturned.
They’re the reason waitlists keep growing.
They’re the reason the caregiver who finally “got it” with your child left for a job at Target that paid the same wage with far less emotional weight.
The System Problem Behind Caregiver Turnover
The short answer?
DSPs aren’t paid what they’re worth.
And that’s not because individual providers don’t want to pay them fairly – it’s because the funding system won’t support it.
Most disability care services are funded through Medicaid, and Medicaid reimbursement rates haven’t kept pace with the real cost of living.
ANCOR’s research found that turnover rates for DSPs hover around 40% nationally, with vacancy rates between 12–15%.
When a DSP can make comparable money working at a fast-food restaurant or retail store – without the emotional intensity that comes with supporting someone through a meltdown, helping with personal hygiene, or managing complex behavioral needs.
The math simply doesn’t add up for many workers.
COVID made everything worse.
During the pandemic, over 150,000 direct care workers left the field entirely, and the vast majority never came back.
Federal relief funding helped stabilize wages temporarily, but those dollars have expired.
Now providers are trying to hold the line on the modest pay increases they made, while facing the prospect of even deeper Medicaid cuts at the federal level.
Here in Virginia, the picture is complicated.
The state added 3,440 new developmental disability waiver slots and approved a 3% rate increase for providers, real progress.
But there are still over 15,500 families on the DD waiver waitlist, and the national funding landscape threatens to undo those gains.
What This Means for Your Family
When caregiver turnover is high, your loved one pays the price.
New faces mean re-learning routines, re-building trust, and re-explaining needs that took months for the last person to understand.
For someone with autism, Down syndrome, or other developmental disabilities, that kind of disruption isn’t just inconvenient.
It can trigger real regression.
And for you, the family caregiver, it means you never fully get to step back.
You’re always the backup plan, always on call, always holding your breath waiting for the next departure.
That’s exhausting.
It wears on your health, your relationships, and your ability to be present for everyone in your family who needs you.
We see it every day. We know this weight.
How to Find a Provider That Actually Keeps Their Staff
Not every agency is experiencing the same level of turnover.
Here’s what separates the ones that retain quality caregivers from the revolving doors:
They invest in their people. Ask about training, professional development, and how the agency supports its DSPs beyond a paycheck. Providers who treat their staff as professionals – not as interchangeable bodies – hold onto them longer.
They match carefully. Good care isn’t just about credentials. It’s about personality, communication style, and genuine connection. The best providers take time to understand your loved one’s unique needs before assigning anyone.
They communicate proactively. If a staffing change is coming, you should hear about it before it happens – not after. Transparency isn’t optional; it’s the foundation of trust.
They’ve been at it long enough to have systems. Experience matters. A provider with deep roots in the community has likely weathered staffing challenges before and built the infrastructure to manage transitions without dropping the ball on your loved one’s care.
Where CDS Stands
At Community Direct Services, we’ve spent nearly 20 years in Hampton Roads building something that can’t be assembled overnight.
A team of caregivers who stay because they believe in the work and feel supported doing it.
We see the person first, not the diagnosis.
That philosophy doesn’t just shape how we care for your loved one – it shapes how we care for our staff.
We know that when our team feels valued, your family feels the difference.
If you’re tired of the revolving door – if you’re ready for care that’s consistent, compassionate, and built to last, we’d love to talk.
No pressure, no sales pitch.
Just a real conversation about what your family needs and how we can help.
Call us anytime at (757) 965-4899
or visit communitydirectservices.com to learn more about our services.
Sources
ANCOR, “The State of America’s Direct Support Workforce Crisis 2025” (October 2025): ancor.org
ANCOR, “Shortage of Direct Support Workers Persists as Service Providers Brace for Medicaid Funding Reductions” (October 2025): ancor.org
PBS NewsHour, “What’s Behind the Shortage of Workers Who Support People with Disabilities”: pbs.org
VPM News, “Federal Cuts Could Inhibit Progress on Developmental Disability Care” (March 2025): vpm.org
Bipartisan Policy Center, “Addressing the Direct Care Workforce Shortage”: bipartisanpolicy.org
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “What Is the Caregiver Crisis?” (July 2025): publichealth.jhu.edu
