Caregiver shortage hits rural areas the hardest

The details: The study, led by the University of California, San Francisco, found the number of adults with self-care disabilities were highest in the South, as well as parts of Maine, the Pacific Northwest, and New Mexico, ranging from 3.9% to 8.7% across the U.S.

• Meanwhile, the states with the lowest number of personal care aids per 1,000 adults with a self-care disability were mostly southern, including Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kentucky.

What they're saying: The authors listed possible remedies including increasing wages and benefits, improving training and career development options, adding flexibility to state Medicaid waiver programs to pay family caregivers for providing personal care services and providing incentives and compensation for travel.