Case Study
Research & Thought Leadership
The National Council on Aging’s Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center, in partnership with the Administration for Community Living, sought to help the home care sector navigate one of the most consequential questions facing the future of care: How can artificial intelligence strengthen—not replace—the human relationships at the center of home care work? To answer that question, The CareWorks Project developed A New Era of Care, a three-part research report series exploring the opportunities, risks, and policy implications of AI technologies across the home care workforce—a groundbreaking contribution to this rapidly expanding sector.
Designing What Comes Next
-
Helping the field navigate a transformative technology. The home cares sector faces unprecedented challenges, including workforce shortages, high turnover, growing demand, and increasing administrative burden. At the same time, artificial intelligence is rapidly entering the sector through tools that support scheduling, documentation, care planning, monitoring, and workforce management, among other uses. Yet many providers, policymakers, workers, and advocates lacked a trusted resource to understand what AI is, how it is being used, and what safeguards are needed to ensure it improves—not undermines—care and job quality. The home care sector needed clear, balanced research and analysis that could move beyond hype and fear to inform responsible decision-making, particularly among leaders in state government.
-
Building an accessible roadmap for responsible AI adoption. The CareWorks Project partnered with NCOA’s Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center to develop a comprehensive research initiative grounded in expert insights, field engagement, and extensive desk research. Through interviews with leading experts in aging, disability, workforce development, and technology, alongside surveys and analysis of emerging evidence, the project examined how AI is reshaping the responsibilities of home care workers and agencies alike.
The resulting report series translates complex technological concepts into practical guidance for the home care field. It highlights real-world applications, elevates worker and client perspectives, identifies risks related to privacy, bias, surveillance, and job quality, and outlines policy and practice considerations for responsible implementation. Throughout the series, the reports emphasize that AI should serve as a workforce multiplier that frees workers to focus on the human-centered aspects of care, not replace them.
-
The A New Era of Care report series provides home care leaders, policymakers, technology innovators, advocates, and workforce stakeholders with an actionable framework for understanding and evaluating AI in home care. By combining accessible education, practical use cases, expert perspectives, and policy considerations, the reports help the field engage with emerging technologies thoughtfully and responsibly.
The series positions AI not as a standalone solution to workforce challenges, but as one important tool within a broader strategy to strengthen recruitment, retention, job quality, and care outcomes. It also creates a foundation for ongoing dialogue about how technology can support a more sustainable, equitable, and person-centered home care system.
Similarly, organizations seeking research and thought leadership support gain with The CareWorks Project rigorous, field-informed reports that translate complex issues into clear, actionable insights—helping leaders shape conversations, influence policy, and drive meaningful change across aging, disability, workforce, and care systems.
“Robert is a visionary leader who elevates the direct care workforce with insight, creativity, and a deep commitment to progress. His work brings forward bold ideas and practical solutions that strengthen the field and inspire meaningful, lasting change.”
— Nicole Howell, Director, Direct Care Workforce Development, National Council on Aging, a leading national nonprofit advancing healthy aging, economic security, and independence for older adults.
Meet the Founder
Robert Espinoza is a nationally recognized workforce and care economy strategist and CEO of The CareWorks Project, partnering with leaders to redesign long-term care systems so people live with dignity, workers thrive, and communities prosper.