The Future of Elder Care
We’ve reached the day and age where older adults and their families are no longer viewing private-duty elder care as a luxury reserved only for the wealthy. In fact, senior home care costs may now be even lower than those associated with a nursing facility.The future of elderly care is shifting from long-term care families to more in-home elderly care. This switch surprisingly generates significant savings while still improving clinical outcomes and increases patient satisfaction and well-being.In this article, we’re discussing the future of elder care and how care standards are slowly moving towards more personalized, in-home care that brings with it a bevy of benefits to both the aging individual and their families.
What Does Elderly Care Look Like Now?
Currently, seniors make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, so around 42 million seniors are living in America today. According to the Institute on Aging, 65 percent of elders get their long-term care needs from family and friends, leaving just 35 percent of seniors who require the assistance of long-term care, either in-home or in a facility.The Increasing Senior Population
The primary issue that the U.S. is facing right now when it comes to elder care is that the population is growing. Thanks to the baby boomer generation, the number of seniors living in the U.S. is expected to spike dramatically over the next few years. In fact, researchers are predicting that more than 40 million people in the U.S. will cross over to the “senior” threshold within the next 10-12 years.With so many seniors living in the U.S. at once, the government will be forced to spend more money on programs like Medicare. Due to this uptick in our elder population, senior care needs to continue to develop and evolve quickly to accommodate our aging population.What Does In-Home Care Consist of?
In-home care is appropriate for individuals who prefer to stay at home, but also need additional help that their friends and family are unable to provide. This form of elder care allows seniors to age comfortably in their own homes.Most in-home care protocols combine assisted living services and skilled health care services. There are a couple of different types of home care services for seniors:- Home health care: This usually refers to situations in which skilled nursing care is involved
- In-home care: This service generally doesn’t require any type of medical care
- Companionship
- Supervision
- Personal care
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Meal preparation
- Medication reminders
- Errands and shopping
- Transportation
- Walking
- Bathing
- Transferring
- Dressing
- Using the toilet
- Eating
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