Welcome to our four part series entitled: Seniors, The Elderly, and Technology: Improving lives every day.
Part II – How Will America Meet the Need for In-home Care When Caregiver Availability is Declining?
Now at nearly 40 million, the 65+ group will more than double by 2050. This growth will be fueled by 76 million baby boomers, the first of whom will turn 65 in 2011. Consequently, current systems for elderly care are being stretched. And as more and more seniors choose “home sweet home” over institutional care, demand for in-home caregivers — professional and family — will increase.
But the supply of caregivers — professional and family — will decrease, as the ratio of working age adults to older care recipients is expected to decrease 40 percent between 2010 and 2030.
Families and our economy already feel the strain:
- Caregiving in the United States, released in 2004 by the National Alliance for Caregiving, reported that 44 million Americans—21 percent of all U.S. households—provide care for an adult family member or friend.
- MetLife reported in a study that about 60 percent of employed caregivers have had to make some work-related adjustments to accommodate caregiving. The study added that the total estimated cost to employers for full-time employees with intense caregiving responsibilities is $17.1 billion per year.
- The cost is personal, too. Stephen McConnell, Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy for the Alzheimer’s Association, testified before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging that one in eight Alzheimer’s caregivers becomes ill or injured as a result of caregiving. One in three uses medications for problems related to caregiving.
- Another factor: Families today have fewer children (meaning fewer potential caregivers), and they are geographically spread further apart. The Family Caregiver Alliance estimates that 5.1 to 7 million Americans care for an older family member from a distance.
In the midst of these trends, technology stands out to many organizations and leaders in health care as a solution — not as a replacement for the human touch — but as a beneficial complement to the care provided by professionals and family members. Monitoring and assistive technologies offer relief for family caregivers, providing the peace-of-mind knowing that their loved one is still being watched over. And the technology even gives distant family members the opportunity to be involved.
In a recently released report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies recommends a variety of strategies to better serve America’s growing population of elderly. One of these is a recommendation that federal agencies support development and use of technologies that enhance caregivers’ capacity to effectively and efficiently care for the elderly, given the caregiver shortage.
McConnell added that technology holds promise to alleviate some of the fatigue experienced by those who care for loved ones. He explained that assistive devices will help persons with cognitive impairments live with less dependence on their caregivers.
Some skeptics question how readily elders and caregivers may be to adopt technology. But studies are showing that older adults are discovering that technology can support their desire to age in place, and family caregivers are learning how assistive devices can ease the demands of caregiving.
At Comfort Keepers, we support our caregiving services with our Safety Choice devices to ensure that all of our clients have the security they need to stay in their own home. Comfort Keepers is located in Ocala, Gainesville and The Villages, Florida and we strive to provide the highest quality senior care and elderly assistance in Central Florida. Call us today 855-592-0013!
