Are you aware of all the upcoming trends affecting home healthcare in the next 10 to 20 years? It seems more and more of the aging population want to stay in their home for as long as they possibly can before transferring to an elder care facility. Naturally, the creature comforts of home and wanting a familiar environment plays into this, particularly when facing important aging and end-of-life challenges, decisions and courses of action. While the future may seem like eons away, when it comes to home healthcare, it’s really just around the corner, making it imperative for those concerned about the aging population to stay on top of them.
Let’s delve into some popular trends that are sure to see the light of day in the next few years as it relates to home healthcare and the aging.
Medicare. Yep, this is so important, it was bound to be first, right? Medicare is going to experience a real onslaught of enrollees, as baby boomers in the United States are turning 65 at a rate of 8,000 per day. (Wow!) This means that by 2025, the number of senior citizens is going to grow to 72 million, putting a particular strain on Medicare, its services and finances.
Home healthcare. It’s widely known that home healthcare will increase in popularity, especially because it is more efficient and cost-effective when managing chronic illnesses. For example, the Medicare cost of home healthcare per day was $44 compared to $559 in a nursing home and even more for hospitalization. People are aging, however, at a faster rate than the home healthcare industry is able to supply and train individuals. Shortages of workers can be expected.
Telehealth. Touchscreen monitors, tablets, computers—all of these will be used in lieu of a physical person from time to time when checking in on patients living at home. Blood pressure and heart rate, among other vitals, are sent to a database where nurses review them and can call a doctor if they appear to be abnormal.
All in all, people are living longer, which means home healthcare and all that comes with it will become a staple of an aging population.