As Boomers Age, the Need for Trained Care Providers Becomes Urgent
Article submitted by Marion Karpinski, RN, President of Medifecta HealthCare. For more information call 1-888-846-7008 or visit their website - www.medifecta.com.
The age wave we hear so much about today has been building for a century. Between 1900 and 2000, the number of people over 65 rose from 3 million to 33 million. In the next 30 years the number of people over 65 is expected to double.
It’s true that “old simply isn’t what it used to be” as gerontologist Ken Dychtwald says. People are living longer; many remain healthy longer, eating a good diet, getting plenty of exercise and remaining involved in their communities. The time of life when people become frail has been pushed back, but eventually people move from young-old to old-old. This group, 85 and older, is expected to reach at least 7 million in 2020. It is at these advanced ages that many people require help with activities of daily living. The 85+ group will double yet again in 2040, when the first baby boomers reach 85.
Currently, family caregivers and friends provide 80% of all elder care in the home, but that will change as baby boomers age. Not as many family caregivers will be available to care for baby boomers because boomers had fewer children and 12% had no children. Boomers are also more likely to be divorced and to live alone as they become elderly. With their interest in social change, boomers are likely to come up with some creative solutions, such as sharing the care with groups of friends to help replace the missing family members.
But the dwindling source of family caregivers does indicate that the demand for paraprofessional caregivers such as home health aides and personal home care aides will become even more urgent in coming decades. According to Department of Labor statistics, by 2020, the number of trained in-home caregivers needed will nearly double.
The current approach to health care education, which focuses primarily on training individuals with CNA (Certified Nurses Aide), LPN, and RN credentials, is destined to come up short. Although credentialed health care practitioners are greatly needed, they will not be providing the bulk of home care. That responsibility falls mainly on family, friends and private duty home care agencies.
The personal care attendant who has been invisible in our health care education system as well as our health care system is the new entry-level health care worker. They must be recognized as such and receive the appropriate training that provides them with the professional and behavioral skills they need to be confident and effective providers of home care.
If we don’t act soon to offer appropriate training for all home care providers, we will undoubtedly see greater incidences of elder abuse, neglect and a general decline in the quality of life and conditions of the elderly, while we grasp at straws to solve this healthcare crisis.
