To all our readers... Have a safe Memorial Day weekend. Please remember those who have served and died for our country.
The following was written by Paul R. Hogan, CEO of Home Instead Senior Care as a call to action to both the Boomer Generation and to those of us who serve the Senior industry...
As the boomers go gray, who will care for them?
Early next year, the first of the baby boomers start turning 65, launching the biggest demographic shift in American history.
Yes, these senior boomers will have healthcare insurance through Medicare. But that won't mean much if there's no one to provide the care, and the U.S. faces alarming shortages of trained elder-care workers. Whatever else they decide, Congress and the White House must respond to this crisis. The nation will need to add millions of new jobs in the years ahead.
The first of the 78 million people born between 1946 and 1964 will start turning 65 in 2011 at the rate of about 8,000 a day. In just 15 years, the 65-plus population will be around 72 million, almost double the number in 2000.
Fortunately, the nation has developed a strong elder-care system. The old model - the one most of us remember - offered only two choices: mom or dad stayed home until they were too weak to manage, then went into a nursing home.
The new system offers a range of options for each stage of senior care. First is home care: trained professionals come to the house to help with weekly chores or provide non-medical care, greatly extending, at an affordable cost, the time seniors can age in place.
Second, there are a whole variety of senior centers: adult-care centers, retirement communities, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing homes and hospice care. But who will staff these facilities when the senior population skyrockets?
According to the American Geriatrics Society, the nation is already short about 8,500 doctors trained to treat the aging, yet few are entering this field. In 2007, a mere 0.5% of residents who graduated from U.S. medical schools chose geriatrics as their specialty.
The lack of nurses will be even worse. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, by 2025, the U.S. will be 260,000 short of what is needed.
And we will be short almost 1 million home care workers by 2017, an especially serious problem given seniors' preference for aging at home.
How should Washington respond? By using federal subsidies to stimulate private-sector jobs. For example:
- Low-interest loans for medical and nursing students who specialize in geriatrics
- Subsidies for the expansion of medical and nursing schools
- Tax credits for graduates who pledge to work in underserved regions of the country
- Creation of a Senior Corps similar to the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps
- Tax credits for long-term care insurance policies that cover affordable options like home care
The baby boomers will not allow their representatives to ignore this challenge. They will demand adequate care, and they will be right. With the age wave about to descend upon us, now is the time to act.
Home Instead Senior Care: Trusted Care for the Senior You Care For
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