Home Care Daily - National Home Care Industry News

Job growth in New York City exceeded most expectations for the first six months of 2016. The city added 52,000 jobs during that period of time. However, a significant portion of those jobs added were in home health care support services. 

Home health care may be viewed by the general public as a beneficial option for seniors with limited mobility, but it’s more about dealing with chronic health issues than simply having trouble getting up and moving around. In-home care aides are an invaluable asset for helping aging and disabled men and women get out of bed, bathe, toilet, prepare meals, clean, and even get out to stores and doctors’ appointments, but they are also an asset for those individuals struggling with their health. 

In Connecticut, as in most other states in the Union, there has been a deliberate shift away from nursing home care to more affordable options, especially for an aging population. In the Nutmeg State, however, because the baby boomer generation is retiring and will comprise a larger demographic of the overall population, the need for long-term care will also increase. 

At this point in time, there can be little argument about the impact home care is having on elderly and disabled clients. It provides a cost-effective and more comfortable alternative to nursing homes and extended hospital stays. As more services are provided through some type of home care setting, it also allows people the opportunity to be treated at home and even monitored remotely instead of having to travel to a facility or clinical setting. 

Artificial Intelligence may have once been the purview of science fiction and fantasy novels and movies, but it is reality today. While it may not be lifelike robots experiencing emotions and personal connections with humans, AI is here, and it’s here to stay. 

It’s no secret that the demographic in the United States is shifting. As the baby boomer generation ages and now reaches retirement, the percentage of seniors compared to the rest of the population is growing. It is expected to hit 20 percent within the next decade or so. 

The federal government is planning another cut to home health care through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). If it goes through, Medicaid payments for home health services would be cut by 6.42 percent in 2020. This would total about $1 billion in costs for CMS in that fiscal year. 

As various medical procedures and options become readily available at home, instead of traditional clinics or even a hospital setting, it is helping to save patients as well as insurance companies money. This is causing more insurance providers to offer these options to their clients, which is having the ancillary benefit of inspiring more of these home based services.