Without a doubt, challenges face senior health care in the future. The statistics tell the tale. Currently one in eight, or 13 percent, of Americans are 65 and older. By 2030, about one in five, or over 19 percent, will be 65 or over. By 2050, over 25 percent of the population will be seniors. Though Americans live longer lives, they do not necessarily live healthier lives. Of today’s seniors, almost 80 percent suffer from at least one chronic health condition. Seniors spend twice as much as middle-aged people on healthcare and three to five times more than young people. Medicare and Social Security both currently pay out more than they bring in and will soon be insolvent unless changes are made to the system, according to the annual report from the Social Security and Medicare boards of trustees. This situation will prompt changes in senior health care in coming years. Here are some possible trends in the near future.
Nursing Homes
Nursing homes, once the stalwart backbone of the senior care system, are declining in popularity as primary options. Reduction in funding for Medicare and Medicaid and the expense of skilled nursing care primarily account for the change. Seniors will look for less expensive options that provide limited care and greater independence. But this this may not be true to all, there are still elderly people who consider staying in a nursing home. So if you are one of them, the nursing home in peoria is a great place to look at.
Multigenerational Households
Many families are taking a tip from the rest of the world and opting for multigenerational households, where grandparents, parents and children can all live together and care for one another. This has both financial and social advantages. Adult children care for their aging parents, and at the same time grandparents impart experience, wisdom and oversight to grandchildren. In some cases this requires larger housing or renovations and additions to existing homes, but the cost of accommodating seniors is more than offset by the savings in long-term nursing home fees. Caregiving would be accomplished by family members and by home healthcare providers. For example, if you’re looking for home healthcare providers to help your family in West Palm Beach, you might want to check out Senior Home Care services NOW in West Palm Beach!
Shared Living
Shared living is a growing trend that involves unrelated seniors pooling their resources to obtain housing and hired help as needed. This would include, of course, medical help. This gives the seniors the benefits of both autonomy and socialization. As an offshoot, some companies involved in senior care are providing the housing and matching up senior roommates and the necessary staff.
Growth in Home Care
In the future, more seniors will opt to stay at home as long as possible rather than enter a nursing home. Under the present system, institutional care is favored over home care, but due to Medicare’s acute solvency problem and the fact that hospice service or Veterans Hospice Program and senior home care cost much less than institutional care, this is likely to change. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for home health aides will be burgeoning in the near future. Visit sites like https://www.palmvistaseniorliving.com/ to know more about senior living.
Technological Advancements
For those seniors who can afford it, technological advances will allow more independence in the future. This technology would include automated medical scans, robots that provide personal medical care and computer systems in smart homes that monitor vital signs and medication. Advanced technology will become available to more and more people as it becomes more commonplace and widespread.
As the population rapidly ages, changes to the existing senior health care systems need to be made equally as swiftly. The Medicare program cannot last long in its present form. The future of senior health care must prioritize prevention rather than crisis care, so that as seniors live longer they also enjoy better quality of life. Websites such as celebratecaregiving.com are invaluable in highlighting the challenges ahead and educating people on the needs of seniors. You may also visit sites like www.arborpalmsseniorliving.com/our-community/ for additional guidance regarding assisted living.
