As you know, a majority of home healthcare recipients are age 65 years or older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016) estimates 82.6% of home care patients fall in that segment of the population. The numbers will surely continue to grow as a result of the aging of the sizable Baby Boomer cohort and more effective management of acute and chronic disease. The 2017 Profile of Older Americans was recently released (Administration for Community Living, 2018). This annual summary provides important data on older Americans for clinicians and policy makers. Here are some important findings:
* The population of those over age 65 years was 37.2 million in 2006. This number grew to 49.2 million just 10 years later. It is projected to double to 98 million by 2060.
* This means about one in every seven Americans is an older adult-about 15% of the population.
* There are more older women than men-27.5 older women and 21.8 million older men.
* The population of "very old" adults (age 85 years or older) is quickly growing. It was 6.4 million in 2016, and is expected to double to 14.6 million by 2040.
* Approximately 13.8 million community-dwelling older adults live alone. Because men tend to have a shorter life expectancy, 9.3 million of the older adults who live alone are women. This situation is very common, with 45% of women over age 75 years living alone.
* The demographic characteristics of older Americans are also changing. In 2006, 6.9 million older adults (19%) were ethnic minorities. This number grew to 11.1 million in 2016 (or 23%) and is expected to grow to 28% by 2030.
* As you would expect, the need for in-home care increases with age. Although only 9% of those aged 75 to 84 require help with personal care, 22% of those aged 85 and older require assistance.
So, what does all this mean for you? If you are a clinician, you certainly want to become an expert in geriatric care. There will be many entrepreneurial opportunities for creative, energetic, forward-looking home care clinicians. Keeping older adults healthy and active will be an important outcome of care. Managers and administrators should focus staff education efforts on the unique care needs of older adults, and understand that longer visits may be necessary and should be factored into productivity. Finally, policy makers will need to advocate for policies that support long-term care and improved access to care for older adults.
Are you and your agency prepared to meet the challenges of an aging America?
Best wishes,
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