Matching caregivers with older adult clients will increase in 2015 to meet the rising demand for at home senior care. The growing baby boom population combined with the desire for more older adults to age in their homes rather than at a nursing home or assistant living facilities, has left a gap with home care providers that employers are trying to fill. Personal care aides and home health aides hold the number two and three positions on the Department of Labor’s list of the fastest growing occupations with a 48 percent increase in both careers by 2022. With aging adults not wanting to be institutionalized, there is a tremendous demand for most seniors to want to age at home, and if medically and financially feasible, it is regarded as the best course of action. As fraud and abuse in nursing homes have made headlines, families have becoming more hesitant to place loved ones there, and realize that seniors do much better in their own environments. As technology advances, more seniors with chronic conditions will be able to manage their health at home rather than needing constant care. For seniors who do not qualify for the state funded “In Home Supportive Services” and do not want to be in a facility, the home care agencies can be the best way to find care.
Californians over 85 are the age group most likely to use home health care assistance, and the number will triple to 2 million as it is growing eight times faster than the state’s population according to projections from the California Department of Finance.
