It's been quite a long time since the members of the Baby Boomer generation have been babies.
The fact is that the population in the United States is aging rapidly and the boomers are a big part of that demographic.
If the past is precedence, then many of the Baby Boomers will soon need to be taken care of in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
Elder care has been a big business in the United States and it is going to be an even bigger business in the very near future.
There is the potential for elder care providers to make quite a bit of money in this business.
And one other thing is for sure - there is a seemingly endless source of potential clients.
There were approximately 40 million Americans who were sixty-five years old or older in 2010.
The U.
S.
Census Bureau has estimated that there will be more than 50 million Americans who are at least sixty-five years old by the year 2020.
In 2007 it cost close to $78,000 per year, on average, for a private room in a nursing home.
In states such as New York and California the cost was almost twice that, averaging $133,000 a year.
Although the annual bill for living in an assisted living facility was less than the cost of living in nursing homes, the nationwide cost ranged between $35,628 and $50,000 per year.
The bigger places tend to be the most expensive places.
And they often have a rather large admission fee or community fee.
In addition, should the health of the resident decline then the fees will go up.
Or the residence may require that the now-sickly resident to move out.
There are also other costs involved.
For example, the cost of food has skyrocketed over the past several years, as has the cost of medication.
Therefore, the cost of being a resident in either an assisted living community or in a nursing home has nowhere to go except higher.
When people advance in age they generally need to have more attention paid to them.
A number of challenges such as health issues that need constant attention, psychological and mental problems, and emotional problems also need to be dealt with.
When choosing an assisted living facility or a nursing home it is therefore important to make sure that these challenges are addressed and that the facility will be able to provide the necessary care.
Although many homes that take care of senior citizens provide basic health care in-house, some resort to outside help when the need to treat more advanced health issues arise.
From the perspective of someone who is considering an elder care facility, it is necessary to ascertain that the needs of the resident will be met.
From the perspective of the administrators of the facility, it is imperative that there are systems in place that will ensure that the proper care is provided.
In addition, systems must be in place to track that care.
Luckily technology has advanced over the years and it is now possible for elder care givers to use software in order to track referrals, respond to callers, link records, and record whatever service was provided.
Information and referral specialists often choose to use 211 Software because it is flexible, fast, and powerful.
And it could even be fun to use.
If outside treatment is offered by a nursing home then it should be tied in with a good health clinic or hospital so that the residents will be able to be treated and have regular checkups when they are required.
The doctors that are associated with these programs should visit the facilities on a regular basis - either weekly or monthly - to examine their patients and keep track of their health.
When choosing a facility it is also important that there are plenty of activities that the residents can participate in.
That's because senility can set in quickly if elderly people aren't occupied.
If our senior citizens are forced to just sit around with nothing to do then it can be very easy for them to separate themselves from the present and spend the majority of their time living in the past.
Some elder care homes encourage their residents to help and teach the young children that live in the neighborhood.
Perhaps that is something that you should consider as well.
The fact is that the population in the United States is aging rapidly and the boomers are a big part of that demographic.
If the past is precedence, then many of the Baby Boomers will soon need to be taken care of in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
Elder care has been a big business in the United States and it is going to be an even bigger business in the very near future.
There is the potential for elder care providers to make quite a bit of money in this business.
And one other thing is for sure - there is a seemingly endless source of potential clients.
There were approximately 40 million Americans who were sixty-five years old or older in 2010.
The U.
S.
Census Bureau has estimated that there will be more than 50 million Americans who are at least sixty-five years old by the year 2020.
In 2007 it cost close to $78,000 per year, on average, for a private room in a nursing home.
In states such as New York and California the cost was almost twice that, averaging $133,000 a year.
Although the annual bill for living in an assisted living facility was less than the cost of living in nursing homes, the nationwide cost ranged between $35,628 and $50,000 per year.
The bigger places tend to be the most expensive places.
And they often have a rather large admission fee or community fee.
In addition, should the health of the resident decline then the fees will go up.
Or the residence may require that the now-sickly resident to move out.
There are also other costs involved.
For example, the cost of food has skyrocketed over the past several years, as has the cost of medication.
Therefore, the cost of being a resident in either an assisted living community or in a nursing home has nowhere to go except higher.
When people advance in age they generally need to have more attention paid to them.
A number of challenges such as health issues that need constant attention, psychological and mental problems, and emotional problems also need to be dealt with.
When choosing an assisted living facility or a nursing home it is therefore important to make sure that these challenges are addressed and that the facility will be able to provide the necessary care.
Although many homes that take care of senior citizens provide basic health care in-house, some resort to outside help when the need to treat more advanced health issues arise.
From the perspective of someone who is considering an elder care facility, it is necessary to ascertain that the needs of the resident will be met.
From the perspective of the administrators of the facility, it is imperative that there are systems in place that will ensure that the proper care is provided.
In addition, systems must be in place to track that care.
Luckily technology has advanced over the years and it is now possible for elder care givers to use software in order to track referrals, respond to callers, link records, and record whatever service was provided.
Information and referral specialists often choose to use 211 Software because it is flexible, fast, and powerful.
And it could even be fun to use.
If outside treatment is offered by a nursing home then it should be tied in with a good health clinic or hospital so that the residents will be able to be treated and have regular checkups when they are required.
The doctors that are associated with these programs should visit the facilities on a regular basis - either weekly or monthly - to examine their patients and keep track of their health.
When choosing a facility it is also important that there are plenty of activities that the residents can participate in.
That's because senility can set in quickly if elderly people aren't occupied.
If our senior citizens are forced to just sit around with nothing to do then it can be very easy for them to separate themselves from the present and spend the majority of their time living in the past.
Some elder care homes encourage their residents to help and teach the young children that live in the neighborhood.
Perhaps that is something that you should consider as well.
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