Home Care Association of America and Global Coalition on Aging demonstrate the critical role home care plays for seniors, their families, the health care system and the nation's economy as America's aging population continues to grow

 

Today the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) and Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) released a groundbreaking report, titled Caring for America's Seniors: The Value of Home Care , proving the growing and critical role of professional home care in the United States in response to the millions of aging Americans who will need care. The report shines a spotlight on home care as a valuable and vital part of the solution to the challenges that accompany population aging.

 

"Home care enables people to remain in their homes for as long as possible, exactly where they want to be," said Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers and HCAOA President. "The Value of Home Care report highlights the critical, yet often underappreciated services we provide, as well as our industry's contributions to reducing the burden of care on family members, many of whom live great distances from their loved ones."

 

By 2030, the 65 and over population will represent 20 percent of the total population, up from 13 percent in 2010. By 2050, this age cohort will reach 84 million and the 85 and over population will reach 19 million. This demographic revolution brings new challenges, including the prospect of finding care for the tens of millions of Americans who will need a full spectrum of assistance options during their extended lives. In fact, nearly 70 percent of all Americans 65 and older will need assistance at some point in their lives, and the ratio of potential family caregivers to those over 80 will steeply decline from 7:1 today to 4:1 by 2030.

 

Home care, including services such as companionship, help in and around the home, assistance with the activities of daily living, care coordination and transitional care, has become a valuable resource in bridging the gap between hospital stays, nursing home care and informal care provided by family members and loved ones. As nine out of 10 Americans 65 and older want to stay at home for as long as possible and 80 percent believe that their home is where they will always live, home care services promote independence for seniors and peace of mind and wellness for family caregivers.

 

"As Americans live longer, they need more options for how care is provided, and home care ensures older Americans have a choice for how and where they receive care," said Michael W. Hodin, CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging. "Further, through assisting seniors through cognitive stimulation, medication adherence and prevention of falls, home care relieves burdens on family caregivers and contributes to a sustainable health care system by focusing on keeping individuals healthy. GCOA is proud to partner with HCAOA, the leading organization representing the highest-quality home care available, on this seminal report."

 

The data from the report shows that elderly Americans receiving home care generally need fewer trips to the doctor and are admitted to hospitals at a lower rate. As a result, home care reduces overall health care costs while creating jobs in a growing sector. In 2008 alone, the United States saved $25 billion in hospital costs due to the growth of home care services over the previous decade.

 

"This report helps clarify common misconceptions about home care and clearly defines our growing industry," said Phil Bongiorno, Executive Director of HCAOA. "Home care is one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S., and institutions of public policy and health care systems should recognize the integral part home care plays in the continuum of care and its contribution to our economy."

 

To view the report, click here.  

To order copies of the report, click here.    

Help Promote the #ValueofHomeCare 

 

Thanks to the efforts of HCAOA members and other home care providers throughout California, the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee has held AB 1667 (Dodd) on their suspense file therefore rendering the bill dead for the year! If passed, this bill would have granted licensure to domestic referral agencies who use independent contractors. This victory demonstrates the need for providers to remain engaged in legislative activities that impact our industry, our clients and our employees. Thanks again to our California members for your advocacy efforts!

HCAOA has learned from the Connecticut Chapter that SB 393 was amended on May 2 as legislators debated the merits of the bill which would have extended significant new rights to domestic workers, including:

1 .  Three weeks (120 hours) of mandatory, employer paid vacation for domestic workers after one year of employment for full time workers;

2 .   Nine days of mandatory (72 hours) employer paid vacation for domestic workers after one year of employment for part time workers, even if 'part time' means they worked only a few hours per week; and,

3 .  Up to a full week of mandatory severance pay for hourly, part time workers and up to two weeks of severance for live-in workers, if they're not given two weeks advance written notice that their assignment is ending. 

Facing opposition to the bill, proponents proposed an amendment which strikes the underlying bill and instead extends coverage under the employment-related, anti-discrimination and harassment laws administered by the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) to certain domestic workers. Currently, these laws cover all domestic workers who work for employers with at least three employees. The bill extends coverage regardless of the number of employees. As the number of new complaints filed is anticipated to be minimal, there is no cost to CHRO associated with this provision.   

HCAOA's Connecticut Chapter opposed SB 393 and deserves credit for bringing to light significant concerns with the legislation and its impact on access to affordable personal care services in the home. The amended bill encountered difficulty during debate, and was temporarily passed. The Connecticut legislature ends its session at midnight tonight, leaving minimal time for further debate on this bill.

This month, in response to numerous inquiries, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance on the issue of sleep time. The DOL has received questions from the public regarding whether and when home care workers must be paid for time they spend sleeping. The new guidance describes the broadly-applicable rules governing under what circumstances an employer may exclude sleep time from an employee's hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and, if exclusion is permissible, how many hours may be excluded. The guidance provides explanations and examples from the domestic service context. This guidance is now available  HERE .

On April 19, President Obama signed the Older Americans Reauthorization Act of 2016 (OAA) into law, reaffirming our nation's commitment to the health and well-being of older adults. Last July, the President called on Congress to reauthorize this important legislation as part of his remarks at the White House Conference on Aging.

The OAA underpins a promise to preserve the right to live independently, with dignity, making everyday decisions according to our individual preferences and goals across our lifespan. This promise is more important than ever. In a few short years, more than 77 million people will be over the age of 60. These numbers will continue to grow for the next several decades.

There were 44.7 million Americans age 65 or older in 2013, representing 14.1 percent of the population, according to the Administration on Aging (AOA), an office within HHS's Administration for Community Living that manages most programs under the law. The number of older Americans is expected to increase to about 98 million people by 2060.

The measure would authorize $4.25 billion over three years, including $1.39 billion in fiscal 2017, for state and community program grants. Grant funds are used to provide health, nutritional, educational, housing, legal, employment and other supportive services for individuals age 60 years and older. The measure would also expand the existing uses of authorized grants to cover services and evidence-based programs to prevent falls, support for the self-management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, and screening for behavioral health and oral health issues. 

The measure would authorize $51.6 million for the Administration on Aging (AOA) in fiscal 2017, and a total of $155.6 million over three years. Among other items the measure would require the AOA to produce a consumer-friendly tool to help older people and their families select home- and community-based services.

The measure would authorize $21.2 million in fiscal 2017 for programs to protect vulnerable older Americans, including an ombudsman program. The total authorization over three years would be $64.8 million. Among other things, the measure would amend the ombudsman program by providing support for nursing home residents transitioning to a home care setting.

Washington S. 6327, which provides for hospital discharge planning with lay caregivers, was signed into law on April 1. Hospitals and acute care facilities are required by statute to establish written policies and procedures to identify patients needing further nursing, therapy or supportive care following discharge from the hospital. They are also required to develop a discharge plan for each patient, including specific care requirements and information on follow-up care. Under the new law, if a lay caregiver is involved, the discharge plan must take into consideration the lay caregiver's abilities. The discharge plan must now include hospital staff assessment of the patient's ability for self-care after discharge; an opportunity for the patient to designate a lay caregiver; an opportunity for the patient to allow disclosure of medical information to the caregiver; and, information or training to the caregiver on aftercare tasks, among other things.