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“Assisted Living” at Home
Nearly one out of every four U.S. households (23 percent, or 22.4 million) provides care to a relative or friend aged 50 or older. The majority of these caregivers are baby boomers. In the twenty-first century the demands placed on family and other informal caregivers are likely to escalate, affecting nearly every American family. Since most persons prefer to stay in their own homes and live independently for as long as possible, this column addresses questions and concerns regarding these issues.
If one must become older, we are at least doing it at the right time. The sheer number of Baby Boomers has attracted the attention of businesses, healthcare providers, advertisers and other media. We are beginning to evolve into a culture that not only recognizes the aging population, but will also offer them a wide variety of lifestyle choices. The number of people who want private-duty home care is rising rapidly – and so is the number of purveyors.
Private duty home care is care provided in a person's home that is paid for out of pocket or by long-term care insurance, rather than reimbursed by Medicare or another government program. Private duty caregivers range from those who assist with bathing, household chores, dispensing medicine and other needs of individuals at home to registered nurses offering round-the-clock medical care.
The baby boom generation is also becoming known as the "sandwich generation," with responsibilities for working and raising children while taking care of aging parents. Private duty caregivers are often hired to fill in the gap while the main family caregiver is at work or for those without family available as often as needed. Even those caring for a family member at home full time need breaks on occasion or on a regular basis.
With the growing need for private-duty home care, competition has grown from a handful of private-duty providers in the Pittsburgh area to over 30 and that number continues to grow both locally and nationally. The lure of a lucrative market – round-the-clock home care can cost as much as $300 a day, and the number of people willing to pay for it is only going to grow – has attracted a wide range of providers, from hospitals to franchise operators. "They sometimes get into it without much knowledge and not much background," says Cheryl Smith, proprietor of Kansas City Home Care. Several private-duty providers in Kansas haven't been able to meet licensing standards, prompting turnover within the provider community. Standards vary from state to state, some require licensing while others, including Pennsylvania, do not.
In 2002, qualified providers throughout the country joined together in the National Private Duty Association. NPDA is an organization which strives to increase professionalism in the industry by setting standards for best practices, providing public education, and becoming involved in influencing the political regulatory environment of members, such as state licensing. A Greater Pittsburgh chapter was currently formed and will hold it’s first meeting in January 2005 at The Devonshire of Mount Lebanon. Founding members include Lucy Seger of Home Instead, Cheryl Nemanic of Liken Health Care, Ann Meglio of Service Point, and Sherri Hewitt-Laird of The Caring Mission.
Cheryl Nemanic, CCM, is the General Manager of Private Duty Services for Liken Health Care, Inc., a private duty nursing service in the Pittsburgh area since 1974. If you have a question, Cheryl can be reached by phone at (412) 816-0113, by email at cnemanic@likenhealthcare, or visit the website at www.likenhealthcare.com.
