Senior Health

Home Health Care Industry

Every day, 10,000 people are turning 65 years old and many of them are unprepared to “age in place” due to a lack of retirement funds or frankly, poor planning.

The “Boomer” generation may be healthier than their parents were, but the fact of the matter is, they are still going to age regardless of how active and health conscious they may have been over their lifetime.

Needs for services which are being offered to an aging population, are growing each year and the projection is for this industry to expand enormously in the next four years to meet the oncoming wave of the “Boomers”.

Below is an article that discusses this in a little more depth.

Aging in Place to Drive $130 Billion Home Health Market

Posted By Jason Oliva On May 23, 2013

“As aging-in-place continues to be the preferred lifestyle for many older adults, the home health care industry is forecasting a swell of baby boomer proportions.

By 2017, the the home health care market is expected to surge to a $130 billion industry, according to a MarketsandMarkets report [1].

Valued at $90.9 billion in 2012, the market for home health services is poised to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.5% each year until 2017, as it offers a cost advantage to patients by reducing their hospital spending, the report finds.

Segmented on the basis of products, services and telehealth, factors such as rising incidences of chronic diseases and increasing healthcare costs look to fuel the market’s growth in the coming years.

However, cuts in Medicare reimbursements to home health agencies and risks to the safety of home health workers are factors limiting the growth of this market, according to the study’s authors.

The United States “dominated” the home healthcare market in 2012 and is expected to maintain its position in the coming five years, notes the report.

A rising aging population, technological development for various home use, as well as increasing awareness of the importance of home care services look to contribute to the U.S. market growth.

Canada, on the other hand, it expected to experience steady growth for many of the same reasons as the U.S., including increasing awareness for home care and a rising prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.”

Written by Jason Oliva

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Functional Flexibility Activities for Older Adults

By Lori Peppi Michiel, NASM, Certified Personal Trainer

For aging adults who have been inactive for six months or more and now are considering becoming active again or are post rehab, might want to consider flexibility training. It is a great way to start towards a healthier lifestyle if going forward from a de-conditioned state. This type of training may lack the high profile of cardiovascular exercise and strength training, but it can improve range of motion, decrease pain and soreness after exercise, improve posture and decrease muscle tension.  More importantly, stretching can make the difference in comfort when performing tasks such as putting a shirt or blouse on in the morning, reaching for a cup of tea or coffee or turning ones head when driving to be sure the coast is clear, etc.

Consider that most research studies suggest combining flexibility training with other activities such as balance, core, muscular endurance and (resistance training) into their workouts, along with some form of cardiovascular exercise. They all play an important roll in function.

(more…)

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