There are many challenges facing the eldercare industry today, between mounting operation costs, greater rates of Alzheimer’s diagnoses and an aging population at large. As such, the need for qualified, dedicated caregivers has never been higher, and it seems that some older adults are stepping up to this challenge themselves.
We often reference members of the “sandwich generation” on this blog – namely Baby Boomers who are caring for living parents while raising their own families or preparing for their own retirement. Yet Fox News Latino recently highlighted another segment of older adults who are signing on as professional caregivers.
“Among the overall population of direct-care workers, 29 percent are projected to be 55 or older by 2018, up from 22 percent a decade earlier,” the source reports. “In some segments of the workforce, including personal and home care aides, those 55 and older are the largest single age demographic.”
One potential benefit of this trend is that care recipients may feel more comfortable with older adults who likely share many of the same concerns. In addition, given that many Baby Boomers don’t intend to retire anytime soon, aiding home-based eldercare providers could be an avenue for employment in an increasingly difficult job market.
This is just one of several possible avenues open to Senior Providers today, another of which is the use of telecare solutions. Independa’s Angela interface has been devised to provide caregiver support while enabling care recipients to connect with loved ones instantly through email, Facebook, video chat and more. Contact us through our online form to learn more about our telecare applications.
