Unparalleled increases in the size of the elderly population as the baby boom generation ages will necessitate an increase in the need for long-term health care. The majority of long-term care will be provided informally by unpaid family members and friends who undoubtedly will need occasional respite from their caregiving. Others, who live alone and/or have no living children, will have to rely on formal long-term care providers such as certified nursing assistants and home care or personal care workers.

Advancing age naturally increases functional disability. While most elderly people are not disabled, the likelihood of their needing some level of long-term care increases with age. Women are more likely to need care because they live longer and have higher rates of disability than men. Most people, however, will need some long-term care during their lives whether it is intermittently or permanently to help maintain their independence and allow them to continue to be able to live in their own homes.

The physical design of homes is likely to become more important as baby boomers age. Ramps rather than steps, grab bars in bathrooms, and door handles that accommodate arthritic fingers can facilitate people aging in place and will surely be addressed by housing developers. Technological advances, ranging from telemedicine, which is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications in order to improve patient care, or the use of robots to perform personal care functions and play games like dominoes and chess, may enhance the ability of elders with disabilities to remain independent in their own homes. A firm called Xanboo in New York is using networks of cameras and sensors to help people monitor relatives with dementia. It enables them to remotely switch off an overflowing bath or adjust the central heating system—another way of make aging in place possible.

For more information on long-term care in Denver, call 303.660.5120.

Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
Barton Home Care