Modern medical science and public health will allow most of us to live to an age at which we can no longer live fully independently. Our physical and mental capabilities may erode slowly or may decline suddenly, as with a stroke or serious accident. When that happens, we will need help in several areas: to accomplish the tasks of daily life that we now are able to do by ourselves; to maintain our health to the extent possible, for as long as possible; and finally to ease our transition to death. Family members may not have the time, the skills, or even the physical strength to provide all these kinds of care. This is why there is a demand for the elder-care industry.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 2023 more than 2.27 million people worked in occupations that involved providing services for the elderly and persons with disabilities in the United States. Some of these establishments are nursing homes or assisted-living communities where elderly people reside, but others provide health-care services for seniors who are living at home or are being dropped off during daytime hours only.
The type of facility with the longest tradition of specializing in elder care is the nursing home. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured estimates that there were around 15,003 certified nursing homes in the United States as of 2023, a number that has stayed quite stable for most of the past decade. About 1.2 million Americans live in these facilities.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), there are around 30,600 assisted-living communities, with a total capacity of nearly 1.2 million. Because Medicare does not pay for assisted-living care, nor does Medicaid in many states, private payments from residents and families account for most of the revenue. The NCHS estimates that only 18 percent of assisted living residents rely on Medicaid to cover the cost of their services.
The NCHS reported that in 2022, long-term care service was provided by 3,100 adult day services centers. In 2020 (NCHS's most recent data on these areas of the elder care industry), elder care service was provided by 11,400 home health agencies, 5,200 hospices, and 15,300 nursing homes, in addition to residential and assisted-living facilities. Medicare is the main payer for these kinds of home care, especially for hospice care. In 2022, on any given day, about 182,000 people were in adult day service centers.
So much elder care is taking place at home partly because this is where seniors want to be, "aging in place," as the term has come to be known in the elder care industry. A survey by AARP found that 75 percent of adults 50 and older wanted to stay in their homes or communities as they age. Home care also can reduce costs, especially when the level of care that is needed does not require highly skilled workers.
- Adult Day Care Coordinators
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Geriatric Care Managers
- Geriatric Nurses
- Geriatric Psychiatrists
- Geriatric Social Workers
- Geriatricians
- Grief Therapists
- Home Health Care Aides
- Home Health Care and Hospice Nurses
- Hospice Workers
- Medical Ethicists
- Music Therapists
- Nursing Home Administrators
- Personal Care Aides
- Recreational Therapists
- Senior Care Pharmacists