As people age, there are limited options for quality care to ensure good health. The two most significant care options are nursing homes and home healthcare services.  People are choosing their personal homes and home healthcare for their health services at increasing rates.  Over ninety percent of the United States population over sixty-five prefers to retire and live at home.  There are many reasons for this, whether it be financial, emotional, or geographic.  Almost eighty percent of people believe they will live in their home when they die, which isn’t necessarily accurate but it reflects what the public wants.  People are starting to realize the many benefits that come with ‘aging at home,’ including important political figures.  Marty Bell, a member of the National Aging in Place Council, states that,” to society, it costs a lot less for someone to age in their home than to go into a care facility” (Clark).  There is a saying that ‘the home is where your heart is,’ and many people are realizing that at a time when poor health and vulnerability is present with age, home is the best place to be.  Whether somebody gets sick or travels far away, our paths will always lead us back home which is an important component in why the vast majority of seniors in the United States prefer to stay at home.  Not only is home an emotional base for most people, it is also a cheaper option for a place to age.  Senior homes or care facilities are often very expensive, and as most seniors do not have steady money coming in to support their needs, many cannot afford these facilities.  Who wants to pay more money to live in a foreign building?  The answer is not too many.  Seniors often tend to want to be as close as possible to their family members as they age.  They want to enjoy life’s precious moments with their loved ones while they still can.  Nursing homes aren’t always close to everyone’s homes and therefore could create a further distance for families to travel to visit those in the care facilities.  So far, we have come to a conclusion in that nursing facilities are farther away from family and are more expensive

                  As people age, however, they will need some sort of care as their health begins to deteriorate and their bodies begin to slow.  Home Healthcare is a booming industry which is taking over the healthcare world.  Although sometimes the caretakers that come to a senior’s home may not be as well educated as some of the nurses in larger hospitals, the care they will receive is beneficial and is monitored. Home healthcare is also cheaper than living in care facility, and there are several benefits associated with this sort of care. In future years, it us more likely than not that home healthcare agents will continue to be required to have more specific qualifications.

  Here are some of the reasons:

• Nurses and hospitals are incredibly expensive, especially with the healthcare and political turmoil happening in the US.
• Home healthcare services are tailored more for the patient’s needs. It is a more individualized care and the patient gets more personalized treatment.
• Polls have proven that Americans now prefer home healthcare services over any other service for their health needs.
• The risk of infection is much lower at home as compared to a hospital where there could be hundreds of sick patients on a floor.
• Hospitals cost much more money. Patients are more comfortable being taken care of at home as compared to an uncomfortable hospital bed with hospital food with exposure to more germs and illnesses.
• With emerging technologies, if a problem arises, a senior can click a button and a health agent will arrive minutes later. (There is no longer as much of a need to spend your remaining life in an expensive nursing home)

As the United States ages, the number of seniors in this country will reach an all time high.  This number grows everyday and is expected to grow in future years.  The increase in the senior population and the growing life expectancy rate will create many drastic changes in the United States.  This aging population will affect many aspects of business and in general will have a major impact on how this country operates. 

                  One of the many major changes that will occur will be the demand of healthcare care labor.  More aging seniors means a higher demand for health care workers.  These seniors will need more help and this could create a problem.  Future laws will most likely enforce more regulations and make the process for becoming a healthcare agent harder or more ‘official’.  One of the problems with home healthcare is that the workers aren’t always as educated as nurses.  Home healthcare workers will most likely face more regulations in the future which could lean people away from becoming a health related worker.  As demand for these workers increases, the United States will need more healthcare workers, not less.    As of now, the United States population aged sixty-five or older is fifteen percent.  This number will skyrocket in years to come and the overall number will also increase, affecting the population dynamics in this country.  With politics being an issue in this country, future health insurance and models of care may change the way we care for our seniors in a major way.  If the president’s health care bill passes, more than twenty-two million Americans may not have insurance, including many seniors.  What will this country do with aging, uninsured seniors? That is a major question facing not only political leaders, but the majority of the United States.  Another emerging topic is the fact that the aging population is more diverse than ever.  As of now, the majority of doctors are white or Asian.  The emerging senior population is increasingly Hispanic and this country will need more healthcare agents that are bilingual to help the more diverse senior population.  The baby boomers are also more successful than past groups of seniors in the country because of an increase in health, education, and income in their lifetimes.  This means that many more seniors will be able to afford home healthcare or other types of services which will again affect the healthcare force in a major way.  Their generations putting an abundance of pressure on younger generation to take care of them, and it may work.  At least eighty percent of seniors have one chronic condition, which means that the vast majority of seniors use and will continue to use doctors and a form of healthcare.  There are increasing number of options for this generation of seniors to take, but which one will they take?  We can only predict for now.

Home healthcare is changing the medical world.  More and more seniors are choosing home healthcare to satisfy their health needs.  So how do we choose the right home health agency?  Well, you need to narrow down what assistance you will need.  You may need help getting out of bed, with injections, or maybe you just need help with shopping and meal preparation. All of these are possible but come at differing costs and time.  Here are the steps you need to take in order to ensure you choose the right home healthcare agency:

Step 1. Determine a budget and search for local home healthcare agencies.

Step 2. Identify specific services you may need and look for home healthcare agencies that can assist you.

Step 3.  Do extensive research on the narrowed down choices.  There are several question that you can ask yourself when doing this process.

• How long has this provider been serving the community?
• Does this provider tell us how they function? Many providers furnish patients with a detailed "Patient Bill of Rights" that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the providers, patients, and caregivers alike. An annual report and other educational materials also can provide helpful information about the provider.
• Is the client’s progress monitored and recorded?
• Does the agency assign supervisors to monitor the services provided in the home?
• How does this provider select and train its employees? Does it protect its workers with written personnel policies, benefits packages, and malpractice insurance? (nahc.org)
• Are nurses or therapists required to evaluate the patient's home care needs? If so, what does this entail? Do they consult the patient's physicians and family members?

Step 4. Contacting the preferred Home Healthcare agency and beginning treatments

• You can easily locate the agency’s number online.
• Once you tell the agency your health issues and needs, they will assist you in further treatment.
• After beginning treatment, inform your home healthcare agency if anything is bothering you or if you would prefer a certain method of treatment.
• Remember, the agency is there to satisfy your health needs and is always there if there is an emergency or another issue.

Vitamins and minerals are an essential part of everybody’s diets.  So why do elders often have to keep extensive track of the vitamins and minerals they consume?  The answer is quite simple.   Seniors don’t need nor want to consume as many calories as younger people.  Their bodies, however, still need an adequate amount of vitamins to maintain good health.  Every bite of food seniors consume needs to have many more vitamins and minerals than just about anybody else. Seniors face many changes as they age regarding digestion.  As people age, they don’t metabolize food as quickly, which means that they don’t burn as many calories as they once did.  As we know, many seniors face multiple health issues which lead them to take many medications.  These medications can lead to weight loss, which is dangerous as you age.  Decreased appetite and trouble burning calories lead many of our elders to simply not eat.  This then can lead to malnutrition and many other problems.  It is important that seniors go to the doctor often and are honest about their weight, medication, and digestion issues.  People often cannot taste as well when they age.  If a certain food contains salt or other unhealthy ingredients, the elders often don’t can’t taste these parts.  Increased salt intake will often lead to high blood pressure which is detrimental to someone’s health.  There are numerous problems that can easily arise as we age, however, there are many vitamins and minerals which are recommended for the well-being of seniors.  Here is a list and their benefits:

Vitamin B12:

• Found often in fish, eggs, and milk, this vitamin is essential in the creation of red blood cells.
• Aids in the formation of cells. Also beneficial in creating a healthy immune system

Folic Acid:

• Often found in fruits and vegetables. Folic acid is beneficial in helping the body maintain and produce cells.

Calcium:

• Calcium is an important part of everyone’s diet. Calcium helps strengthen our bones and as we age, bone strength is essential to keeping good health
• Found in milk, eggs, and fish.

Iron:

• Seniors need to consume iron in order to stay clear of anemia and other health issues.
• Iron is found in many meats.

Vitamin C

• Helps with the formation of bones and cartilage.
• Enables body to efficiently use fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
• Decreases risk of stroke.
• Found in oranges, broccoli, peppers, strawberries, and many other fruits and vegetables.

In conclusion, it is essential that our seniors take good care of their bodies and this all starts with taking adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. We all need vitamins in order for our bodies to function. As we age, it is common to take more medications due to an increase in diseases or conditions which affects our body’s overall health. This increase in medication can make people lose their appetites, which means people don’t consume as many vitamins and minerals as they should. Without them, seniors could become weak and this could lead to health problems.  It is important that we take care of our elders and supply them with the vital nutrients they need to survive. Make sure to visit a doctor and if recommended, take a daily multivitamin to stay healthy.

Medicare and Medicaid both affect Home Healthcare in various ways.  Politics can affect both of these programs which therefore affect Home Healthcare. Obviously, nobody wants to pay more for health coverage. As healthcare is a major issue in the United States, Medicaid may soon be ‘cut’ from Americans; even worse than raising healthcare prices is cutting the programs altogether. Those who currently under Medicaid (and Medicare) as of now qualify for Home healthcare as part of the program.  If government spending on Medicaid is cut, these people are left to pay more for the same care. Getting proper treatment in order to ensure one’s health shouldn’t cost a fortune, but unfortunately it could be in the near future.  It is up to the government and other political figures to determine the status of healthcare, and businesses to set the price for home healthcare. A raised price, however, isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the home healthcare industry. More expensive treatment means more money for the home healthcare agencies.  New technology, political turmoil, and overall more in depth treatments (accurate) among other components are the various reasons why this country should prepare for a change in home healthcare.  Some ways the US can prepare for the changes include:

• Put enough money away each month or after each paycheck as soon as you can to prepare for changes in price in this industry.
• Get more involved politically. Who you vote for can have a major impact on your home healthcare services and pricing.
• Do extensive research on the home healthcare agencies surrounding your area. Pick whichever agency is most desired.

We should also realize that Medicare does not cover home all home healthcare services.  For example, somebody receiving physical therapy is granted coverage but there are some specific services which are not granted coverage.  More information can be found on the ‘medicare.gov’ website about the specific qualifications you may need to be granted coverage for home healthcare under Medicare.  There are other factors which determine coverage or even the service of home healthcare at all. If you need help leaving the house or are required more service for longer time, these all affect your eligibility for coverage.

In Conclusion, you should do research on whether your home healthcare needs are covered by Medicare.  The services, prices, and eligibility all vary by state.  The future is bright for home healthcare, and we will all benefit from increasing our knowledge on the services and coverage home healthcare agencies provide with Medicare.

There are numerous absorbent products today to help those with incontinence. Speaking with a medical professional will help you choose which absorbent incontinence product best suits you.  Choosing the right incontinence product depends on several factors.  Incontinence products vary in flexibility, disposability, fit, and absorbency level. It is also important to remember that adult diapers and pads do not stop your incontinence, but instead they help make you more comfortable and make your incontinence more manageable. To start off, I will explain the purpose of diapers and a pads.  Both products are designed with a similar purpose which is to absorb fluid and keep you dry.  An adult diaper and a pad are essentially the same product, with the main difference being size and fit. Adult diapers are typically bigger than pads and have flaps and often more materials to make sure the diaper stays on your body in a comfortable way.  To wear a pad, you often need to be wearing underwear or some sort of undergarment to hold the product in place.  Pads are most often smaller than adult diapers for this reason.  Booster pads are very absorbent, but unlike normal pads, booster pads do not have a waterproof backing.  This means that if the booster fills up, it could leak through.  If you want an incontinence product with more security, you may consider spending more money for the product. Almost all convenience stores or drug stores carry incontinence products, so the ability to get the product should not be an issue. Now I will look at some specific products and we will look at the pros and cons of each

1. Tab Style Briefs (also known as fitted briefs)

      Pros

• Very efficient in absorbing liquid, which is essential to one’s comfort if somebody is incontinent in the night
• Has a comfortable fit. It has wings and an elastic waistband to help adjust size
• Relatively cheap and can be found almost anywhere

• Plastic portion of brief can be uncomfortable to some with sensitive skin
• The tapes or elastic are often not up to people’s standards
• The plastic backing is known to be loud when moved

2. Pull on underwear

       Pros

• Comfortable flexible stretch panel makes for a comfortable fit
• Very absorbent and can wear overnight with typically no leakage

       Cons

• Sometimes the material may split at the sides. Often times this happens when people put underwear on too tight
• Sizing is quite different in various brands, so making sure you buy the correct size can be a challenge

3. Belted Undergarment

       Pros

• Easy to put on and take off
• Not noticeable if wearing under clothes, so wearing one in public is easy
• Can be changed by self, even standing up

       Cons

• Elastic is known to be cheaper and break easier than other incontinence products
• Not build as well as diapers and the padding can often fall apart with movement

4. Bladder Control Pads for Men and Women

       Pros

• Made of special gels which are meant to absorb quick spills
• Odor reducing so they don’t smell after use

      Cons

• Aren’t as comfortable as adult diapers
• Aren’t as padded as other incontinence products

View all of BrightCare's adult diaper offerings HERE!

Everyone knows about healthcare and all the argumentation and debate it brings. But what exactly is home healthcare? Home healthcare is defined as a service that can be given in your home for either an illness or and injury.  Whether you need injections, various medical tests, therapy, or just for a simple check-up, home healthcare is changing the way Americans view healthcare.  This new health service is taking over this country at a rapid pace, as home healthcare is typically cheaper than the care you would get at a hospital. 

Some more examples of some services that home health care providers perform are wound care, nutritional therapy, and keeping track of progress.

The goal of home health care is to treat an illness or injury. Home health care helps you get better, regain your independence, and become as self-sufficient as possible. 

There are many home healthcare agencies around the United States, and this number is only expected to grow.  At the end of 2014, there were well over twelve thousand home healthcare agencies.  These agencies combined to help more than five million Americans stay healthy from the comforts of their homes.

The Future of Home Healthcare:

As technology gets faster and more expensive, so will the Home Healthcare industry. Technology obviously play a huge role in the home health care agency. Patients are monitored using technology and newer technologies will provide more effective treatment in the future.  There are several problems which may quite possible arise in the near future. Some problems with home health care are increasing demand.  By 2020, at least 35 million people in the United States over 65 are expected to be living in their homes and will most likely need some sort of home health care.  Finding qualified staff for the agencies could be a problem in upcoming years as the demand is increased.  Many agencies aren’t regulated well and give off a false view of their programs.  Many people expect to find certified nurses who have gone through extensive training, but many of these home health care agencies hire everyday people who only have to go through a non-standardized training program.  Many people are pushing government regulation or some sort of regulation for all home health care agencies.  Politics could also be an issue.  With democrats and republicans constantly fighting over health care, payment could become a big issue.  

Although Home Healthcare will have its fair share of problems, there are many reasons why the industry has a lot to look forward to.

• Home Healthcare is a leading job producer in the United States and the industry is only expected to grow
• The aging population continues to live longer and longer which leads to them needing an increasing amount of care. This leads to more business
• Rising healthcare costs drives the market
• With increased efficiency due to newer technology, nurses and other agents in the business can monitor patients while away and in less time
• With increased demand, more people will need to be hired which will help grow the economy

Exercising is essential to keeping good physical and mental health, and it is especially important for the elderly.  Exercise is known to actually improve health for those over sixty-five.  Being active can delay or even prevent many diseases, an obvious beneficial effect.  The ability to push forward and keep active as you age can help you keep doing the things that you have enjoyed your whole life. Decreasing your stress level and improving your mood is also a positive effect exercising can give you, no matter where you do it. Clearly exercising is something everyone should try and participate in, no matter your age or athletic ability.  Many elderly prefer to stay inside the comforts of their homes, but this does not mean that exercise is not possible.  Ever wanted to get in shape without leaving your house?  There are thousands of exercises the human body can perform.  What many people don’t realize is that many of these exercises are rather simple and can be done at home.  This guide will portray several exercises to do at home to increase your health and physical shape.

Exercise #1:  Front Plank

• Lay on the ground face down with your elbows at your side. Lift your body weight (thighs and torso) up with your hands and then shift all of your weight on your elbows. Your shoulders should be directly above your elbows.
• Beware! This looks easy, but don’t be fooled.  The point of this exercise is to strengthen your abs while engaging many of your body’s muscles.

Exercise #2:  Push Up

• This very traditional exercise is also easy to maneuver. Similar to a plank, to begin lie face down with your arms at your side.
• Lift weight up with hands until your arms are locked and your body is in the air. Lower yourself to the ground with your head and spine aligned. Don’t let your back curve. Repeat in sets of 10.
• This exercise helps strengthen your back and chest.

Exercise #3:  Superman

• Perhaps the easiest exercise on the list, the superman is easy to perform.
• To begin, lie face down on ground with hands stretched out in front of your body.
• Next, tighten abs and lift your arms and legs up at an equal rate. Keep arms and legs straight as both reach towards the sky.  Slowly lower legs and arms, but don’t let them touch the ground until you are done with your set. Repeat process.
• This exercise strengthens your back and shoulders.

Exercise #4: Sit Up

• To begin, lay on your back with your legs bent. Apply weight or use somebody else to put weight on your feet. 
• Cross your arms on your chest and tighten your abs as you literally sit up until your arms touch your knees. Slowly lay back down after each sit up and rise up until the set is completed.
• This exercise targets your abs.

Exercise #5: Squat Jump

• To begin, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Tighten your abs and pull your shoulders down while keeping your back in a tight athletic position.
• Shift your back and hips towards the ground until your heels are about to lift and when this happens explode upwards and throw your hands upwards in one fluid motion.
• To land, push your hips back and absorb the impact of landing. Do not lock your knees.
• This exercise targets your legs and thighs.

Exercise #6: Calf Raises

• Stand about a foot away from a wall and place hands on wall at chest height. Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
• Exhale as you lift your body up using only your toes. Your heels should not be touching the ground at all when you’re lifting your body up.
• Keep your knees locked and use your hands to hold yourself up and for balance. Slowly push heels towards the ground and repeat as many times as you like.
• This exercise strengthens your claves and shins.

Exercise #7: Bent Knee Push Up

• This exercise is for people who may not have the strength or capability of executing a full pushup.
• To begin, get on hands and knees and bend upper half of body to ground. Your hands should be under your shoulders.  Lower yourself towards ground while tightening your abs and keeping your head and spine align.
• Repeat process in sets of 10 or more. This exercise strengthens your back, abs, shoulders, and arms.

As we go through life, we learn to embrace all life has to offer while having the ability to recover and move on from hardships.  Some people are expected to be stronger when it comes to tough situations.  Law enforcement, soldiers, and doctors are just a few of the professions which involve an increased mental toughness required for success.  One profession which isn’t as publicly known for being challenging mentally is a caretaker.  In the past year, more than forty-three million caregivers have provided some sort of aid to children and adults throughout the United States (caregiver.org).  Caregivers can be paid or non-paid, and assist in helping individuals live daily life.  Unpaid caretakers are known as informal caretakers and typically are family or friends taking care of somebody they care about personally.  These types of caregivers have an especially harder time dealing with grief than paid caretakers because they know the person needing care on a more personal level.  Alzheimer’s is an especially grief-causing disease and quite an expensive one as well.  If you or somebody you know looks after a person with Alzheimer’s, you know how stressful it can be.  Those affected with this awful disease as well as dementia often have personality changes, and can soon forget who you are.  This can cause an immense amount of stress and guilt on the caretaker.  This stress is quite common, and you should know that you are not alone.

The first step to take if you begin to feel overwhelmed with grief is to take a step back and realize this is normal.  Do not panic.  It is common to experience denial as the individual you are taking care of begins to decline in their health.  We tend to be optimistic when somebody we care about begins to experience bad health.  Anger, sadness, and confusion are typically the next steps people face.  If you feel any of this while taking care of somebody, you need to develop a support system.  Call someone you are close to, a friend or family member, to help give you support.  Typically, when we get too stressed out, our bodies essential functions can shut down.  If you feel too stresses, it is important to take a break.  Step away from caretaking until you feel mentally prepared for what lies ahead.  We all need a break from time to time, and caretaking can be especially tough when dealing with an individual who has Alzheimer’s.  Another issues Americans tend to have is being timid when it comes to seeking help due to a negative stigma.  There are plenty of support groups and hotlines to help deal with stress and to give you the support you need to get back to your normal self.  Sometimes, caretaking can become too much.  Some patients need more help than others and may need professional assistance.  It is also quite acceptable to place the individual you are looking after into a nursing home. Another aspect to caretaking that is important to understand is the time requirements over time.  As patients age, they typically require much more care.  Don’t feel guilty if you can’t take care of the patient any longer. 

[The Partnership for Solutions. (2004). Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care.]

The average time requirement for caretaking somebody over the age of seventy-five is about thirty-five hours a week.  Not many people have that kind of time to look after somebody, and this is why there are formal paid caretakers to aid with these types of patients. The time commitment can be a lot to deal with but if you plan for the future and expect that the amount of care increases with time can help you better predict plans for the future.  Knowing that your patient will not live forever is also something that you should realize.  Preparing for your patient’s death is the last and hardest step in the caretaking process.  Give yourself plenty of time to deal with this.  You need to realize you are not alone, and you should not go through this process alone.  Grief is normal, but with time, you will return back to your normal self and your life will resume as it does and had always done before.

 In this day and age, technology plays an important role in almost everyone’s life in the United States.   More and more people use the internet everyday, making the world a smarter, faster, and more efficient place.  Seniors use technology today more than ever, and this can have a positive effect on healthcare.  Grandparents on Facebook? Many of us may think that this is weird and not traditional, but connecting to family can have positive mental impacts on seniors.  Being able to see a grandchild online or the ability to keep up with loved ones makes seniors happy.  Technology is also playing an essential role in healthcare.  New developments such as Life Alert, or other systems to alert an emergency service when a senior is injured, are now on the market.  Fifty years ago, nobody could imagine being able to push a button and having 24/7 care, with people more than willing to answer your health questions.  These technologies help out our modern healthcare system in several ways.  Unnecessary hospital readmissions have been a problem in the past, and have created an inefficiency in the healthcare world.  Now, technologies let seniors know whether they need to come in for a check up or not.  This creates more efficient and better organized hospitals.  If seniors have questions about medication dosage or what to do in certain situations, they are given immediate service. This new technology is beneficial to healthcare and for the well-being of our seniors. 

                  These new technologies and services are also useful when a senior gets hurt.  In the past, if a senior had a slip or fall, they could end up laying there for days before help finally would show up.  With modern technology such as Life Alert, this isn’t and shouldn’t be an issue in modern America anymore.  As more and more people want to ‘age alone’, this new technology plays a pivotal point in the well-being of seniors.    This way, seniors can live where they want and have 24/7 assistance without living in an expensive health facility.  This new technology is becoming a huge market and the aging population is becoming more interconnected to the rest of the world which will positively affect their well-being and overall health.  Every senior should own a health monitoring device.  That way, health and emergency services can always monitor senior’s health and be at the door quickly in order to keep them safe. 

The new monitoring health devices have many benefits:

• Inner peace and comfort at home
• Lack of of paying for a care giver overnight
• Bringing the seniors closer to the rest of the world
• Immediate response from a health agent
• Faster, more personal experience as all of the agent’s attention is on you

There are also other medical technologies that can positively affect seniors. There are features within smartphones that allows you to set reminders.  People can now can set reminders to take medication or other various acts that they may need.  It is common for people to forget to take medicine, but with emerging technologies, it is very easy to track and remember your health needs. Newer online health tracking websites and tools also make it easier to access health related history and makes it easier to track somebody’s health.  Technology is always evolving over time, and this has a positive influence in the health related community.