An Alternative to Costly Conventional Senior Care

Our population is growing older. Every 7.7 seconds a baby boomer turns 50 and, for the first time in America, there are more people over 50 than under 20. Baby boomers are well into mid-life and the fastest growing segment of our population is the over 85 age group. As this trend continues, alternatives for cost-effective ways to deal with the high costs of senior care will become increasingly sought-after by those who will be providing care to the elderly. Consequently, the caregiver population will become a powerful and increasingly large contingency. Consider the following current facts about caregivers:

 

• There are 18-25 million family caregivers in the United States (or approximately 10% of the total US adult population).
• Eighty percent of all family caregivers are women most of whom are between the ages of 40-59 years of age.
• Frustration, due to loss of leisure, the change in family dynamics and feelings of isolation, is felt by 69% of caregivers.
• Nearly one half of all family caregivers say they have suffered from prolonged depression.

Because the population is expected to continue to become more senior, these numbers are expected to increase exponentially. Consequently, it is important that current caregivers and caregivers-to-be are aware of options for senior care. Enter: HealthONE###s Johnson Adult Day Program where cost effectiveness and quality are combined to provide an appealing senior care option for caregivers and participants.

A primary reason that adult day care is cost effective is in its provision of respite for caregivers. This service has been shown to delay the need for expensive institutional care. Respite allows caregivers to work, run errands, take care of children and otherwise perform daily functions that might not be possible with the added responsibility of caring for a physically and/or mentally frail senior. According to the Alzheimer###s Association, "More than anything else, caregivers are looking for someone to share the burdens of caregiving from time to time."

Studies have shown that the stress or burnout that a caregiver undergoes in caring for a person with mental dementia is the primary reason seniors are put in nursing homes. Access to respite care by caregivers, even if it occurs only once or twice per week, can delay nursing home placement for approximately 11 months. More and more, caregivers are turning to adult day care to provide respite without having to forfeit the unity of the family.

Besides providing respite, HealthONE###s Johnson Adult Day Program is an extremely economical senior care alternative. Consider the following facts on the costs associated with caring for those with Alzheimer###s Disease (AD):

• Americans spend at least $100 billion a year on costs associated with AD. Neither Medicare nor most private health insurance covers the long term care most patients need. Therefore, most costs are paid out-of-pocket by caregivers;
• AD is the third most expensive disease in the United States, costing an average of $174,000 per patient, once a diagnosis is made; and,
• More than 70 percent of those suffering from AD live at home and rely on caregivers to shoulder the bulk of their health care expenses.

A comparison between average hourly rates for senior care are as follows:

HealthONE Adult Day Program: $4.67 per hour

In-Home Services: $10.54 per hour (average)

Nursing Home Services: $17.56 per hour (average)

Even if the respite and cost savings benefits were not as profound, the HealthONE Johnson Adult Day Program would be an attractive option for less tangible, but equally valuable benefits. One reason the Program is appealing to caregivers and participants is because it provides services to its participants through the social model of adult day care. This model recognizes that AD and other cognitive disorders progress at varying rates, depending on the individual. Participants at the HealthONE Johnson Adult Day Program are grouped by skill levels and social awareness. By doing this, emphasis is on what participants can do, as opposed to what they can no longer do.

An early-diagnosis Alzheimer###s program is also included in the HealthONE Johnson Adult Day Program###s repertoire of services. This program will provide participants with advanced activities intended to keep them feeling busy and productive in a comforting social setting. Recently, HealthONE###s Johnson Adult Day Program and the Jewish Association to Serve the Elderly (JASE) announced that they will work collaboratively to offer senior day care to Metro Denver###s significant Jewish population. JASE will arrange for the delivery of Kosher meals to the Program with the long term goal of providing volunteers who will coordinate Judaic cultural programming.

The HealthONE Johnson Adult Day Program is located in a brand-new, senior-friendly facility close to Columbia Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, CO. The facility is open from 8 a.m. ###til 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those interested in the Program are encouraged to call 303.789.1519.

NOTE:

On behalf of HealthONE###s Johnson Adult Day Program, please be aware of the following caregiver tips and helpful resources:

TIPS:

1. Choose to take charge of your life and don###t let your loved one###s illness or disability always take center stage.
2. Remember to be good to yourself. Love, honor and value yourself. You###re doing a very hard job and you deserve some quality time, just for you.
3. Watch out for signs of depression, and don###t delay in getting professional help when you need it.
4. When people offer to help, accept the offer and suggest specific things that they can do.
5. Educate yourself about your loved one###s condition. Information is empowering.
6. There###s a difference between caring and doing. Be open to technologies and ideas that promote your loved one###s independence.
7. Trust your instincts. Most of the time they###ll lead you in the right direction.
8. Grieve for your losses and then allow yourself to dream new dreams.
9. Stand up for your rights as a caregiver and a citizen, especially when dealing with public agencies.
10. Seek support from other caregivers. There is great strength in knowing you are not alone.

 

RESOURCES:

1. National Family Caregivers Association, Kensington, MD, 800.896.3650
2. American Self Help Clearing House, Denville, NJ, 201.625.7101; database of self help groups
3. Center for Consumer Healthcare Information###s Case Management Resource Guide, Irvine, CA, 800.627.2244
4. Direct Link for the Disabled, Solvang, CA, 805.688.1603; Database of community-based resource centers for all ages and disabilities
5. National Association of Geriatric Care Managers, Tucson, AZ, 602.881.8008; Referrals to care managers in your area
6. National Grief Support Services, Inc., Chatsworth, CA, 818.349.0973
7. National Hospice Organization, Arlington, VA, 800.658.8898
8. National Institute on Adult Daycare of the National Council on the Aging, Washington, DC, 800.424.9046
9. National Respite Locator Service, Chapel Hill, NC, 800.773.5433
10. National Self Help Clearing House, New York, NY, 212.354.8525; Database of self help groups
11. The Alzheimer###s Association, 800.864.4404

Sources:

National Family Caregivers Association

Colorado Respite Care Coalition.

"Health of Spouse Caregivers of Dementia Patients: The Role of Personality and Social Work," Deborah Monahan and Karen Hooker.

New England Journal of Medicine.

Based on figures provided by NIAD, Networking, 1991; Joel W. Hay, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Older Americans Report, August 1994; NIAD, June 15, 1990; United States General Accounting Office, August 1994; Survey of State Medicaid Directors. The George Washington University, May 1994; 1989 NIAD Census; American Journal of Public Health, August 1994; Older Americans Report, August 1994; American Journal of Public Health, August 1994.

National Family Caregivers Association.