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Home  Corporate Consulting
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Increase Your Ability to Meet the Needs of the Aging Population
The population growth of persons 65 and older represented 12.4% of the U.S. population in 2007, one in every eight Americans or 37.3 million persons. This population will continue to grow significantly. By 2010 it is expected to grow to 40 million (+15%) and by 2030 it will balloon to 71.5 million (+92) according to the Administration on Aging.
Companies interacting with this population that have foresight will begin to address issues that this population faces and will face. These include issues of health care, aging, long term care costs and planning, education about Medicare, Medicaid and insurance, identity theft, fraud and abuse, housing and many other related topics. Being proactive will result in greater and more widespread opportunities to meet the needs of the aging population.
The lack of education about issues associated with aging, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, has contributed to he issues we are facing in the current economic decline and the greatest national budget crises our country has ever seen. These are common issues that the general population is unaware of until an immediate need arises and they are swept into a situation that reels out of control. However, many businesses today serving this population lack the time and expertise to educate or provide ancillary services beneficial to an aging population.
- How many of your employees or clients are shocked to learn that Medicare does not pay for all of the care they or their parents need when they become ill?
- How many are not financially prepared for escalating health care costs after retirement?
- How many are vulnerable and accessible to identity theft, financial exploitation or fraud?
- How many have given no thought or planning to health care issues until crises arises and it's too late?
The Care Navigator works with companies seeking to advance knowledge and education for employees, clients and other constituents relative to the needs of an aging population. The benefits include maximizing client satisfaction and employee effectiveness while providing education and services in demand by this population. .
Examples of business relationships include:
- Medical, dental and alternative medicine offices and those serving the healthcare industry with baby boomer and older adult clientele seeking to grow their practices
- Banking and financial institutions with an older population at risk for financial exploitation and fraud seeking to educate and protect vulnerable clients
- Retirement associations managing assets for older adults unaware that family and friends are the most likely candidates to engage in financial exploitation
- Independent, assisted living and skilled facilities seeking to educate the community and increase visitors to their communities
- Organizations participating in healthcare advocacy
The Care Navigator works with you to identify client needs and develop programs that support your business goals while meeting the needs of the aging population.
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Families Angry About Paying for Care -- Yet Complain About the Quality of Care When Medicaid Picks Up the Bill |
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By Pamela D. Wilson, CSA, MS, BS/BA, CG, The Care Navigator
In recent months I've met with an increasing number of families trying to figure out how to access long term care for their parents. The challenge for most is that they never for a moment considered that they would have to pay for care; they simply assumed the government would take care of it. This illustrates very clearly the looming long term care problem in the United States. We don't have a system that educates or requires individuals to pay for their own long term care so the default is to access the government Medicaid program when families don't have the financial resources to pay for their own care.
Considering the issues with government today businesses working with the aging population and corporations with employees must begin providing education and information about health care and aging. The problem is that the public does not want plan for health care issues or end of life. Not only does the public not want to plan for this they find it difficult to discuss. End of life and especially death isn't a topic families want to discuss over the dinner table. However unless we all take a more involved role in spreading the importance of discussing this topic we will continue to contribute to the next national crises.
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5 Star Ratings for Nursing Homes Questionable |
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By Pamela D. Wilson, CSA, MS, BS/BA, CG, The Care Navigator
The news recently buzzed about the Five Star Quality Ratings published for skilled nursing facilities. I was excited myself until I looked further into how the ratings were actually calculated. The ratings are based on three categories of data: health inspections, staffing and quality measures. (To read the explanation regarding determination of quality ratings visit http://www4.medicare.gov/NHCompare/static/tabhelp.asp?language=English&activeTab=6&subTab=0version=default).
The category entitled "Health Inspections" is the ONLY category that provides information derived from trained teams of surveyors. However the category descriptor also mentions that there are "differences in state licensing requirements that affect quality, and in state Medicaid programs that pay for much of the care in nursing homes." Additionally, "inspections don't identify nursing homes that give outstanding care. While reading these reports, keep in mind that the quality of a nursing home may get much better or much worse in a short period of time. These changes can occur when a nursing home's administrator or ownership changes or when a nursing home's finances suddenly change." I've personally experienced this myself when I've had clients in certain facilities, many of whom I would have previously recommended but would now not place my worst enemy.
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Children – Get Involved in Your Parent’s Planning Before It’s Too Late |
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By Pamela D. Wilson, CSA, MS, BS/BA, CG, The Care Navigator
When my mother passed away and I started going through medical bills, monthly bills and the bank account I discovered something shocking. My mother never once balanced her checkbook. This was a shock to me at the time because I was fanatical about balancing my checkbook to the penny. And not only that, I knew down to the penny what the money in my checking account was intended to do.
All those years growing up I thought my parents had it all together and never considered otherwise. My dad was from the Greatest Generation, a WWII veteran who completed high school and joined the Conservations Corps and later the army. My mother, whose mother passed away when she was five, took responsibility for raising her three younger siblings. She went to high school but did not finish. Four of my siblings included myself went to college, two did not.
It did not occur to me that my parents might benefit from my years of education even if it was to show my mother how to balance her checkbook. I have no idea how she managed their money all those years without actually knowing how much money was in their account. She obviously had it all figured out and they were able to set aside money for retirement, although probably not in the best vehicles to obtain a good investment return.
My parents passed away when I was in my thirties and I see many other children my age, now in my forties who have parents who may be in similar situations. I'm not sure how most parents would react, but I would suspect that if most children went to their parents to talk about balancing checkbooks and investing the conversation might be met positively.
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