A helping hand

With a growing ageing population, BrightStar Care rises to the challenge of offering expert personal care at home

By 2050 the global senior population is expected to triple to 1.5 billion people according to the National Institute on Aging. A number that huge will certainly raise some eyebrows, but those who work in the senior care industry understand both the opportunities and the challenges that it presents. Owing to declines in birthrate and improvements in life expectancy, we’ve observed the gradual increase in the percentage of the total population that people aged over 65 make up. However, within this mass, there’s another factor proving to be a game changer in the senior care industry: acuity of conditions among those 65 years and over. Chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s, heart failure, pneumonia, respiratory disorders, diabetes, and several forms of dementia are all on the rise, and their impacts are forcing senior care providers to change the way we serve our clients.

In recent years, few chronic diseases have been studied more than Alzheimer’s. In the United States alone, studies have found that someone develops Alzheimer’s every 67 seconds, making it the sixth leading cause of death in the country. Nearly 46.8 million people worldwide have this disease or other dementias according to Alzheimer’s Disease International. The resulting global economic impact has now swelled to US$818 billion this year, which consists of informal care, and the direct costs of social and medical care. So what does this say about the future of our industry? The combination of the large ageing population and the increasing need for a higher sophistication of care for chronic conditions fuel the growing demand for high-quality in-home care.

SEVERITY OF CASES DEMAND QUALITY CARE

Similar to other developed nations, 80 percent of seniors in Australia, for example, have three or more chronic conditions and take multiple medicines. With the increased global demand to age at home, coupled with the need for skilled medical inhome care to treat these conditions, consumers are faced with a lack of options to find the level of care their loved ones need. To keep up with the ageing population, leaders in the senior care field must raise the bar to deliver quality care. As a provider of expert, compassionate in-home care, BrightStar Care customises its offerings to meet clients’ needs, no matter how simple or complex their condition.

There are more than 300 BrightStar Care locations in the United States, providing full-service medical and non-medical homecare as well as supplemental care staff to local healthcare organisations. All BrightStar Care locations are required to attain Joint Commission Accreditation, an international third-party standards organisation that accredits major healthcare institutions like hospitals and inpatient and out-patient facilities. When families seek assistance in taking care of their loved ones, it’s incredibly reassuring to be in the hands of a Joint Commission accredited agency.

A registered nurse director of nursing creates a unique Plan of Care for each BrightStar Care client, matching them with a professional caregiver based on their preferences and individual health and wellness needs. This commitment to the highest quality clinical care, overseen by a registered nurse, enables BrightStar Care to offer a range of services and support to families that few other private duty home care providers can. The result is that 25 new locations opened in 2015, and the company anticipates a further 50 in 2016. This demand for BrightStar Care extends beyond the United States. BrightStar Care will work to meet the needs of those in other developed countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, China, Japan and across Europe.

AGEING AT HOME IS STILL A PRIORITY

According to the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), nearly 90 percent of seniors prefer to stay in their home as they age, regardless of whether or not they need medical attention. Many people are unaware of the types of in-home services that are available to meet their needs, and for years, family members provide care for their ageing loved ones at home. While a true expression of love and compassion, this can be challenging and stressful, particularly as his or her care needs increase over time. How can we expect a daughter to medically care for her ageing parent without any medical training? Allan Lokos, author of Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living said it best: “There is no illness that is not exacerbated by stress.”

This is where a medically trained, compassionate in-home caregiver can provide great value to both the ageing loved one and his or her family. Essentially, a skilled caregiver allows a daughter, for example, of an ageing parent to become the daughter again. In our experience, this daughter already has to wear several other hats such as employee, wife, and mother, so taking on the role of caregiver can add an excessive amount of stress.

BrightStar Care allows families to feel reassured that their loved one is living comfortably, happily, and safely at home while receiving the high standards of medical attention one would receive at a hospital or other skilled care facility.

A HIGHER STANDARD IN THE FUTURE

The need to meet the health and wellness demands of the growing senior population remains an increasingly important global topic. As a senior care provider, nothing is more vital than adapting to our clients’ individual needs. More and more families around the world are seeking in-home care providers that can remain vigilant to a loved one’s ever evolving needs and adapt their care plans accordingly.

Ageing trends present plenty of challenges, yet there are outstanding business opportunities and new compassionate services as well. Those in-home care providers who offer a full range of services at the highest clinical standards, like BrightStar Care, are at the forefront of this critical time when our ageing loved ones require more sophisticated care.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anthony Padulo is the Executive Vice President of Domestic and International Development for BrightStar Care, the full-service home care franchise that provides both medical and non-medical care to infants and seniors, with more than 300 locations in the United States.

To learn more about BrightStar Care International, visit

franchise.brightstarcare.com/international or
email Anthony at anthony.padulo@brightstarcare.com.