Growth Within the Health Care Sector Has Been Driven in Large Part by Home Care

For the past several years home care has been the number one job creator in the country. Health care also continues to grow, and while that is great news for those who value health services, a significant portion of that growth can be directly attributed to home care.

This may not be the case across the country, but at least in Albany, New York, it has been determined that a significant reason for health care growth across the state has been due to the influx of home care providers and other services.

Health care has grappled with numerous threats to grow over the years, including questions about insurance, an aging population of Baby Boomers, increasing lifespans, recessions, and more. Part of its ability to weather these storms is a fact that 1/6th of the U.S. economy involves health care.

As more people prefer to ‘age in place,’ that has meant a growth in demand for these types of services, which is directly impacting the health care sector.

According to the Times Union article, From hospital to home, health care in 2019 will just keep growing, written by Bethany Bump:

“The largest number of jobs created in the health care field over the last decade have been those for health care assistants and aides, at an increase of over 48,000 jobs, according to a 2018 report from the state Comptroller’s Office.

While home health aides help patients with tasks such as medication management, exercise programs and vital sign measurements, they also oversee tasks that contribute to overall well-being such as grocery shopping, errands, meal preparation and light housekeeping.

Not only does this bring down the cost of institutional care by helping senior citizens age in place, it prevents avoidable hospitalizations that may result from an unhealthy diet or someone forgetting to take their medication.” 

These signs are strong indicators that home care is not just growing due to demand, but is also being perceived as a valuable asset for aging men and women and disabled adults who would prefer to receive care at home as opposed to nursing homes, hospital settings, or other facilities.

It is a more desirable option for growing numbers of people, but it is also a more cost-effective option. As the health care industry continues to expand, home care will likely become a more valued and viable option for increasing numbers of seniors and disabled adults.

That helps to add value to life when people can be surrounded by comfort and things of familiarity as opposed to generic items commonly found in hospitals and nursing homes.