With an aging baby boomer generation, in-home health care is in high demand. Despite the demand, home health aides are among the toughest jobs to fill, according to CareerCast.
Health care jobs overall were among the top ten hardest jobs to fill in 2018.
Home health aides ranked fourth on the list of most difficult positions to fill in 2018. Those working in this field earn a median salary of $22,000 per year.
Personal care aides ranked as the eighth most difficult position to fill this year, with a median salary of $21,920 annually.
The home health aide field is expected to grow by 47% over the next eight years. The personal care aide field is projected to grow 39% during the same period.
According to Senior Home Cares, home caregivers are responsible for: preparing meals, assisting with baths and using the bathroom, providing transportation to doctor appointments, providing exercise and walking assistance, and more.
This rewarding-yet-challenging field is growing all over the world.
In India, electronics giant Philips is making its foray into the home health care market. The company has been building this business from the ground up over the last two years.
The operation is currently running in the country’s major cities, including Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
There are plans to launch at home dialysis and chemo services in the future.
Eventually, Philips said, simple treatments that are now done at hospitals will soon be done at home. In the future, hospitals may only be used for surgeries, diagnosis and acute care.
Technology is making it possible to administer most treatments at home, which will only foster growth in the home health care industry.
But back in the United States, the industry is struggling. Despite the growing demand for home health care services, many services are shutting their doors.
Methodist Hospital in Nebraska recently announced that it is shutting down its hospice and home health program. Patients will now be referred to the Visiting Nurse Association.
Many of these programs are struggling financially even with growing demand for their services.
Still, many experts believe home health care is the way of the future. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, author Laura Landro boldly declared that the “days of the hospital, as we know it, may be numbered.”
Some communities are finding ways to modernize home health care. In Beech Grove, Indiana, the community is starting a paramedic program that brings EMTs from the fire department to the homes of local residents.
When residents are released from the hospital, the hospital’s staff will notify the local fire department’s paramedics. Paramedics will be told of any conditions the patient is dealing with and will be sent to the patient’s home to check up on the resident.
The community has 25 certified paramedics, and the service is free to residents in the community.
Paramedicine programs are popping up in many communities across the United States. These programs help high-risk, underserved patients by giving them care inside of their homes. These are the same patients who are more likely to make unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
