As you probably know, the amount of senior citizens in the United States increase every day. This results from the baby boomer generation, which consists of 76 million people, reaching retirement age. This poses big problems to the United State’s infrastructure. It is also a big problem in nursing homes. The country’s current homes don’t have the resources to deal with the rising senior populations Here, I will discuss the aging statistics in America and what this means for your aging loved ones.
Growing Elderly Population
People 65 years old and older in the United States comprise about 15% of the population. In 2014, the number of those 65 years and older was 46.2 million. This number is expected to grow dramatically in coming years. By 2040, this group will make up 21% of the population. By 2060, there will be an estimated 98 million people in this group. As you can see, the elderly population is growing and will continue to grow in the future. This means that nursing home facilities cannot ignore this problem in the hopes that it will go away. They need to alter their facilities and their practices to accommodate this large number of senior citizens.
Taking Care of the Elderly
The first step in making sure that senior citizens in nursing homes have proper care is building more facilities. Overcrowding will become a big problem in nursing homes. Overcrowding will lead to poor living conditions and poor treatment. To make sure that each nursing home resident gets the attention and care that they deserve, nursing homes will have to expand their facilities. Entire new facilities should also get built to make sure that everyone who wants to be a resident in a home will have to proper resources.
The second thing that nursing homes should focus on is clear and organized procedures. Every nursing home needs careful regulation. The more residents that a home has, the more important it becomes to keep everything clear and uniform. This will make sure that all staff members know what to do in different situations.
Finally, it becomes extremely important to make sure that staff members have proper training and qualifications. Staff members with minimal training should not work at a nursing home. There will be a bigger market and need for highly trained professionals. This will keep all nursing home residents safe. As more families become involved in the nursing home process, they will be more vocal about wanting trained people helping their loved ones.
Getting Help
These are a few sustainable changes that can happen in the nursing home industry as the elderly population grows. Finding a nursing home is not necessarily an easy task. Don’t take this lightly. In order to do the proper research and find the best fit for your loved one, visit the other pages in this section for more free information.
