Eight (8) Home Care Trends for 2024

By Gretchen Curry, MSPH | February 22, 2024 | Comments Off on Eight (8) Home Care Trends for 2024

Home Care Trends Every Family Caregiver Needs to Know About for 2024

Eight (8) Home Care Trends for 2024

StaffLink has been providing home care services for nearly 37 years. StaffLink provides private duty, Medicaid in-home services and home care to veterans. Over the 37 years we have been in business, we have witnessed many changes and trends in the home care arena. Here are trends that family caregivers can expect to see play out in 2024.

  1. There will continue to be a great need for home care services as the aging population continues to grow and seniors seek to stay in their homes as they age. Approximately 12,000 “boomers” are turning 65 years old on a daily basis. Boomers are defined as persons born between 1946 to 1964. As boomers age, they will continue to seek out caregiving assistance to allow them to stay in their homes.
  2. The utilization of monitoring technology (bio-wearables and tracking devices) for clients in the home will increase. If you are wearing a Smartwatch or Fitbit, you may be unintentionally participating in this trend. My Smartwatch ask me at least once a week, “Have you fallen?”
  3. Medicare Advantage (MA) insurance plans will increase the offerings of hourly home care as part of their service menus. You will find more MA plans offering hourly home care and we might see an increase in hours offered by those plans. The few MAs that are currently offering hourly home care currently cap the hours offered at a maximum of 120 hours annually.
  4. Wages to professional caregivers will continue to increase. Home care wages in some regions have nearly doubled in the last 5-6 years. Home care agencies will continue to compete with non-healthcare entities, such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, Citgo and others for employees.
  5. The pool of available home care aides has decreased over the last few years. Many entry-level caregivers have left healthcare for positions with the aforementioned employers and for other industries.
  6. Home care cost (and other long-term care) will continue to rise. Wages to home caregivers will be the primary reason home care cost will continue to grow. In other areas of long-term care, cost will continue to rise as wages to all facility staff increase, and the over-all cost of running and maintaining a facility increases.
  7. There will be continued pressure on state legislators across the country to increase their hourly reimbursement rates to Medicaid home care agencies and other home care providers. The increase is required for agencies to raise the pay rates to the caregivers that provide assistance to Medicaid recipients. Without an increase in rates, Medicaid recipients across the country will be underserved.
  8. Finally, as clients continue to be discharged rapidly from hospitals and rehab centers, there will be an increased demand for a higher competency among caregivers. Agencies will need to increase their offerings of continuing education to caregivers.

StaffLink looks forward to continuing to address the challenges and needs that have been presented by the above trends.  If we can help you provide care to a family member in need of assistance, please contact us at 314-997-8833.

Gretchen Curry, MSPH
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