Home care should be an attractive solution for seniors who want to age in place—but, all too often, that’s not the case.
In fact, although the vast majority of Americans would prefer to age in their own homes, fears of abuse, fraud and a lack of support during emergencies are holding people back from embracing home care, according to a new survey from HHAeXchange.
“Perhaps more than any other area of health care, the home care industry suffers from disjointed and disconnected communication, which limits the quality of care delivered,” Greg Strobel, president of HHAeXchange, said in a press release.
For the survey, the home care software provider polled 250 individuals who were either managing a loved one’s home care experience or receiving home care themselves.
Almost 90% of respondents said they would prefer to age in their own homes, according to a report detailing the survey findings. Still, approximately 30.1% of respondents said fraud, waste and abuse are major concerns when considering home care, and approximately 48% of respondents said the lack of support in the event of an emergency rendered them hesitant to sign up for home care.
In some cases, these fears are not unsubstantiated. About 12.6% of respondents have personally experienced abuse or fraud as home care recipients, the survey found.
Shockingly, just 27.9% of respondents indicated that their home care provider showed up on time and stayed the hours they were expected to work 100% of the time.
In general, home care providers can do a better job personalizing the home care experience to their clients, the survey also revealed.
Of the 32.3% of respondents who said special needs influenced their home care experience, more than 40% either could not find a suitable home care provider or had a tough time finding a provider to accommodate those needs.
About 22.4% of survey respondents said the No. 1 area of home care they would improve was better aligning caregivers to clients’ needs.
Written by Mary Kate Nelson
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