A discussion of the workforce providing in-home services.

A fast-growing industry where many workers lack the training and skills needed for safe and reliable caregiving.

Seniors and their adult children are hiring help to extend their time at home.

Many in-home caregivers struggle to make ends meet. More than 90 percent are women, nearly half are minorities, and 40 percent rely on Medicaid and food stamps.

For engineers and visionaries – a grandmother inspires. I hear it so often – the entrepreneur’s grandmother, father, mother inspired the inventor to move forward with inventions – that includes long-time players like GrandCare Systems, It’s Never Too Late (IN2L) or Eric Dishman and Intel – are good examples – but it also includes brand new entrants like myLively and Serality.   Or an inspired and wealthy founder with a long history of entrepreneurship and business tries something new – GreatCall (from the telecom industry) and now CareZone, founded by an ex-Sun executive. >>> Read more . . .

Due to baby boomers, labor shortage looming for home care workers. Never mind that the oldest baby boomer is 66.

The International Franchise Association says senior care is among the industry's highest-growth sectors.

Wireless networks – they matter in home care and assisted living.  Adult children are letting home care and assisted living organizations off the technology hook, whether it is support for high speed Internet access, wireless networks, training staff on how to support social networking with long-distance family, or whatever. How do I know this?  Let me count the ways.  My own surveys – Future of Home Care Technology 2012, publicly available material surveying CFOs about tech investments (by Leading Age), conversations at MassALFA and finally with tech companies trying to sell technology to the senior housing industry.  >>> Read more . . .

It had to happen -- the FTC just discovered online search tools for senior care (housing and home care).

This advice is for non-medical home care, home health care, and geriatric care management organizations and is drawn from the July 31, 2012 report, Future of Home Care Technology Report. The report surveyed 315 organizations spanning 34,509 workers. Based on the limited use of technology today, but the growing wave about the inevitability of data sharing about care recipients across the significant boundaries of home care, home health care, hospitals, rehabilitation/nursing homes and assisted living. Organizations of each type of care delivered into the home will need to prepare now for the inevitability of a Home Care Information Network that must be sponsored, delivered and adopted over the next five years. To maximize its benefit, organizations that deliver care must: >>> Read more . . .