The Future of AI and Home Care - launching a new report

Home care is a labor-intensive business. And as everyone can see, labor is increasingly a scarce resource, likely to seem ever more scarce -- as the boomers age into their 80’s and beyond, their population outpacing the growth of the care workforce. While there are many articles that will describe the 'aging tsunami' and worrisome lack of workers to care for the oldest, few technology solutions have entered this market up to now. How can AI tools participate appropriately in home care and home healthcare?  What are some of the circumstances that make this the right time to consider? And what are examples that indicate potential?  Suggestions of offerings and interviewees are welcome.

• Older adults repeatedly state that they want to age in their own homes – yet circumstances may be challenging. Today 43% of women aged 75+ live alone, with 28% of the 65+ population classified as solo agers – no spouse or children to help care for them as they age. In addition, many older adults live in multi-story homes, many have dogs that need walking, and many do not live near relatives or even neighbors they know who could help.

• The demand for care workers is constant and will continue to grow. Approximately 12 million in the US receive some non-medical home care. Approximately 4.5 million receive home health care services today. There are least 800,000 living in Assisted Living communities and 1.3 million live in nursing homes.  This includes those discharged from hospitals to home care for in-home rehab, individuals with disabilities who receive some care at home, non-medical home care, and home care used in assisted living or nursing homes to supplement workers. In fact, home health care is the leading category for future spending growth among all health-related sectors.  

• Examples -- care sectors see AI possibilities.  The care sectors are looking more closely at the role that AI can play in caring for older adults and optimizing staff workload, demonstrated in research interviews both in senior living as well other care settings. Examples of use of AI are emerging: Chatbots – marketing; resident and family communication; mitigating social isolation with clients who live alone; detecting or even preventing falls; remote monitoring and predictive analytics. Increasingly, we may also see 'Concierge Home Care' in which a combination/team of nurse, care workers, supplemented with technology help with care of an older adult.

• Others?