The global recession has started to recede, and that typically means more people are looking favorably on senior housing. However, the industry shouldn’t breathe easier just yet. The disruptive forces that have shaped senior care aren’t disappearing along with the recession. If anything, the industry may face more pressure from them as there’s less impact of a slowing economy. The Wall Street Journal notes that the US economy has headed into 2020 with steady growth, but it doesn’t seem as though it will see a massive upturn just yet. However, the economic state of the country is one of the disruptive factors senior care is likely to face in the upcoming years.
A Change in Demographics
The elderly that are entering senior care homes now are no longer from the Greatest Generation. Now, the baby boomers are embracing elderly care as a solution to living alone, and it puts pressure on the care system to adapt to their changing needs. This year’s outlook on new clients will come from the baby boomer generation. Traditionally, people from this age group have been seen as disruptors themselves. Their presence in the system may require senior care centers to adapt their means of dealing with this demographic uniquely.
Technology Adds to the Disruption
The term disruption is used in businesses today to primarily describe how tech is impacting a particular industry or company. Inc. mentions that digital disruption is as much a part of senior care as it is of any other industry in the twenty-first century. Even though senior care has been late to the party in adopting technology to aid with efficiency, the development of tech in the industry hasn’t slowed down because of it. Tech advancements in senior care seem to have sped up as if making up for the lost time. The result is an even more disruptive tech and innovation sector within the senior care industry.
Development in Healthcare Delivery
Tech goes hand in hand with remote healthcare delivery. As tech expands and more people can get on-demand, in-home care, the need for senior living centers decreases. Harvard Business School makes mention of an application called Honor, which claims to be an “Uber for senior care.”. The idea of crowdsourcing everything seems to be the norm, and delivering healthcare, or senior care is not exempt from this trend. As a disruptive pressure on senior care facilities, it could mean far fewer people buying into the idea that they need assistants nearby to help them with their healthcare needs.
Worker Shortages Across the Industry
One of the significant elements that will hamper the sector over the next decade is the decline in worker availability for positions. As more workers realize the extreme demand that these jobs have, fewer of them are deciding to take up the mantle as a senior carer. Many employees in the industry face low wages, burnout, and lack of appreciation from their places of employment, all impacting their mental state and their ability to deliver the best they can give to residents. The situation is only exacerbated as the facilities can be short on staff, and as a result, pile on more work on available employees.
How Will the Industry Fare?
The senior care sector is probably facing its most significant hurdle to date. The only way it can withstand the pressures is by innovating and adapting. Luckily, several companies are already looking at ways of innovating suing technology to guarantee more efficient use of employee time. Whether technological advancement will be enough to fill the gaps in the lack of employees remains to be seen. At Skylark Senior Home Care, we believe in meeting the needs of our clients through supporting our employees. Interested in what the future of senior care looks like? Contact us today!
