For 2010, hiring managers and working professionals within the home care and home healthcare industry can expect to see a few changes and new trends emerging. The most important factor that plays a role in these trends and developments is the increasing age of the United States population. Over the next thirty or so years, the U.S. population that is over the age of 65 is expected to double to more than 70 million people. Spending on home healthcare services is expected to reach about $90 billion by the year 2014, and life expectancies are steadily increasing as well.

While the dismal economy has been having a deleterious effect on many industries – including many healthcare related industries – it may actually be helping the home care and home healthcare industry. Due to skyrocketing insurance costs, people are trying to avoid long hospital stays whenever possible. In exchange, many are opting for home care or home healthcare assistance during their convalescences. When paired with longer life expectancies – approximately 80 years for women and 74 years for men – and a larger older population in general, the tendency for people to select home care over hospital stays is a promising trend for this industry.

In this report, a close look will be given to the job outlook within the home care and home healthcare industry. In demand jobs will be examined, and less in demand jobs will be as well. This information will help hiring managers get a feel for what to expect. Overall industry growth will be looked at, allowing interested parties within the home healthcare and home care industry to get an idea about where things are going. Finally, some of the most important trends that will gain prominence in 2010 will be looked at.

Section One: Hiring In The Home Care and Home Healthcare Industry In 2010

Since the industry is expected to be burgeoning in general over the next decade or so, it is safe to say that hiring will be complicated only due to the logistics of finding the right personnel. Most home healthcare and home care companies will do well enough to be able to hire the exact kind of help that they need. This also bodes well for those who want to pursue careers within the industry, as several jobs will be in demand. Compared with other health care industries, home healthcare and home care will be excelling.

In-Demand Positions In The Home Care and Home Healthcare Industry In 2010

Due to the nature of home care and home healthcare, the vast majority of the work that is performed is done “out in the field.” One of the top positions that should continue to be very in demand throughout 2010 is home health aide. These professionals handle a multitude of tasks, and can be used to provide a number of important home healthcare services. They aren’t skilled nurses, though, so they are inexpensive to hire; this adds to their increasing popularity considerably.

A huge part of home healthcare revolves around rehabilitation. As such, therapists will continue to be very in demand within the industry in 2010. Physical therapists, in particular, should expect to see plenty of key opportunities over the upcoming year. As more and more people seek to get out of hospitals as quickly as possible in order to avoid exorbitant medical bills, in-home physical therapy and other related services will continue to rise. Therapists in general, including but not limited to Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists, will be able to find gainful employment within the home healthcare and home care industry without issue during the year 2010 and beyond.

Finally, nurses will also be highly in-demand positions within the home healthcare field in 2010. Although they will only be called upon in cases where people need legitimate medical care, as the population is aging so rapidly it can be expected that nurses will be able to find work without a whole lot of effort. Nurses are an important component of any successful home healthcare company; some people even hire round-the-clock nursing care in their homes. Whether or not that trend escalates is uncertain, but what is certain is that nurses will continue to be the backbone of many of these organizations.

Less In Demand Positions In the Home Care and Home Healthcare Industry In 2010

Overall, hiring in the home healthcare and home care industry should be very healthy in 2010. The one area where a slight dip might be experienced is in administrative positions. Those are already relatively scarce, since the majority of the work is done in patients’ homes. Due to current economic conditions, many home healthcare companies will cut even further back on such positions. Clerical and office jobs within the home healthcare industry will, as a result, be less abundant over the next twelve months and beyond.

Section Two: Home Care and Home Healthcare Industry Expected Growth In 2010

Several factors are poised to make the home care and home healthcare industry growth escalate considerably over the next ten years or so. 2010 should be a clear example of this growth, as more and more people within the United States reach elderly ages and require more and more medical assistance. With life expectancies going ever upward, it is clear that this segment of the population is going to balloon even further, ensuring that the home care and home healthcare industry remains quite solvent well into the next decade.

Healthcare legislation is going to be a hot button issue over the year 2010, as the U.S. government and legislators attempt to reach an arrangement concerning healthcare in this country. In the meantime, several millions of people go uninsured – and others face steep insurance bills, copays and premiums. As a result of that, most people try to avoid long hospital stays whenever possible. The length of the average hospital stay has shortened considerably in the last twenty years or so; it’s not because people are healing more quickly, it’s because more and more of them are seeking home care.

As people rush to get out of hospitals as quickly as possible, many will continue to turn to home care and home healthcare services. When combined with the increasingly old population in general, the tendency for injured and ill persons to seek home healthcare ensures that this industry will see exponential growth over the next decade or so. All of this is in spite of poor economic conditions that have crippled many other industries. There is no question that home care and home healthcare will continue to be highly in demand and should become even more prominent as time goes by.

Section Three: Home Care and Home Healthcare Industry Trends in 2010

Trends within the home care and home healthcare industry fall within a wide number of different categories. The overarching theme among them, however, is the fact that this industry is clearly on the rise. More and more people are seeking home healthcare services – and it’s not just senior citizens, either. Those who are disabled or in need of rehabilitative services including physical therapy are increasingly turning to home care for help. Below, seven of the most notable trends for 2010 are outlined for your convenience.

1. State-Sponsored Programs – Several states in the country are turning to LTC diversion programs to help seniors within their communities. With state government getting involved in home care and home healthcare, it is that much more likely that such services are going to grow and expand over the next several years. The participation of the state in LTC diversion programs helps to legitimize them even further, bringing them to the attention of a larger number of people and cementing their importance within the health care and senior care industries in general. More states will likely roll out such programs over the next few years.
2. Hospital Furniture At Home – Since so many people are choosing to get out of hospitals and even rehab centers as quickly as possible, the sale of home hospital furniture is certain to go up. This phenomenon will make the work of home care and home healthcare professionals that much easier, as many of their clients will have the furniture that is needed right on their own premises. This also serves to increase the comfort of such patients, allowing them to enjoy all of the benefits of a topnotch hospital right in the comfort of their own homes.
3. Surveillance Technologies – The desire to stay out of hospitals and nursing homes – and the increasing longevity and life expectancies of the U.S. population as a whole – are making home surveillance an even more important issue than ever. With technology becoming more useful and intuitive than ever, more and more people are choosing to use monitoring systems and sensors to help seniors who wish to live independently do so. Such technology increases safety overall, and improves the effectiveness of home healthcare services by a significant degree. Surveillance technology will become even more integral to home healthcare as time goes by.
4. Portable Medical Technologies – In years past, bringing the hospital to the patient was no easy feat. Bulky equipment and other considerations made it unrealistic and onerous. Today, portable medical technology has gotten to the point where it’s easy to bring topnotch medical equipment right into patients’ homes. This has helped boost the home healthcare industry by quite a considerable margin, making it more practical and more useful to a greater number of people. This trend is expected to intensify over the next twelve months, ensuring that even more people begin taking advantage of such services.
5. Skyrocketing Insurance Costs – Those who are fortunate enough to have health insurance are going to see skyrocketing premiums and other escalating prices, unless healthcare initiatives are passed in the United States. As a result, it is expected that more people than ever before will be turning to home care and home healthcare services. Such services are considered to be much more cost effective than in-hospital stays, and programs like Medicare and Medicaid are increasingly getting on board with them. Escalating health insurance costs are, therefore, going to increase the prominence of home healthcare services in general.
6. Doctors With Fewer Options – Doctors are under increasing pressure to eschew highly expensive treatments in favor of more cost effective approaches. In some ways, this lessens the quality of care for patients and senior citizens. Home healthcare is expected to make up some of this slack, offering a happy medium between doctors with limited options and cash-strapped patients. This compromise might prompt a sweeping change to how healthcare is administered in this country; the increasingly older population will be a strong test of this concept. Doctors are expected to incorporate home care and home healthcare into their treatment plans in steadily increasing numbers.
7. Increasing Life Expectancies – Finally, increasing life expectancies and an increase in the number of people who are disabled within the next few years are both expected to make the home care and home healthcare industry more in demand than ever. Currently, approximately 8 million seniors are considered disabled; by 2014, that number is expected to rise to 14 million. For home healthcare companies, this means an even larger number of potential patients and many very important opportunities. Home care services will not only become more in demand, but they will become more effective and beneficial than ever.

Home Care and Home Healthcare in 2010: More Prominent Than Ever

As evidenced by the preceding information, the general trend for the home care and home healthcare industry is going to be toward expansion and growth. Several different factors are converging to make home healthcare the most practical and cost effective option for more and more people. Senior citizens and injured or disabled persons are expected to turn to home care services in increasing numbers over the next twelve months – and for several years beyond that point. The outlook is enormously positive for this industry, and for anyone who seeks employment within it. 

http://www.themedica.com/articles/2009/03/the-us-home-healthcare-industr.html

http://industries.hoovers.com/health-care/health-care-services/home-health-care/industry_trends

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/agingtrends/07olderwomen.pdf