CHELSEY LEVINGSTON writes in the DAYTON DAILY NEWS:
Dayton home care companies are growing to meet the demands of an aging population that prefers to stay in their homes as long as possible, said local experts.
Ohio is aging fast, with projections for one in four residents in the local region to be age 60 or over by 2050, according to Miami University’s Scripps Gerontology Center.
People are living with more chronic conditions, living longer and using technological advances to manage their conditions at home, said Paula Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Fidelity Health Care. Fidelity is the home care division of Dayton hospital system Premier Health Partners.
“I think there’s been a real renewed interest in home care,” Thompson said. “I think people are looking for alternatives for care and again to remain in their homes I think [because of] the cost of moving into a facility, and they have to give up a lot to do that. I think independence is important to that population.”
Dayton home care companies have seen their patient volumes grow. Since 2009, for example, the patient volume at Alternate Solutions Healthcare has grown 67 percent, while Kettering Home Care has seen its number of patients increase 43 percent. And new local companies have sprung up in that time, such as Graceworks at Home and Lavender Home Care Solutions. READ MORE.