Lately I've been focused on doing research on the state of elderly care due to the fact that the startup I'm working with is focused on finding a convenient and cost-effective solution to elderly care. Although the intended audience of the business are to those in India, my research has been centered on elderly care in America just so that I may gain a broad understanding of the field in more familiar terms before I delve into a much less structured and chaotic one. 

American care of the elderly, as I found out, has a multitude of forms. The majority of these types of care center around established health care facilities. For example, Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) provide 24 hour non-medical care in assisted living facilities. They ensure constant supervision as well as assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing and grooming and under certain special plans, they may provide some type of medical supervision. In addition to RCFE’s, there are also Continuing Care Retirement Committees (CCRC). These establishments provide long-term uninterrupted continuing care complete with independent living units, residential care/assisted living, and skilled nursing care. Patrons to CCRC’s typically sign contracts for lifetime care in exchange for activities, help with meals, housekeeping, and other support services.

As with almost any type of research, there are of course statistics to look at as well. In the United States (in 2010), there were more than 735,000 individuals who resided in assisted living facilities. Of these 735,000, approximately 75% were women, the other 25% being men of course. More than 50% of these residents are over the age of 85, 36% are between the ages of 65 and 84. The most common activities which seniors require assistance for include meal preparation, management of medications, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, and eating. Most of the residents also suffer from one or more of the top ten chronic conditions. (Graphic)

It's clear that a substantial portion of our nation's elderly reside in dedicated elderly care facilities but that can be expensive. Outrageously expensive, in fact. The cost of nursing home care can reach upwards of $80,000, more than a year of tuition at a University of California school (which is a lot, trust me). Furthermore, part time care can range from $20,000 to $25,000. The federal government will cover these costs at a point under Medicare, but as with any federal program, there are various hoops to jump through.

As a result of the high costs and red tape, many individuals attempt to take care of their elderly loved ones at home by themselves. In fact, 65.7 million informal and family caregivers provide care to someone  who is ill, disabled or aged in the U.S. However, despite the relative cost-effectiveness of this method, there are sacrifices involved. Individuals may miss work while caring for their loved ones or they may not have the proper medical equipment to provide sufficient care nor the necessary medical knowledge to do so. This is the crux of the problem which the product this startup is working on attempts to solve. I don't want to give away too much regarding this since I'd like to make it part of my presentation but providing high quality care in a convenient manner is something which is very important to my advisor. It's important to nearly everyone as well. The vast majority of people want their parents or other elders to be well taken care of in the later stages of their life and the current state of affairs can make that difficult. Hopefully, a solution can be reached soon and I believe that it will be.