Gerontology & Geriatric Research

THE LARGEST UNPAID HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE YOUâ??VE NEVER HEARD OF IS GOING DIGITAL

2^nd International Conference on Aging & Gerontology

June 26-27, 2017 San Diego, CA, USA

Meg FitzGerald

New York Medical College, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Gerontol Geriatr Res

Abstract:

�??The Largest Unpaid Healthcare Workforce you�??ve Never Heard of Is Going Digital�?� explores the seemingly unnatural connection between caregiving and technology in an era of an aging, yet connected, population being cared for by an array of family members and healthcare workers. With some estimates as high as 66 million, informal caregivers may be the largest healthcare workforce you�??ve never heard of. According to the AARP seminal work on �??Valuing the Invaluable�?� about 40 million family caregivers in the U.S. provided an estimated 37 billion hours of care to an adult with limitations in daily activities. The business model for paying caregivers today is complex but evolving. Chronic care among the U.S. population comprises a disproportionate share of total healthcare spending close to 86%. This chronic care market represents an opportunity to reduce healthcare spend. A lot of the technology energy is coming from the constructs of the Affordable Care Act and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid�??s policies around value-based care, with reimbursement being tied to quality and outcomes. These objectives have a force multiplier effect on all stakeholders caring for a chronic patient, encouraging the adage of right care, right time and right place. The right combination of human touch and technology can make a meaningful difference. Jonathan Rauch called caregivers �??the invisible army�?� of our healthcare system. It is increasingly evident that those organizations that align themselves with the needs of caregivers will increase their chances of achieving quality measures at the lowest cost.