The ever-important role of caregiving
The current system also relies heavily on the unpaid labor of caregivers. In some cases, the amount of time spent caregiving is staggering: 36% of caregiver respondents spend more than 31 hours a week taking care of a loved one. These figures suggest an opportunity for health organizations to employ technology to lessen the burden for caretakers who are often balancing work, families and caregiving. Intuitive digital tools can help ease the process of care coordination so stressed caregivers are not wasting their time making multiple phone calls for every appointment or struggling to find medical advice for their loved ones’ issues.
When asked what supports would help improve their caregiving experience:
- 51% of US respondents said making it easier to find clear information on support services
- 55% said provision of financial support for carers or caregivers will better support them
Cara Abbott, founder of Betterleave in the US, saw the barriers firsthand when caring for her mother with a terminal illness and said health systems need to re-center care models on patient- and family-centered care. “I was overwhelmed by how fragmented and impersonal the transitions of care felt. And there was little guidance or communication from palliative to hospice and through bereavement — and not enough done to make sure I was supported along the way,” Abbott said. “When families are engaged and included in care plans, it not only improves the patient’s experience but leads to better outcomes for providers like reduced hospital readmissions and increased ratings and stronger care continuity.”
How health organizations can help consumers age better
Five areas of focus can help organizations in the health, consumer and government space move toward healthcare that keeps people healthier longer as they age:
- Empower consumers to manage their own health destiny. One of the biggest hurdles to improving population health is successfully convincing consumers to abandon unhealthy lifestyle choices in favor of behaviors that will help them avoid chronic conditions or health crises as they age. With the data that exists across the health ecosystem, analytics can be used to create health forecasts for consumers based on their care record. The forecasts can be paired up with personalized plans of interventions that might help them course correct to avoid chronic disease, frailty or acute illness. Consumers already are collecting their own health data through wearables and tracking apps. Health organizations can embrace that trend, supporting consumers to drive toward a longer “healthspan” with education, training and other supports.
- Transform care models to improve community-based support and navigation so people can remain at home longer and are not forced into traumatic acute care situations because they could not access real-time support. Place-based changes, such as walking paths that remove any tripping hazards, can help people stay in their communities longer. Community interventions delivered through home visits, organization of social groups, fitness classes and caregiver support also can make a big impact on patient and family lives.
- Take advantage of consumer openness to digital technologies to deliver care where they want it. With a plethora of sensors that can alert consumers to everything from a medicine cabinet that has not been opened to a stove that has been left on too long can help support safety for people to age at home. Health organizations can further support mobility and health through virtual physical therapists and nutrition coaches. However, there must be recognition that not all people will be able to afford or access these technologies, but that a preventative approach can lower overall health costs for health systems.
- Build awareness of the benefits of community care to involve stakeholders in shifting investment from acute to preventative care. It is less expensive to deliver and what consumers want. “The challenge always is trying to innovate within the confines of a funding model or current policy environment that, at times, kind of limits and inhibits innovation,” said David Larmour, CEO of Dale Cottages in Australia.
- Support caregivers to alleviate burden and create a more transparent, accessible system of care and support. “If that family caregiver burns out and just can’t cope and can’t manage, then they bring grandma or grandpa to the emergency department and they just say, I can’t manage anymore,” said Dr. Richard Lewanczuk, of Alberta Health Services in Canada. “The minute we admit them to the hospital, there’s a deterioration in physical functioning, mental functioning and quite often people then need to be institutionalized. So, anything that we can do to support family caregivers and keep people healthy and well in their communities, that will then help people not get to the emergency department.” When a family needs help, an infusion of community interventions can pay off in multiple ways.
Sector findings
By centering care in the home and the community, health organizations can deliver better outcomes and experiences for consumers, their families, their budgets and society.
Government
Without urgent reform, the economic and social costs for governments across the globe will escalate. Governments must move from fragmented, short-term fixes to integrated, future-focused policy and investment. They must adopt a whole-of-government approach rooted in long-term, data-driven strategies that prioritize prevention, early intervention and social determinants of health. They can fund models that shift from institutional care to person-centered, home- and community-based services that empower individuals to live independently and with dignity.
Governments will need to invest in the digital infrastructure that will be needed to transform care delivery from expensive reactive care to more effective proactive care. They also will need to strengthen the caregiving and clinical workforce.
By reimagining the care economy, governments can unlock economic growth, create millions of jobs and deliver better outcomes for citizens — while building more resilient, inclusive societies.
Payers
Healthcare payers should continue to create programs and supports that help people take control of their health. Strategies should incorporate wearables and smart home technology to help create more consistent relationships with patients. Such approaches ultimately can keep them out of more expensive acute care settings. Given the role that caregivers play in better health outcomes, payers should try to better understand the caregiver experience and support their wellbeing as well.
Investing in place-based initiatives that may provide a community access to exercise opportunities or more nutritious foods as they age can also pay off in terms of overall community health.
Payers must work within the ecosystem to fund models of care that move from reactive to proactive care, as current models of aged care are unsustainable.
Providers
Healthcare providers must continue to help consumers take control of their health, ensuring they understand the keys to healthy aging, such as diet, exercise, social connection and intellectual challenges. As consumers overwhelmingly want to age in the home, provider systems should continue to build out hospital-at-home efforts and devise strategies to keep consumers connected to the healthcare system even when they are not in the doctor’s office.
Within the health ecosystem, providers will play a key role in building awareness and educating the public about healthy aging.
Given the incredible burden on caregivers, providers should look for ways to improve the caregiving experience by fixing poor navigation systems and offering programs of support.
