With the aging of thousands of baby boomers , the demand for new home- and community-based care models is increasing. An overwhelming number of older adults want to age in place, but many times this is not possible due to the need for increasing care. A new model has been introduced that brings the services of a Life Plan Community to an individual’s home. This model provides coordinated care for the individual in their home, and that coordination is the key difference between this model and a home health agency.
Goodwin House, a Life Plan Community in Virginia, added a twist to this model with a new membership-based program that offers those living at home access to and coordination of most of the services typically offered at a Life Plan Community. Under this model, the organization will coordinate care as needed for members who pay for the program—and who purchase a long-term care insurance plan. The insurance plan ensures that participants are medically cleared to join the program before they are in need of many services, and ensures financial help with available services if and when they are required. Similar to a Life Plan Community, older adults must meet a set of health criteria in order to join.
These at-home continuing care models are catching on in the senior living industry. Sun Health, for example, is an Arizona-based organization that has begun a similar program. Sun Health has a one-time membership fee along with a monthly fee, which is determined by the member’s age and the plan they select.
These models are still in the beginning phases, so many of the services have yet to be used, but they’re expected to minimize the chance of the individual needing to move into a Life Plan Community.
Source:
Baxter A. Continuing care at home models add insurance benefit. Senior Housing News. http://seniorhousingnews.com/2016/03/31/continuing-care-home-models-add-insurance-benefit/. Accessed April 19, 2016.
