America is in the midst of a radical change that is quickly changing the type of care that masses of patients across the country require. Specifically, the older adult population is growing at a rapid rate, meaning there is a growing number of patients who require unique and specialized care.
Fortunately, elderly care workers are stepping up to meet this increasing demand for care and support. However, many are unaware that there is a wide variety of professionals and career options in the elderly care space. Those interested in exploring possible career routes and developing a deeper understanding of how healthcare is evolving can benefit from learning about these different roles.
Here’s an exploration of the significance of elderly care workers and their diverse career options.
The Importance of Elderly Care Workers
As has been noted, the older adult population is growing at a frighteningly fast rate. According to expert estimates, healthcare will soon have a huge challenge to overcome in treating this specific demographic of people effectively.
Fortunately, a variety of specialized professionals can help lessen the burden and make the treatment of older adults more feasible. Without these many different professionals, scores of older adults would be left to fend for themselves in many different aspects of their lives.
Different Elderly Care Roles
Those who aid older adults are some of the most admirable professionals in society today. Understanding who these different professionals are and what they do can give one better insight into ways to solve the growing obstacle of the older adult population.
Here are different elderly care roles everyone should be aware of.
Social Workers
The social worker’s role is broad and includes a wide range of duties that can alter significantly from case to case. While social workers work with people of all ages including children and adults, many work with older adults on a regular basis. For some older adults, the help of these professionals is crucial for everyday existence.
From being connected with food delivery resources to filling out paperwork related to healthcare, social workers aid older adults in a wide variety of ways. In some cases, social workers even provide their clients with mental health support.
For older adults without any other support systems or relatives, this type of help is invaluable and necessary. As the number of older adults in the country grows, it’s clear that the role of social workers will only become more important with time.
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
With the aging population growing at such a rapid pace, experts believe that there won’t be enough physicians to serve the entire country in the coming decades. While this is disheartening at first glance, some key professionals are emerging as a solution to this challenge.
Specifically, adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners, or AGACNPs, have the specialized skills and training to offer the elderly patient demographic primary care and ongoing medical support.
While specific laws differ from state to state — with some severely limiting the amount of autonomy that nurse practitioners have — nurse practitioners have specialized training that qualifies them to treat older adults. Given the physician shortage that is likely coming, many are hopeful that laws will be altered across the country to grant nurse practitioners more autonomy in their practices.
Caregiver
While the vast majority of people report they don’t wish to live in a retirement or elderly care home as an older adult, a significant portion of the older adult population does live in these types of facilities. Thankfully, caregivers are emerging as a likely solution to this problem that can help older adults live out their lives in the comfort of their own homes.
Put simply, elderly caregivers are professionals who aid older adults in many ways. The aim of these professionals is to allow older adults to live as autonomously as possible despite their limitations.
Some key duties of caregivers can include helping clients bathe, preparing food, helping with mobility issues, transporting, and even offering emotional support. As time goes on and the older adult population continues to proliferate, it’s more than likely that there will be a larger more pressing need for elderly caregivers than ever before.
Elderly Care Work is Becoming Increasingly Important
The more the older adult population grows, the more integral elderly care workers will become. From social workers who help older adults navigate different aspects of their lives to AGACNPs who provide robust and meaningful medical care, elderly care professionals will be vital aspects of the elderly crisis solution.
The post by Special to SouthFloridaReporter.com appears on South Florida Reporter.