We are proud to be part of a major article in the April 2014 issue of 5280 Magazine about Colorado preparing for a demographic shift and the services that go with it:
The motivation to enable boomers to stay independent goes beyond fulfilling the seniors’ own desires; it’s also a more financially sound plan for our state, according to Schaufele. DRCOG, which provides support for Denver-area residents 60 and older, can enable a senior to stay in his or her home for 10 months—through low-cost services such as meals, rides, and housekeeping or personal care visits—for the equivalent expense incurred by one senior living in a Medicare or Medicaid nursing home for just one month.
“It used to be, if someone qualified for a nursing home, well, then you were going,” says Rachel Webb, founder of Extended Family Home Care, a local non-medical caregiving provider. But, Webb explains, bolstered by improved medical technology and both public and private desire for cost-efficiency, “now the trend is to age in place. There are options. We can tell people, You can stay at home, and here’s how we’ll make it work.” Companies such as Webb’s offer a wide variety of services: They’ll drop by to make sure Dad’s taken his medications, shop with him at the grocery store, accompany him to doctor’s appointments, help with bathing and grooming, and even just stop by to play cards. “A lot of the boomers have had to force their grandparents or parents to go into a nursing home, and it was a very unpleasant experience,” Webb says. “They want to be able to remain in their own homes, keep their own schedules, and maintain their independence.”
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