Senior care and the need for quality caregivers has made eldercare one of the fastest growing industries in America. It is projected that by 2050 the senior population will reach 88.5 million, or 20% of the entire United States. As a result, the burden of care will continue to shift from family caregiving to professional senior care, through in-home health care services, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Julie Northcutt, CEO and founder of Caregiverlist, discusses her vision and mission to provide online resources for seniors and professional caregivers through Cargiverlist.com on Chicago Tribune’s new small business entrepenuer spotlight, Blue Sky Innovation.
In his Letter from the Editor, Gerould Kern, Senior Vice President and Editor of Chicago Tribune writes, “Blue Sky Innovation will carry news about Chicago’s emerging business development landscape — startups, technology, innovative new products, services and entrepreneurial best practices.”
Personal and Home Care Aides and Home Health Aides are projected to be the second and third fastest-growing occupations in the country between 2006 (the year of Caregiverlist’s inception) and 2016 — increasing by 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively. In addressing that market need, Caregiverlist’s mission is one of connecting seniors with quality care choices with the assistance of innovative technology.
“Almost nobody plans ahead for senior care,” says Julie. “You’re encouraged to save money for retirement, and they always show you sailboats and going on cruise ships, but the reality is you may need that money to pay for caregiving services.”
Caregiverlist works with quality home care agencies to provide the most economical senior care by keeping seniors in their own homes longer. Caregiverlist also called 18,000 nursing homes to provide information on daily costs nationwide in its Nursing Home Star Rating tool.
Caregiverlist’s Caregiver Training University (CTU) announced the launch of Caregiverlist Basic Training earlier this year, providing training that meets industry standards for professional competency. The digital training platform allows caregivers to take the training course from their laptop, desktop or smartphone.
Caregiverlist is constantly striving to provide the most ground-breaking tools to serve this burgeoning industry. You can watch Julie Northcutt discuss Caregiverlist on Blue Sky Innovation here.
