22222222222222 222222222222222 22222222222222222P22PP22P22PP22P22P22PP2PP22PP22P222229922997 (NAPSA)—As the American pop- ulation ages, families continue to look at options for short- and longterm health care. An increasingly popular choice is homecare, which allows people to remain in comfort- able surroundings throughouttheir treatment. See how much you know about home care with these four true/false questions: 1. Home care is only for the elderly or for the truly sick who have been hospitalized. 2. Sixty percent of people 75 and older will need some form of long-term care. 3. Ten percent of the nation’s elderly population have some form of disability for which they require assistance (e.g., bathing, dressing, eating). 4. Helping elderly relatives with just one simple task per day such as eating or dressing can take up to nine hours per week. Answers 1. False. A national survey found that more than 7.6 million people received formal home care services in 1998 and only 68% were over the age of 65. Home care As the population ages, more people will require extra assistance at home. from their current homeif they need help caring for themselves. 3. False. Twenty-five percent (eight million) of the nation’s elderly population have some form of disability for which they require assistance. By 2020, that number is expected to rise to approxi- mately 15 million. 4. True. There are more than 25 million family caregivers who are caring for a loved one with a chronic illness or disability. And vices. While manyof the recipients of home care are elderly, there are the number is growing. The National Family Caregivers Association surveyed 1,000 adults, and found that 59 percent are already caring for a family member or receive home care services on a regular basis. Many people are caregiver. Many of these family caregivers will need to rely on the services cover a broad spectrum— ranging from skilled nursing to homemaker and companion seralso a number of children who able to live independently or more comfortably with assistance provided through homecare. 2. True. Every day, more peo- ple are facing the prospect of some form of assistance. At the same time, according to an AARP survey, 82 percent of the people sur- veyed would prefer not to move expect to take on the role of a extra help provided by home care companies that offer both skilled and non-medical services. This quiz was developed by Interim HealthCare, the largest combined provider of home care and medical staffing. To learn more, visit www.homestyle services.com.
