Skyrocketing Medical and Elder Care Costs Spark Need for Care Solutions that are Affordable

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ROYAL OAK, MI — Every eight seconds for the next 18 years a member of the baby boom generation – the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 – will reach age 62. According to www.agingstats.gov, in 2010 there will be an estimated 40 million people over 65 and 5 million over 85. By 2030 those numbers will rise exponentially. According to AARP, about 80% of all Americans 55 years or older currently own their own homes, making it the highest rate of homeownership of any age group in the country.

Elder care prices are skyrocketing as the need increases. Revenues for elder care services in the U.S. are expected to increase 6.6 percent per year to $26.4 billion by 2011.

For Jeff Lang, a partner of Comforting Hands Companion Care, providing affordable assistance from trained caregivers can make a real difference in the lives of those in need and family members who are juggling schedules.

Comforting hands was born out of necessity when one of the company’s partners, Bob Domino, needed help with his Mother and Mother-In-Law, both of whom were out of state, and couldn’t find exactly what he needed. Domino and Lang who had known one another for years met in 2006 to discuss the idea of forming Comforting Hands.

Comforting Hands Companion Care has seven caregivers and projects 2010 revenues to be in the three digits. “We’re new and growing, and hope to really expand toward the end of the year,” says Lang. “We feel that we are in the forefront of an industry with great growth potential.”

Some of the services the company provides are:

  • Non-medical companionship and assistance
  • Meal planning and preparation
  • Incidental transportation
  • Running errands
  • Light housekeeping
  • Medication reminders
  • Monitoring of safety while bathing and toileting
  • Assistance with bill paying
  • Assistance with light exercise
  • Helpful information and referral services

Comforting Hands services Oakland County, Western Wayne and Western Macomb Counties. The company employs as many as seven part time caregivers and has a nurse on staff. All employees are insured, bonded, drug tested, TB tested, and a have cleared a background check. Many have formal training in care giving earned from organizations such as The Red Cross and Dorsey Schools.

Comforting Hands accepts many long-term care insurances such as Met Life, John Hancock and Fidelis Secure Care, as well as standard forms of pay. The company is an affiliated provider with Henry Ford Health Systems,William Beaumont Hospitals, St. John Hospitals, Waltonwood Senior Living, Fox Run Senior Living, and Visiting Physicians Association.