U.S. Demand for Senior Care Auditors Estimated in the Millions
The United States senior population will nearly double to more than 70 million over the next 15 years. Nearly half need assistance with daily living activities such as bathing or dressing and many more need help with shopping and transportation. Along with family and friends, they rely on professional caregivers to perform these services. But are they?
Traditional senior care jobs estimated to grow by 50% over 5 years
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that within 5 years (by 2020) the senior care work force will reach 5 million jobs, becoming the largest occupation in the United States, surpassing the number of retail salespeople.
- Personal care aides – 580,800 NEW jobs along with 1,200,000 current jobs
- Home health aides – 424,200 NEW jobs along with 875,000 current jobs
- Nursing assistants – 312,200 NEW jobs along with 1,534,000 current jobs
All these workers provide similar services, helping clients — mostly seniors — bathe, dress, get up in the morning and perform other activities at home or in group homes, assisted living centers, rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes. But, how do you know if these services are actually being done?
Growth of Senior Care Auditing
Senior care auditing, created in 2014 by Rhonda Harper, Founder and CEO, Penrose Senior Care Auditors, has experienced rapid national, and international, growth. Senior Care Auditors check on seniors and their living conditions, and report back to families. “What we’re seeing is the birth of a new service and career path,” says Harper. “For every senior, and every caregiver, there represents an opportunity to ensure care through auditing.”
Seniors today had many fewer children than those in the past. These children oftentimes live far away or are absorbed with work and families of their own to manage. “These factors result in a huge opportunity for a new job force to ensure that seniors are okay and that their caregivers are doing the jobs they have been hired to do,” continues Harper.
The back of the napkin math of calculating the 1.2 million new Senior Care Auditors needed goes something like this:
- 50% of 70 million seniors need monitoring or care
- 50% of families need an auditor to ensure things are okay
- The average Senior Care Auditor has 15 clients/seniors
If the average client has 3 monthly audits at $75 per audit, the senior care auditing is estimated to grow to be a $3.1 Billion industry over the coming years.
These numbers may be appear lofty,” says Harper, “but I envision a day where it is unusual when a family with a senior doesn’t have a Senior Care Auditor.