(Alexandria, Va.) – Argentum, the voice of America’s senior living communities, today released a new report, The Value of Assisted Living for America in conjunction with the association’s annual Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC.
“This report makes clear that assisted living provides more of what matters when it comes to helping seniors stay as healthy, happy, and independent as possible,” James Balda, Argentum president and chief executive officer. “Each day 10,000 Americans turn 65, and 70 percent will likely need some form of long-term care in their lifetimes. Put simply, they will need a caregiver, and home and community-based assisted living provides the most cost-effective, patient-centered approach to meet the needs of our rapidly aging population.
Briefly, the report finds:
- Approximately 70 percent of today’s 65-year-olds will need long-term care during their lifetimes, and 20 percent will need it for longer than 5 years. By 2050, the number of individuals requiring long-term care services is expected to triple to 27 million.
- Today, roughly 2 million Americans reside in assisted living communities across the country. More than 90 percent of residents report “good or great satisfaction” with their community, customer satisfaction rates not seen in virtually any other industry in America.
- Assisted living is the most cost-effective model of professional caregiving, costing significantly less than skilled nursing facilities or round-the-clock home health aides. As of 2021, the cost of a private room in assisted living is less than one half that of a nursing home and 1/5 that of home health aides providing 24/7 care.
- Assisted living reduces costs for public health programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and even veterans’ care. Care coordination and community activities that reduce social isolation, indirectly saves Medicare billions each year. If assisted living were not an option, as many as 61 percent of senior residents may be forced into far-costlier skilled nursing facilities at a cost of $43.4 billion, which would cripple state and federal Medicaid budgets. Providing access to assisted living for aging veterans would save the VA almost $70,000 per placement per year.
- The senior caregiver workforce has shrunk dramatically since the earliest days of the pandemic, losing more than 100,000 positions from 2020-2021. Today, there is a shortage of 400,000 senior caregivers and that number will only continue to grow. By 2040, the U.S. will need more than 20 million workers to care for our nation’s seniors.
In February, Argentum released a new strategic vision for the senior living industry built on the foundation of People. Trust. Choice. A key element of this strategic vision is to “tell our story” and better educate policymakers on the value of senior living. “This report, and future reports focused on developing the senior care workforce and increasing access and affordability of senior living, are critical to demonstrating the importance of assisted living for all Americans to policymakers at all levels of government,” said Balda. “We are proud to say that the assisted living model of care is one that makes sense from a quality-of-life perspective and a fiscal perspective.”
The report can be found at: https://info.argentum.org/value-of-assisted-living-for-america
About Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the senior living industry—an industry with a national economic impact of nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars and responsible for providing over 1.6 million jobs. These numbers will continue to grow as the U.S. population ages.
Argentum’s programs and initiatives are driven by its membership. For more information about joining Argentum, please visit argentum.org/membership. Learn more at argentum.org.
Contact:
Michael Keegan
Manager, Media and Public Affairs
ARGENTUM | Expanding Senior Living
1650 King Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-599-7412 | [email protected]
