What Is Senior Care Auditing?
by Dr. Cathleen V. Carr, JD PhD
Senior Care Auditing is a new service expected to grow substantially over the next 30 years as the population of seniors sharply increases. U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration reports that “In 2050, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to be 88.5 million, more than double its projected population of 40.2 million in 2010.”
Senior Care Auditors (SCAs) provide scheduled visits to seniors in their private home or facility. They complete an audit of the residence and senior by evaluating the premises and person(s) condition (obvious health condition, mood and appearance).
Communities across the country need Senior Care Auditors for the growing population who want to stay at home well into their 80s, 90s and 100s.
Hospital re-admissions are one of the costliest expenses across the health care system, and senior care auditing can play a big role in reducing avoidable re-admissions.
A recent pilot study approved by Harvard Medical School has found some initial success with this service that aims to reduce hospital re-admissions and neglect among home care patients. The study, which was conducted over 6 months in early 2016, found that caregivers who utilize a short checklist about their patients’ conditions were able to report a number of changes that could result in more costly care interventions or criminal charges if left untreated.
Caregivers reported that the checklist had a largely positive effect and felt “enthusiastic about the intervention,” according to the study. They even noted that the checklist did not add much time to the clock-out process overall, and enjoyed feeling they had a larger role in the overall care of the care recipient.
Senior Care Auditors typically are former informal caregivers and all types of nurses who like working with seniors but do not want to have to do the ‘heavy lifting’ often required in other types of nursing practice. The service can include providing personal care services, but that is not the main job of a Senor Care Auditor and providing those kinds of services is optional.
“The Senior Care Auditing service helps ensure the safety of seniors who are home alone or in an institutional environment. This service also ensures that seniors are receiving the proper quality of care they need, and that they are not being abused or neglected”, said Dr. Cathleen Carr, Executive Director of CertifiedCare which offers the only accredited Senior Care Auditing Certification program anywhere.
Dr. Cathleen V. Carr, JD PhD has an extensive background covering many specialties including healthcare, law, education and elder care. Her personal background and professional expertise has shaped a series of caregiver certification programs with the highest standards in the elder caregiving field. Dr. Carr founded CertifiedCare.org in 2008 and has worked with over 2,000 caregivers from all over the United States and abroad.
