By Commissioner Jon Weizenbaum – Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)
It may be entertaining to make predictions about 2015, but I will humbly donate my share of the fun about health care forecasts to the talking heads. However, there are two things I know for sure based on facts at hand:
- The number of people in Texas who need long-term care services will increase this year and in the years to come.
- We are offering a new service to help people deal with it.
Texas expects its population of people age 65-plus to more than double from the current 3 million to 7.5 million by 2040. The job of finding services for this population often falls to those of us in the “sandwich generation,” people who take care of aging parents while also supporting children.
The latest U.S. Census data show that the aging population in Texas is growing fast, and approximately 40 percent of Texans have some type of disability that may require long-term care. And Texas is not alone. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that 70 percent of people over the age of 65 will need some type of care before the end of their life. And the Family Caregiver Alliance says about 45 million Americans are already providing that care for an aging family member.
As such, DADS has launched a new toll-free number — 1-855-937-2372 — that connects people with trained professionals who can assess an individual’s needs and put them in touch with long-term care service providers in their area. With one phone call, people can now handle a task that once took days or even weeks.
Read the Full Article at Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS).
