Home Care Spotlight: Durham, NC
The following information is for families residing in Durham, NC, who wish to learn more about the future of senior care in this area. If you have specific questions about Home Care Assistance, call 919-844-9898.
Durham is a colorful, creative, and entrepreneurial community of 269,706 that welcomes 6.31 million visitors each year. 9.31% of Durham's population is 65 years of age or older. Durham occupies a prime location in the heart of North Carolina and is a nexus for learning, achievement, creativity, research, and industry. Durham is known as the City of Medicine, USA, with healthcare as a major industry including more than 300 medical and health-related companies and medical practices with a combined payroll that exceeds $1.5 billion annually.
The Growing Population of Elderly in Durham
Nearly 76 million children were born in America between 1945 and 1964, creating a demographic bulge referred to as the Baby Boomer generation. In January of 2011 this massive chunk of the population will begin celebrating their first round of 65th birthdays. This aging segment of US citizens (some might call them "geri-boomers") will have a large impact on America's health care system for a number of reasons.
Components of Senior Care in Durham
Diseases of aging, such as heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's, comprise the most common reason for death. Because of the rising prevalence of such diseases and the dramatic increase in the number of folks living with them, many primary care doctors are having to take on the burden of expanding their skill sets to include geriatric-centered issues. There is an overwhelming need for more doctors who specialize in geriatrics, just as there is an overwhelming need for health care and home health care tactics that are focused on the needs of the elderly.
Home Care Assistance & The Balanced Care Method™
Home Care Assistance is on top of this trend and is working hard to facilitate the needs of this generation by providing the Durham area with qualified, compassionate home-based senior care. One thing that sets our agency apart from other home care agencies is that we practice the Balanced Care Method™, a geriatric care philosophy that is based on studies of the long-living seniors in the Okinawa region of Japan. Life spans of over 100 years are not uncommon in Okinawa. In fact, the region has the world's highest concentration of people aged 100 years or older.
The Future of Elder Care in Durham
In Okinawa, people in their 70s and beyond tend to enjoy remarkably good health and independence. Incredible mental awareness, physical health, and inner calm are noted among this population of elders. The objective of the Balanced Care Method™ is to capture the lifestyle factors that work to create such health and longevity.
The philosophy can be summed up in two words: moderation and variety. Lifestyle components include a healthy diet, physical activity, sharp cognitive abilities, inner calm and purpose, and finally, strong social ties.
Home Care Assistance caregivers throughout North America, including Durham, NC, are trained in the Balanced Care Method™, enabling them to offer a senior care solution with an emphasis on balance and longevity. By working with specific lifestyle behaviors, such as those associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's, Home Care Assistance caregivers prolong and enhance the lives of seniors, helping them live long, happy, independent lives. Durham, NC seniors (and soon to be seniors) are fortunate to have access to home-based elder care that is modeled after a lifestyle that has proven itself for generations on the other side of the world.
