Healthcare for The Aging Population

In this episode Senator O’Scanlon and Senator Gopal speak openly about the challenges in finding the right care for elders as they age. In a given year VNA Health Group makes over a million home visits to elders in our communities. These include visits from nurses, therapists, and aids. Senator O’Scanlon speaks about the challenges of caring for his beloved father at home and how he and his family used the services provided by VNA.  As Senator O’Scanlon points out, eventually we are all going to have to face this issue at a point in time, whether we become caregivers ourselves, or whether we need care from others. 

And I believe he is right. Over the next 30 years, the number of people in our country and in the communities that are 85 and older will triple. Affordability will continue to be a challenge as the 85 and over demographic develops the most health issues. Senator Gopal believes that the cost of  health care can bankrupt a family, and that there needs to be more emphasis on home care so healthcare is no longer the driving cost. He believes one way to fix situations like this is to focus on individual needs. That means there will need to be additional  funding through the state and federal governments.

Nursing Shortages and Affordable Housing 

We also touched on some of the other hot topics we are dealing with in NJ like Nursing Shortages and the lack of affordable housing for those nurses. Recently, it was brought to my attention that health aids have a hard time finding affordable housing, which is hindering the hiring process. Working in homes of wealthy communities like Monmouth County makes it extremely difficult to find housing that is in close proximity to their job and that they can afford. We also touch on other causes of nursing shortages like unattainable education opportunities and the impact COVID has had on the “work from home culture”.  

Tune in to hear Senator  O’Scanlon’s and Senator Gopal’s take on homecare and healthcare affordability for seniors, their aspirations for improved conditions for the elderly, strategies for tackling housing affordability, and their efforts to address nursing and workforce shortages.  

Listen to our episode with New Jersey Senators Declan O’Scanlon & Vin Gopal on Apple Podcasts  here, or on Spotify here.