Looking for an impactful New Year’s resolution? Why not start with fostering deeper social connections, which can lead to longer life, better health, and improved well-being!

On the heels of a holiday season often focused on family, friends, and camaraderie, many of us may feel a bit lonelier and for valid reasons. In 2023, the United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in America – which has a particularly outsized effect on older adults. In fact, the rate of older Americans facing social isolation has increased every year since 1976, and today senior loneliness accounts for $6.7 billion in excess Medicare spending each year. The health consequences are equally alarming with a 29% increased risk of heart disease, 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia.

The Advisory At-a-Glance

Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that need people’s immediate attention. In addition to examining the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in America – which increases the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily – the advisory outlines a framework to enhance social connection based on six pillars:

1. Strengthen social infrastructure. Create communities and institutions, including parks, libraries, playgrounds, and programs, that bring people together.
2. Enact pro-connection public policies. Governments at all levels play a role in creating policies like accessible transportation that can enable more connections.
3. Mobilize the health sector. Because loneliness and isolation are risk factors for major health conditions, it’s incumbent on health care providers to recognize the signs and intervene.
4. Reform digital environments. Evaluate the role of technology to ensure it doesn’t detract from connection with others.
5. Deepen our knowledge. More research is needed to understand the risks, causes and outcomes of social disconnection as well as the effectiveness of implementing efforts to enhance connection.
6. Cultivate a culture of connection. Societal norms significantly impact people’s relationships and it’s critical for connection to be embedded in the fabric of the country’s culture.

The Family & Nursing Care Difference

Family & Nursing Care is one of the oldest and most well-respected private duty home care businesses in the greater Maryland and Washington, D.C. area. We pride ourselves on offering access to empathetic, personal companion care that helps clients feel valued, secure, and connected to the community. Some ways the Caregivers we work with can help combat feeling isolated or lonely includes:

• General Companionship: In addition to helping with meeting nutritional needs, personal care, and appointments, Caregivers can become close confidants and provide older adults with an outlet and space to share feelings, thoughts, and stories. Loneliness can be curbed with something as simple as sharing a meal or having regular conversations. Caregivers and clients often develop a connection like that of a friend or family member.
• Social Access: Mobility and transportation issues can inhibit social interaction, but you can leave those woes behind! A professional Caregiver can accompany clients to social events and get togethers, including senior clubs, knitting circles, and more, offering tons of opportunities to connect with potential new friends.

“There’s no better time than the start of a new year to embrace the companionship of a Caregiver,” said Kelly Salb, Vice President of Client Services for Family & Nursing Care. “Human connection has both mental and physical health benefits and our team is passionate about providing our clients access to customized personal care services in order to help with health needs but also create a better quality of life through social interaction.”

Living independently doesn’t have to mean feeling alone, and 2024 is a great year to decide to spend more time in the community. Family & Nursing Care offers access to a range of care services to help with this and ensure human connection. To learn more, call us at 800-588-0517 or visit the Home Care Services or Contact Us webpages.

In mid-April, President Biden issued a first-of-its-kind White House executive order aimed at improving the nation’s care infrastructure by “expanding access to affordable, high-quality care” and “providing support for both care workers and family caregivers.”

According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), whose research was cited in the executive order, approximately 56% of U.S. workers have care responsibilities outside their full-time jobs, and 40 million of these caregivers rely on outside, paid care in the form of nannies, day cares, nursing homes, and more to stay in their jobs. While the basis of this order is fiscally motivated, designed to address key supply and demand gaps in the nation’s care system, which BCG reports will create a $290 billion crisis if left unaddressed, the order’s impact on everyday people and their families is no less significant.

The Executive Order At-a-Glance

Outlined in the order are more than 50 actions the White House has directed government agencies at nearly every cabinet-level to take, beginning October 1, 2023, to expand support for family caregivers, long-term care workers, early educators and veterans. Many of these initiatives are specific to advancing access to early childhood education and care, but several guidelines are intended to enhance the long-term care experience for both caregivers and clients by:

• Enhancing job quality and compensation for long-term care workers under Medicare and Medicaid. The long-term care industry has one of the highest rates of annual employee turnover, with more than 65% of employees leaving their roles in 2020. As part of the executive order, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is instructed to consider issuing regulations to ensure workers have the support and resources they need in their role.
• Expanding resources for the nation’s 11 million dementia caregivers. The order directs HHS to consider testing a new payment and service delivery model to better support families and workers caring for someone with dementia.
• Ensuring hospitals are actively involving family members in the hospital discharge process. In addition to increasing awareness of best practices from the Administration for Community Living, HHS is instructed to promote partnerships with community-based care organizations during the discharge planning process.
• Expanding training pathways and professional learning opportunities in the care workforce. The need for long-term care is likely to become more acute as the nation’s population ages. By 2060, there will be approximately twice as many adults over the age of 65 than in 2016, and projections indicate that there will be around 8 million long-term care job openings over the next decade. The order directs federal agencies to examine resources and grant programs to support existing care workers and to create more opportunities to attract new entrants to the workforce.
• Advancing equity for people with disabilities and older adults. The order directs the Secretary of Labor and the HHS Secretary to conduct a joint review to identify gaps in knowledge about the home- and community-based workforce and to launch new efforts to ensure individuals with disabilities and older Americans have equitable access to care resources and support.

These broad set of actions have been endorsed by several of the nation’s leading care-focused organizations – including the National Council on Aging, the American Association for People with Disabilities, the National Alliance for Caregiving, and more – and stand to positively impact millions of families and care workers. However, these changes are just getting started and it will take time before many of them have an impact. But this doesn’t mean older adults need to wait to access quality care.

The Family & Nursing Care Difference

Family & Nursing Care is one of the oldest and most well-respected private duty home care businesses in the greater Maryland and Washington, D.C. area. Since 1968, we’ve helped tens of thousands of families by providing access to caregivers who assist older adults with activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, mobility assistance, errands, meal prep, light housekeeping, medication reminders, companionship, and more. As an industry pioneer, we know what it takes to deliver the quality, compassionate care clients and workers desire and deserve. When it comes to supporting families’ long-term care needs, this is just some of what sets Family & Nursing Care apart:

• Only the top 8% of Caregivers who apply meet our unwavering standards of excellence, ensuring every caregiver we work with is the best-of-the-best.
• It is vitally important to us that those who provide care for our clients feel enthusiastic about continuing to work as caregivers, which is why Family & Nursing Care is dedicated to empowering these best-in-class Caregivers through professional development opportunities and competitive compensation.
• Family & Nursing Care is an eight-time winner of Bethesda Magazine’s Best of Bethesda Readers’ Poll. We’re also rated an A+ company by the Better Business Bureau and are included in the National Business Research Institute’s Center Circle of Excellence, making it no wonder why more than 25% of Family & Nursing Care employees have been with the company for over 10 years.
• Our longstanding relationships with hospitals, senior living communities, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care insurance companies allow us to liaise in the coordination of what can often be an overwhelming process for clients and families. Whether it’s coordinating home care when a sudden need arises or supporting families following a hospital discharge, clients know our team stands ready to support them 24/7, 365 days-a-year.
• We have teams of people dedicated to ensuring our clients receive excellent service – from when they initiate care throughout their entire care journey. Our client services managers are always on hand to provide a high-level of support to clients and their families, while our care coordinating managers work to match the right caregiver to each client. In addition, our skilled accounting and long-term care insurance teams are available to guide clients and their families through the billing and insurance reimbursement process.

To learn more about our leading home care services and what makes Family & Nursing Care an employer of choice, visit the Why Us? page on our website.

The Family & Nursing Care mission – to allow older adults to age with dignity – is one that extends to every facet of our brand, including the Family & Nursing Care Foundation, which since 2008 has awarded grants to organizations that help lower-income adults gain access to the home care services they need, while empowering the next-generation of Caregivers to earn their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training.

This year, thanks to the continued contributions of our community and donors, the Family & Nursing Care Foundation, which operates as a fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, was proudly able to award $60,000 to the following organizations during the 2023 grant cycle:

• $20,000 to Home Care Partners
• $20,000 to Community Reach of Montgomery County
• $20,000 to the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA)

These funds provide more than 7,000 hours of comprehensive home care services each year, allowing for more low-income seniors to remain in their homes.

Additionally, the Family & Nursing Care Foundation has established a $50,000 scholarship fund to support students pursuing their CNA license. The fund, created in partnership with Montgomery College, awards $10,000 each year of a five-year period to select CNA candidates applying for financial assistance.

“The number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to more than double to over 98 million by 2060, making the need for quality, accessible home care – and the demand for trained professionals to care for the aging population – greater than ever,” said Sandy Kursban, founder of Family & Nursing Care and founder and chair of the Family & Nursing Care Foundation. “The Family & Nursing Care Foundation was created to address this growing challenge head-on by providing lower-income seniors with devoted home care and deserving students with scholarships to build their future CNA careers. Now in its 15th year, we could not be prouder to continue helping organizations that share the Foundation’s commitment to advancing life-changing work in our communities.”

To read the stories of individuals who have been helped by the Family & Nursing Care Foundation or to make a donation to support next year’s grant cycle, please visit the Foundation webpage.