News reports and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control say occupancy levels are down in nursing homes across the nation. But an expert at Western Michigan University says that might be temporary, at least in Michigan.
Janet Hahn is the coordinator for WMU's Center of Gerontology. She expects occupancy levels to rise again as baby boomers begin to age. But older adults are looking at alternative options, like home care or assisted living.
In the past, nursing homes, or skilled nursing facilities, were often the choice people or their families made as they aged. But Hahn says that road is take most these days by those in the greatest need.
“What you’re seeing in a skilled nursing facility is a much higher acuity of need than I would see in the 1980’s. So you’ll see people with pretty severe levels of dementia or disability,” Hahn says.
In West Michigan, Hahn says nursing homes are now below capacity at the end of the summer season. But she says that won't last long.
“I was just talking to an administrator at a local skilled nursing facility last week, and she said, ‘We’re down now but once winter hits and flu season hits, we’re going to be full again.’”
Hahn says West Michigan needs to explore more options for its aging adults to give them more choices in the future.
“We’re behind compared to other states in really expanding that home care reach, using the Medicaid waiver. But we certainly have a wide variety of care available. We do have some housing that’s affordable for those who are 62 and over. We do have some assisted living that’s affordable.”
To ease the process, Hahn says older adults should begin thinking about care options early on.
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