Healthcare is changing to meet baby boomer needs

By Sally Green

As with any relationship, our relationship with the healthcare system evolves throughout our lives. Change is constant. The population’s age, cultural makeup, and preferences shift, and the medical community must adapt. As this community’s nonprofit hospice, Hospice of Santa Cruz County is taking a thoughtful look at the future of healthcare in our corner of the world – Santa Cruz and northern Monterey Counties.

According to the US Census, all baby boomers will be 65 or older in the US by 2030. Meanwhile, better health care is extending lives, and due to record low birth rates, older adults are projected to outnumber people under 18 in the coming decade. “These shifts impact how, where, and by whom care is provided,” says Cathy Conway, CEO of Hospice of Santa Cruz County. “We’re evolving to meet our community’s needs.”

Working to improve the healthcare system

In 1982, hospice became a nationally guaranteed Medicare benefit. That Medicare deduction on your paystub? It also pays for hospice care. Taking advantage of this benefit you’ve already paid for can help you and your loved ones manage symptoms and the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that come with end of life. Since 1982, great strides have been made in medicine, but no changes have been made to the hospice Medicare benefit. Hospice of Santa Cruz County is part of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), a group of 100 community-based hospices nationally that are addressing what baby boomers care about.

“We’re working closely with NPHI to create recommendations to Medicare that would modernize the hospice benefit,” says Conway. “The changes would better meet the needs of our aging population while remaining budget neutral.”

Supportive care for people with serious illness

For seriously ill people not ready for hospice, Hospice of Santa Cruz County can provide palliative care. Their interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, and social workers partner with a patient’s primary care doctor to provide an extra layer of support to address symptoms and practical needs. This is often done alongside curative treatments. Together, they create plans to help people enjoy the things that matter most.

For children of baby boomers, caregiving is becoming a second job. Homes are the new healthcare centers. The palliative care team equips caregivers with information and support that builds their confidence to provide care for a loved one.

Taking care of neighbors

Baby boomers are working longer and staying put in their communities. Hospice of Santa Cruz County is too. “At Hospice of Santa Cruz County, this work is personal. We’ve been here since 1978, so we know the people we serve. They are our friends, family, and neighbors. Knowing our patients and being known by them is what sets us apart from other hospice providers in our area,” says Conway. “There’s a level of quality our patients and families experience because we’re tuned into their needs. As people make plans, they should consider which hospice is best for them. Medicare provides an easy website, medicare.gov/care-compare, to see the quality of care that hospices are providing.”