Nursing home outbreaks accelerate shifting care to the home

The government-funded senior care industry—and nursing homes in particular—are in the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. Their residents are often elderly and medically fragile. This, along with the clinical and staffing dynamics of the nursing home setting, has led to catastrophic results.

Deadly outbreaks, seen on the news nationwide, are prompting leaders and consumers to reconsider how the United States cares for its seniors. New calls for increased funding for senior care have come from industry leaders and legislators, but the likelihood of major funding changes will run into difficult economic headwinds. As such, the more plausible outcome is that a desire to avoid nursing homes will lead to further growth in home-based care, potentially altering the landscape of senior care in the long term.