The robot uses high-precision tactile sensors and flexible motor control technology to lift patients weighing up to 80kg (180 pounds) off floor-level bedding and into a wheelchair.  The developers note this is intended to free care facility personnel of one of their most difficult and energy-consuming tasks.

Japan’s elderly population in need of nursing care is projected to reach a staggering 5.69 million by 2015 experts explain.  “Japan faces an urgent need for new approaches to assist care-giving personnel,” states Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance http://www.aaltci.org.  “The United States will soon be facing the very same issues.” 

Care experts noted that one of the most strenuous tasks for such personnel, carried out an average of 40 times every day, is that of lifting a patient from a futon at floor level into a wheelchair. Robots are well-suited to this task, yet none have yet been deployed in care-giving facilities.

In 2009, the RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research (RTC), a joint project established in 2007 and located at the Nagoya Science Park in central Japan, unveiled a robot called RIBA (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance) designed to assist in this task. The first robot capable of lifting a patient from a bed to a wheelchair and back, RIBA charted a new course in the development of care-giving robots, yet functional limitations prevented its direct commercialization.

In the future, Japanese researchers plan to work together with partner nursing care facilities to test RIBA-II and further tailor it to the needs of care-givers and their patients.  They explain their intent to also develop new applications in areas such as rehabilitation. 

Robots will one day enable individuals to remain in their own home rather than being forced into skilled nursing facilities, Slome predicts.  “This should be a most welcome development for millions of Americans though they can expected to be costly,” he notes  “People will either need to have the savings or insurance to cover the cost.”  Current forms of long-term care insurance that provide cash payments would cover the rental or purchase of robots. 

The Association urges consumers to learn more about long-term care planning and get long-term care insurance cost from a designated expert via the organization’s Consumer Information Center at http://www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance/free-quote/.  “The best ages to start planning are between ages 52 and 62 when costs are lowest and you don’t risk being declined because of existing health conditions,” Slome explains.

Medical advances and better lifestyles among the aging population appears to have saved 898,000 deaths from cancer between 1990 and 2007.  According to the latest statistics presented today by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, this is both good and bad news for the primary targets of cancer – senior citizens. 

“When you live a long life, the risk of needing costly long-term care services is great,” explains Jesse Slome, AALTCI executive director.  “When you live a longer life, the risk and cost will be even greater.  More Americans will need home care and nursing home care services.”

Progress in the survival rate of those once impacted by cancer has not benefited all segments of the population equally.  According to researchers, cancer death rates for individuals with the least education are more than twice those of the most educated. 

Cancer death rates according to the American Cancer Society are still declining in the U.S., but some are declining faster than others — and cancer remains the leading cause of death for Americans younger than 85.

In it’s yearly report they estimated that 1,596,670 new cancer diagnoses and more than 570,000 cancer deaths are expected to occur this year. 

Slome shared that death rates fell by about 22% for men and 14% for women between 1990 and 2007. Since the early 2000’s, the decline has been 1.9% a year in men and 1.5% each year in women.  Better early detection and better treatment as well as reduced tobacco use over the past half-century that helped turned the tide in cancer-related deaths.

“Most studies include home care services paid for by Medicare or Medicaid which do not reflect the usage for the vast majority of individuals who pay privately or have long-term care insurance coverage,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.   The independently conducted study examined the usage of home care services received by 1,000 men and women during a 1-week period in March 2010.

“The vast majority of both men and women home care recipients were over age 71 and most received care for three days a week or less,” Slome notes.  The study found that 88.6 percent of users were women age 71 or older compared to 81.1 percent who were men.  When it came to number of service days per week, two-thirds (66 %) of women utilized private in home care for three days a week or less.     Just under half (49%) of men received care for three days or less.  The remainder paid for four or more days.

Both men and women appear to pay for about the same number of hours of care per-day the study found.   One fourth of women (24%) received only one hour of (daily) care, while three-fourths (76%) received care for seven hours or less.  That compared to 73 percent of men.    Costs for home health care vary by the type of services required as well as by location, experts note. 

“The average cost today is about $20 an hour,” Slome says.  ”Someone needing care three days a week for six hours a day is looking at a cost of between $20,000 and $25,000 annually which is why increasingly individuals purchase long-term care insurance with a home care benefit.”

The number of days care was required varied significantly by age.  The study compared care usage among men and women age 64 with those age 82.  “People do need long-term care services at younger ages typically as a result of accidents or illnesses,” Slome points out.  The Association reports that the vast majority (90.7%) of long-term care insurance claims begin after age 70.  According to the study, some 20 percent of women age 64 received care for a 7-day period while another 40 percent received care for 5-days during the weeklong period.  Only 25.3 percent of women age 82 needed care for five days per-week or more.

Approximately 7.6 million individuals currently receive home care because of an acute illness, long-term health condition, permanent disability or terminal illness according to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice.  Annual expenditures for home health care are $60 billion.

The comprehensive findings of the study will be published in the 2010 Long-Term Care Insurance Sourcebook available from the Association.  To sign-up for access to the Association’s online resource center and to receive a copy of the 2010 Sourcebook, click on this link.

A leading national home care service company that examined only individuals receiving care services paid for individually or reimbursed by their long-term care insurance conducted the study for the industry’s trade organization.

“People clearly prefer to receive care in their own home but the cost can be expensive,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.   One year of ongoing home care can easily exceed $35,000. 

The national trade organization reports that 42 percent of individuals who currently receive long-term care insurance benefits get their care at home. 

Medicare is the largest single payer of home health services for seniors accounting for approximately 37 percent of home health expenditures according to the National Association of Home Care & Hospice.  “However, long-term care needs are typically limited or not covered by government or state programs,” Slome notes.  As a result, over eight million Americans have purchased long-term care insurance protection on an individual basis or through their employer.”

The following are costs for home health aides and homemaker service providers for leading metropolitan areas from the 2010 Long-Term Care Insurance Sourcebook published by the Association.  

A more comprehensive listing can be found on the organization’s website aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance/ .

That compares to only 1.5 million in nursing homes and 1.1 million who reside in assisted-living communities according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance which teamed up with Homewatch CareGivers to conduct a study examining trends in long-term health care and the utilization of associated support services. 

“Most people incorrectly associate long-term health care with skilled nursing care in a facility when the vast majority of care takes place at home,” explains Jesse Slome, Executive Director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  “It is clear that the people in today’s society prefer treatment for chronic conditions and issues related to aging in their own home rather than in a residential facility.” 

One aspect of the study sought to compare individuals with long-term care insurance policies with those without insurance coverage.   The findings indicated that individuals with long-term care insurance receive significantly more home care, and thus can stay in their homes longer.    The study found that 70.6% of those covered by long-term care insurance received an average of between five and seven days of care each week, while only 35.1% of those without insurance received similar care as often. 

“When possible, home is almost always the preferred setting for people who require care,” says Leann Reynolds, president of Homewatch CareGivers. “This has been a clear and growing trend for more than a decade, as more and better home services have become available.  The vast majority of people want to receive support care in their homes in order to maintain independence and quality of life for as long as possible.” 

Possessing insurance to pay part or all of the cost of home care services enabled individuals to receive care at home for longer periods of time. The study found that 41.2% of those with insurance received care for longer than one year; compared to 29.7% of those without coverage. 

“The study confirms what we’ve long suspected, that a basic long-term care insurance plan costing less than $1,000 a year may provide sufficient coverage for those who want care at home and still have the ability to transition to more costly skilled facilities should the need arise,” adds Slome. 

According to the Urban Institute, a nonprofit founded in 1968 that conducts research on social and economic issues to foster sound public policy, 21.3 percent of the frail older population receives paid home care services and it projects this will increase to 22.3 percent by 2030 and 25.5% by 2040. 

“It is vitally important for individuals to recognize the increased likelihood of needing care at some point in their lives, and to plan for that inevitability,” concludes Reynolds. “Having sufficient financial resources or the protection of long-term care insurance are the prime factors for all of us who want to stay in our homes and receive care for as long as possible.” 

Founded in 1980, Homewatch CareGivers <a href> http://www.homewatchcaregivers.com/                    </a> is the largest, most experienced international provider of full-service home care for people of all ages, including seniors, children, veterans, the chronically ill, and those recovering from medical procedures.  In-home care services are personalized for each client and customized care plans are administered through an international network of 111 owners with 181 territories.  Founded in 1998, the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance <a href> http://www.aaltci.org </a> is the national trade organization established to educate Americans about the importance of long-term care planning.   For more information visit the organization’s Consumer Information Center or to access a free guide to reducing the cost of long-term care insurance click on this link: <a href>   www.aaltci.org/free-guide/ </a>.