From the Editor

If you like to gamble and know a thing or two about post-acute care, it seems pretty clear where to put your money at this point: home- and community-based services (HCBS).

With President Biden’s single mention of home care in his one-hour, two-minute speech on Tuesday, he seemed to say it all for the field: The moment for big investments certainly may have passed.

Score another point for the pandemic. Once again, COVID-19 has brought a topic so critical to the light that we have to muster some gratitude. Of late, that issue is seniors’ mental health.

Here’s a new healthcare buzzword for you: longitudinal care management.

The home care worker shortage is beyond a crisis point for the field. It’s now a federal emergency.

When it comes to helping seniors at home, Medicare Advantage plans — which serve 46% of the Medicare population and are projected to reach 29.5 million beneficiaries this year — seem to have it right.

In 2021, nonmedical home care transactions nearly kept pace with the red-hot hospice market and surpassed home health. That compares to 2020 and 2019, when it fell behind them.

In a sense, now those home care firms that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding are off the hook.

Given Hayley Boutte’s above-and-beyond commitment to her seniors and staff, it was hardly a surprise when in 2020 she became a McKnight’s Woman of Distinction.

It’s that season. Twinkling lights, family get-togethers, gift giving, nostalgia. And, for many, profound sadness and depression.