The national median price of “homemaker”
services spiked 7.1 percent over the past year, which was nearly triple the
growth rate observed in Connecticut, according to the latest annual survey by
Genworth.
Genworth, which sells long-term care insurance,
said the increase is driven by a shortage of skilled workers compared to rising
demand from an aging population, as well as rising minimum wages in some states,
including Connecticut, and revised overtime regulations.
Homemakers cook, clean and run errands for
elderly and other clients who want to remain in their homes but can’t manage
such tasks by themselves.
The median annual national price as of mid-year
2019 stood at $51,380, surpassing Connecticut’s median price of $50,336, which
ranks 34th among all 50 states, according to Genworth.
The company garnered price data from over 15,000
homecare agencies, nursing homes and other facilities across the country.
The annual median price calculation is based on
44 hours of services per week, for 52 weeks per year.
The median Connecticut and national prices have
leapfrogged each other several times over the past five years in Genworth’s
surveys.
The U.S. five-year growth rate for homemaker
services now stands at 3.4 percent, compared with 2.4 percent in Connecticut.
While homemaker services saw the largest
increase in the recent survey, home health aide prices also rose, by 4.6
percent nationally and 4.4 percent in Connecticut.
The U.S. median for those services, which are
non-medical personal-care services, stands at $52,624, while Connecticut’s
median price is $54,912, according to the survey.
Home health aide services have consistently been
higher in Connecticut than nationally, according to prior Genworth surveys.
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