GEN NINE, INC. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: ABSTRACT The population of the United States, as in most developed nations, is aging and i

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ABSTRACT The population of the United States, as in most developed nations, is aging and is doing so at an increasing rate. This change in demographics is having a dramatic affect on the nation's healthcare delivery system and the related public costs. TheCongressional Budget Office predicts that the cost of long-term care for the elderly will reach 207 billion in 2020 and 346 billion in 2040. By 2030, spending for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will amount to almost 60% of the federal budget. The strong predilection of most of the elderly, and their families, is to prefer long-term care delivery in the home rather than in the institutionalized setting. This has resulted in a massive shift of elderly care costs to unpaid family caregivers, and this cost is not reflected in the budget numbers provided above. However, the continuation of this shifting of elderly care costs to family members is not sustainable due to the decrease in birth rate and the increasing number of adults surviving to old age