Awareness and potential of eldercare services

The needs of senior Americans are mushrooming. The primary professional skills for eldercare are accounting, investing, scheduling, forecasting, budgeting, and auditing. Also required is competence in evaluating the quality of eldercare services, determining reasonable costs of services, directing the employment of emergency services, and monitoring client care. A nationwide survey was conducted for the AICPA Special Committee on Assurance Services to evaluate the attitudes and concerns of Americans regarding the care of an aging parent or close relative. The study revealed that 89% of high-income Americans ages 40 to 64 said that they would be at least "somewhat likely" to use the services included in eldercare assurance if the need arose. The results of a study to determine the interest and desire of South Carolina CPA firms in offering eldercare assurance services are presented.