Home Health Care business

Perhaps the sector likely to benefit the most from the aging baby boomer generation is the home health-care industry. An increasingly popular alternative to nursing homes, home health-care services tend to offer patients lower costs while affording them the dignity of being able to remain in their homes. Industry employment is expected to increase 4.5 percent annually through 2016, the third-highest rate of growth recorded by any industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry has spawned dozens of promising niches, including companies that specialize in cognitive-fitness computer programs, which help exercise the mind. Total revenue for companies in the cognitive-fitness market topped $265 million in revenue in 2008, up from $100 million in 2005, according to the market research firm SharpBrains. Total sales are expected to hit $2 billion by 2015, the firm estimates.