Reference no: EM132235031
Prepare a 3-4 page paper discussing the changes in demographics, today’s aging population and the impact on the long-term care system. Using the criterion for a high reliability system, include the goals needed for the optimal long-term care system. This assignment should utilize your assigned readings as well as a minimum of 3 citations.
Outline for your paper:
1. Introduction
2. Changing demographics and description of today’s aging population
3. Description of the various segments of the long-term care industry
4. Goals/criteria for the optimal long-term care system
5. Critique of the strengths and weaknesses of the current long-term care system
6. Describe one priority for improvement in the current long-term care system
7. Conclusion
Notes:
Over time in the United States, caregivers for the elderly and the disabled were generally family, friends, and community organizations such as religious groups and volunteers. Many generations lived together up through the mid-20th century and the family was accountable for providing care of family members in need. Individuals and families did not actively seek governmental or community help and at times, did not share the care needs or illnesses of their loved ones. The few institutional resources available were there for the poor and provided by the local, county and state agencies. They were really seen in a negative light by society.
However, after the Great Depression of the 1930s, there were far too many individuals in need of help and with the implementation of Social Security in 1935, the government became involved in funding long-term care. Over the next few decades, Medicare (Title XVIII) and Medicaid (Title XIX) were passed which provided a resource for patients, a new source of revenue for hospitals and doctors, and continued stress for the government—to find enough financial resources to fund the growing numbers of the elderly and disabled in the United States. Medicare and Medicaid provide the funding for approximately ¾ of the expenses in long-term care. This growth in the population is a result of the growing elderly in the US as well as the advances in health care. Americans are living longer due to advances in technology, medical interventions and pharmaceuticals.
Institutional settings such as nursing homes have historically been the site of the majority of the services and care provided until the last five years. Today, the diversity of services, settings and programs in long-term care are all growing. These include nursing facilities, subacute care, assisted living/residential care, elderly housing options, and community-based services. This continuum of care represents a variety of levels of care as well as differences in cost. The challenge becomes identifying the appropriate level of care for the individual as well as optimizing their abilities to care for themselves independently. Today’s long-term system is in a state of change with the need to respond to the dynamic changes in the health care marketplace. Long-term care has become part of the system—versus its historical position of a stand-alone part of the health care delivery system. Today’s long-term care system is fragmented, reimbursed upon care provided versus quality measures, the most regulated segment of the health care delivery system, and perceived as a negative care delivery system for the elderly and disabled. Today’s long-term care system is positioned to pilot and evaluate various types of care delivery models such as aging in place, continuum of care environments, and adult day care.