An analysis of long-term care

Date

2003-08

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Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

Long-term care of the elderly has been an important issue for many years. Some of the concerns include analyzing the factors attributing to disabiUty in older age, analyzing the quaUty of care, and investigating different scenarios of care. Some research has been targeted at investigating the social, demographic, and behavioral effects that contribute to the emotional, physical, and cognhive state of the elderly person. Epidemiological and demographic studies have been conducted to understand the origins, risk factors, incidences and prevalence of disease and disabilities among the elderly population (Butler 1994).

Long-term care services are those health and social services needed by the disabled and elderly populations. These services have typically been available in nursing homes or hospitals, but recently research has been investigating the effectiveness of offering these services from the community. Community-based long-term care consists of expanded community services including nursing services, home-health aides, personal care services, and housekeeping. Some community-based services also include the use of a case management system in order to better faciUtate long-term care clients with more accurate care and services. The U.S. elderly population (especially those over the age of 85) is predicted to grow, which means that the demand for nursing home beds and public expenditures for long-term care will be increasing. One hope for controlling this increase is to provide community care for the frail elderly with the intent of reducing institutionalization at a facility such as a nursing home (Greene, Lovely, and Ondrich 1992). The objective is to keep those in need of long-term care in their homes and living independently for as long as possible.

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