Long Term Healthcare

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The healthcare industry is a conglomerate of services designed to meet the medical needs and assistance of the growing population. Medical services range from check-ups to ensure healthy development and growth to rehabilitative, ambulatory and acute care services for the entire population. But what about healthcare for the elderly or people with multiple chronic conditions and/or disabilities; how do they receive healthcare? Long-term healthcare was established to address the medical needs of people living with chronic conditions and disabilities. Normally, long-term healthcare is associated with the elderly population but it also provides medical support to children and adolescents, young adults and people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (Shi & Singh,…show more content…
Medical advancements have increased people’s longevity but medical advancements have not cured chronic conditions or disabilities nor has it stopped people from aging. Unfortunately with aging, people’s health statuses begin to deteriorate and are exposed to a higher risk of developing a chronic condition or disability. Results compiled from 2006-2008 reported that 77 percent of adults aged 65 and older, assessed that they have a reasonable healthy life which has prevented the need to enter an institutional facility for long-term care. Reasonably that is a positive statement because this has reduced the need for long-term care which relieves financial and social pressures associated with long-term care. However, because medical advancements have allowed people to live longer but not essentially live healthier it is estimated that by 2030, 21 million adults aged 70 and older will require long-term health care due to multiple chronic conditions/disabilities and co-existing morbidities (Shi & Singh, 2012). The health industry will need to focus on how long-term health care services will develop and be distributed to adequately cover and meet the population’s needs. This forecast in increased population size will create a financial pressure on its recipients and taxpayers,…show more content…
Women were primarily responsible for providing care to their elders and to their children but now women’s roles have changed to include contributing to the work force. In a study conducted by Esther Forti and her colleagues, they analyzed the change in demographics and its effect on the informal caregiver role. The study discussed how the “sandwich generation” will diminish the number of potential caregivers for the aging population. The sandwich generation was created by the increase of women entering the work force, women who delayed starting a family, the small family size and the increase in longer lifespans (Forti, Johnson, & Graber, 2000).With more women in the labor pool and with fewer children being born the potential number of caregivers decrease, creating a shortage for the elderly population. This disproportionate ratio will hinder some people’s desire to remain at home and will result in earlier than desired admittance into formal care. If informal care continues to be a choice for the aging population, the health industry will need to increase training and development in licensed nurses to provide home care and provide financial support for current informal caregivers to remain in their

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