Overview of Long-Term Care

A concerning form of health care is our nation’s long-term care. Long-term care provides medical and non-medical services to those with chronic illness or disability. These services may be community-based assisting with a variety of personal needs such as transportation, meal delivery, and chore assistance. Another form of long-term care provides support to individuals in the comfort of their own homes. Aid with dressing, bathing, cooking, and cleaning may come from family members, volunteers, or licensed health care workers. Moreover, assisted living facilities deliver help with activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, taking medication, and getting to appointments as needed, while nursing home care provides a wide range of attention to individuals that are unable to care for themselves due to physical, emotional, or mental problems. 1

An important aspect of planning for long-term care is deciding how to pay for services. Long-term care is very expensive and generally not covered by Medicare. While some will qualify for Medicaid, most will not. Consequently, the majority of individuals will have to pay for some or all of their long-term care out of personal income and resources. The average cost in the United States in 2009 for a semi-private nursing home room was $198 per day. 2 It is also estimated that providing health care for an older American is three to five times greater than the cost for someone younger than 65. 3 The outrageous cost of long-term health care limits access to those that are able to pay for services.

The number of people 70 and older needing long-term care will increase from 10 million in 2000 to 15 million in 2020 and to 21 million in 2030. As a result, by 2030, the nation’s health care spending is projected to increase by 25%. 3 The current system of long-term care will not be able to handle the explosion of the elderly population. Quality and access to care are sure to decline with the rise of individuals in need of services. The Board on Health Care Services suggests the Health Care Financing Administration and state governments undertake research toward developing an appropriate array of community-based long-term-care services to meet the needs of consumers and assess the quality of the services and outcomes. 4

Poor quality of care has a large impact on the cost of services. According to Dennis Smith, “The journey into the long-term care system often begins with a senior who is on too many prescription drugs becomes disoriented, falls and breaks a hip. A person with a disability who did not get the properly equipped wheelchair is at risk for skin problems that can lead to pressure ulcers and hospitalization.” 5 These situations may be avoidable with a greater emphasis on quality of care.

Younger generations may believe that long-term health care is less important than competing ideas because it does not directly affect them at this time. The truth is long-term health care will be a part of all of our lives at some point in the future, whether it be for our parents or ourselves. In the next 20 years cost, access, and quality are going to be a growing concern in regard to long-term health care. These issues should be addressed now, before we are in over our heads.

Works Cited:
1. "Long-Term Care." Medicare. 03/25/2009. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Web. 18 Feb 2010. .

2. "Paying for Long Term Care." National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information. 12/30/2009. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Web. 18 Feb 2010. .


3. "The State of Aging and Health in America." National Academy on an Aging Society. 2007. The Merck Company Foundation, Web. 19 Feb 2010. .


4. "Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care." Institute of Medicine. 01/01/2000. Board on Health and Care Services, Web. 18 Feb 2010. .


5. Smith, Dennis. "The Role of Long-Term Care in Health Reform." The Heritage Foundation. 03/25/2009. The Heritage Foundation, Web. 18 Feb 2010. .


- Jade Doro

Beliefs & Values

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services long-term care is a variety of services that includes medical and non-medical care to people who have a chronic illness or disability. Long-term care helps meet health or personal needs. Most long-term care is to assist people with support services such as activities of daily living like dressing, bathing, and using the bathroom. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living or in nursing homes.1

Currently it is estimated that about nine million men and women over the age of 65 are in need of long-term care. By 2020, 12 million older Americans will need long-term care. Most will be cared for at home by family and friends, which are the sole caregivers for 70 percent of the elderly. 1 Clearly in the future we will all somehow be affected by the long-term health care system.

We believe that our health care system cannot keep operating the way it is. Something needs to be done in order to make long-term services more affordable. Both Long-term care facilities and assisted living programs are extremely expensive and costs will continue to rise. We agree with President Obama that the CLASS act should be included in the health care reform bill. The CLASS act would allow workers to choose if they wanted money to be taken out of their paychecks and be put aside in order to help purchase long-term care services in the future.2 This allows the geriatric population to maintain their independence as well as save money in the long run.

As our society continues to age it is apparent that long-term care needs to be addressed. Our group believes that people involved in long term care should be able to maintain their independence as long as possible. We believe that long-term care needs to be adjusted to be more accessible to the elderly in need. In addition, if costs continue to rise programs need to be created to better assist the expenses of long-term care. Most importantly, we would like to ensure that the elderly are receiving quality and affordable care as well as be able to provide this to all those who need it.

Works Cited in AMA:

1) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. What is Long-Term Care? Available at: http://www.medicare.gov/longTermCare/static/home.asp. Accessed February 13, 2010.

2) Shapiro J. Obama Backs Helping Hand for Long-Term Care. Available at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106358269. Accessed February 13, 2010.