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.
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Long-term care costs with respect to instutionalizations and community-based living are out of control. When an elderly individual moves into a long-term care setting, it takes them a long time to get acquainted and adjust. It is always sad to see someone need to look for an alternative facility because they can no longer afford the current one. Creating methods to make long-term care more affordable are vital. This will be especially important in the near future since so many people took large loss in their retirement funds in the last couple years.
ReplyDeleteIf costs continue to rise, I agree that programs need to be created to better assist the expenses of long-term care. I think it would be best, though, to lower costs now with long term care.
ReplyDeleteThe CLASS Act hopefully will alleviate some of the burdens associated with the elderly and their financial status regarding long-term care. It allows people to realize the importance of setting aside money and planning for their future needs. Although cost is going to continue to rise for LTC, it is important for the growing elderly population to be able to maintain their independence for as long as possible and should not be limited by lack of funds.
ReplyDeleteMy grandma was recently put in a nursing home because my family could no longer care for her in her home. The biggest thing that people miss when the move occurs is their independence. They leave their own home to live in something that is equivalent to a shoe box and are bothered all day by other residents and staff.
ReplyDeleteI have not heard of the CLASS act but I think it sounds like a great idea. Usually people do not plan for long term care until it is too late and their children need to start making decisions on where their parents will go.
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