Long Term Care

The aim of this essay is to define a long term condition (LTC) and explain why this is important for nurses. Common symptoms may accompany many LTC’s and how these are treated, along with the impact on patient and carer will be considered. The patient chosen for this case study shall be referred to as John to

Long term care facilities use Joint Commission Accreditation as a benefit to show the quality and commitment to the health care organization. A long term care facility that is Joint Commission accredited will have a more appealing look to reimbursement centers and to the patient and families that they care for. Having this accreditation is also a risk management tool. The likelihood of a bad outcome is reduced if a facility is accredited by the Joint Commission. There is a team put together to come up with accreditation standards and to make sure facilities stay compliant with these standards. Performance is evaluated to ensure standards are followed.

This essay discusses the core principles of long-term conditions and management. Government guidelines and standards are also discussed in relation to how these will impact the care of the patients who are experiencing long term conditions. The reports, guidelines and plans that play an important role in directing the current nursing system today, are discussed with regard to the management of chronic conditions and lastly, palliative care and outcomes from the publication “Together for Health – Delivering End of Life Care” (2013)

Imagine that you are a patient in an hospital in Ontario - you have undergone acute care and are now ready to enter a Long-term care (LTC) facility for additional care. Now imagine that you have entered a complex maze, like the Waterloo County County Corn Maze, only much trickier. Why?

Long-term care healthcare delivery will be a great/popular option for many of these senior citizens. The long-term care healthcare delivery system falls within the continuum of care. The continuum of care is a series of heath care services that are provided to a great number of older adults who are in need of them throughout the course of their life/older life. The care ranges from: personal care, custodial care, restorative care, skill nursing care, and sub acute care (Shi & Singh, 2012). Different providers work together within the continuum to provide the right care to those in need. The continuum of care, as stated in Long Term Care: Managing Across the Continuum, is “comprehensive, integrated, and client-oriented”(Pratt, 2010). All the services offered should be client-based and cater to the client’s needs and suitable care. The client should be able to obtain services when it is needed from the provider, making it comprehensive. All the different long-term care providers should be interconnected between one another, because their goal is all the same, which is to care for the client’s needs. The continuum of care consists of: nursing facilities, sub acute care, assisted living, residential care, elderly housing, and a variety of community-based services (Pratt, 2010). All these different providers work together to care for the individuals within the health care industry, creating the continuum and making it integrated. As the future progresses and a great amount of

Long-term care has and is continuing to become an important part of the continuum of care. Years ago Long-term care (LTC) was considered only to be for the elderly, but as time passes it is for anybody and everybody who needs it. Barton (2006) stated, “Regardless of the length of time (i.e., from weeks to years), long-term care is an array of services provided in a range of settings to individuals who have lost some capacity for independence due to injury, chronic illness, or condition” (p. 367). According to Barton (2006), it states that the services long-term care provides help the consumer with basic needs and shows the individuals how to do daily living activities, along with therapy and being able to

The necessity for long-term care is increasing which will require additional training and education for health care personnel, family members, and patients. Family members can have peace of mind knowing their family member will gain confidence in learning how to become accustomed to his or her new life while maintaining a quality continuum of care during and after treatment for physical, mental, or age associated illnesses.

The first author of the article, Medicaid Funding for Assisted Living Care: A Five-State Examination, is Eric Carlson. Carlson is the directing attorney under the National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC). He graduated summa cum luade from the University of Minnesota, and obtained his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California Berkeley. Most of his career has been spent advocating for older adults in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Carlson is very knowledgeable on these topics, and frequently presents to other attorneys and social workers at conferences nation-wide about these issues (NSCLC).

As for Ms. Sanchez, since she is a long term care resident, assessments are not done as often as for skilled nursing patients that are also clients to Baptist. Her assessments are spread out further than those for the clients in the skilled nursing floor. While she did ask what these assessments were for, she was also glad the student did this. The client stated how sometimes people are too worried about the medical aspect and overlook the fact that there are other things they should look for. Aside from helping the facility by keeping it out of trouble with the state, it also helps Ms. Sanchez pay for her stay at the facility as she is on Medicaid and often times, scores on these assessments may help her qualify for the benefits.

In long term care facilities, or nursing homes as they are often referred to are facilities in which residents live, whom are usually of the older population and are cared for by nurses and nursing assistants. The ratio of residents to nursing assistants can vary by state and shift, for example in Ohio there may not be more than fifteen residents per nursing assistant in a shift in order for residents to receive the optimum amount of care possible. Nursing homes can not only include parts in which they provide skilled care by Nurses and Nursing Assistants, but also assisted living for those who just need help from time to time or assistance managing their medication. Residents still have the right to choice when in a nursing home and they are

This assignment with look at long term conditions and the associated multiple pathology and the impact both physically and the financial burden placed on the NHS. It is reported that globally over 36 million deaths every year are accounted to long term conditions (World Health Organisation, 2013). The most common LTCs are reported to be Mental health problems, Diabetes, Hypertension, Musculoskeletal problems, Heart disease and Asthma. (Department of Health, 2012). The DH state that one third of the population are reported to have one or more long term conditions, these are described as conditions that cannot be cured but can be managed. (The Kings Fund, 2012)

“Long-term care is a range of services and support for your personal care needs. Most long-term care isn’t medical care, but rather help with basic personal tasks of everyday life, sometimes call activities of daily living (Medicare)”. Which is very important due to that Medicare its self does not provide coverage for long-term “custodial care”.

Health care is a fascinating industry. So many types of care are included within the industry. Health care can be very broad or very specific. Health care is also comprised of different types of health care. One specific sector is long-term health care. Long-term care plays a huge role in the health care continuum. This paper will define long-term care and a continuum as well as discuss the services provided and how these services fit in the continuum of care, the resources that go along with long-term care and how it contributes to overall health care resources, and how long-term care services

Long-term care sometimes abbreviated LTC, focuses on the providing services that promote independent living and quality of life, while still meeting an individual's medical and non-medical goals. There are many varieties of long-term care which include in-home care, assisted living facilitates, nursing homes, and retirement communities. While long-term care facilities typically offer an array of services, including meals, laundry, and housekeeping services, history has shown that greater areas of success have been achieved with these bundling of services in a smaller, more intimate facilities, such as Jefferson Park at Dandridge.

Shared decision making should involve both health professionals and patients in discussions about their care. “While health professionals hold the expert clinical and technical knowledge, patients are experts about their own lives and treatment objectives, and also what is important to them when making decisions. (Lally, Macphail, Palmer, Blair and Thomsom, 2011).