Did you know that 91 percent of nursing homes lack the adequate number of staff for basic care? The workforce shortage in long term care facilities is an increasing problem and going to escalade if we do not start to change policy. I am asking that every long term care facility be required to house enough staff to care for each resident 24 hours a day.
This change would automatically cause an increase in cost for long term care facilities, but what if we collaborated with other businesses and the government to prevent the drastic increase. Over 8 billion dollars are annually spent by the federal government to prepare primarily low-income and unemployed individuals for new and better jobs. If the government and long term care facilities started to work together we could help these people get jobs and trained for the workforce while increasing the number of workers in the long term care field.
The access for jobs will dramatically increase for those who are willing to go into the long term care field. Genworth Financial states that “The U.S. will need to recruit 200,000 new direct-care workers each year to meet future demand among our aging population.” In the state of this economy and the need for jobs in long term care, I see this looking like a place that the government should invest its money. This would help supply more jobs for the people and benefit long term care.
When there is enough staff to supply the needs of each resident the quality of that facility will flourish. This is a serious problem when residents have to wait 30 plus minutes to use the toilet, to get dressed, or to receive medications. If there were enough staff this would not be problem.
This is an important issue that is a part of our lives and is only going to increase in time. We need to move now, and help change policy! Think of your future and how you would like to be treated. Let us do the same for our family, friends, and neighbors.
1) Critical Issues in Long-Term Care (LTC) (2008, May). Retrieved March 28, 2009, from http://www.ltcop.org/StayInfSection2.htm
2) Long Term Care-Confronting Today's Callenges . (2003). Academy of Health . Retrieved March 28, 2009, from http://www.academyhealth.org/files/publications/ltcchallenges.pdf
3) Niesz, H., Price-Livingston, S., & Diamond Arsenau, K. (2002). LONG-TERM CARE WORKER SHORTAGE. . Retrieved March 28, 2009, from http://search.cga.ct.gov/dtsearch.asp?cmd=getdoc&DocId=16173&Index=I%3A%5Czindex%5C2002&HitCount=0&hits=&hc=0&req=&Item=4
4) Looming Workforce Shortage Pressures Long Term Care Costs, According to Research (2008, April 29). Retrieved March 28, 2009, from http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/news/sections/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20080429005958
5) Stone , R. I., & Wiener, . M. (2001, October 26). Who Will Care For Us? Addressing the Long-Term Care Workforce Crisis. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310304
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Reform Proposal 2
Long term Care-grey group
By Cassie Fillhouer
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, “Quality health means doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right person and having the best possible results”. Looking at long term health care this is very important and sometimes is overlooked by some care institutions. Why is this important to us? With the baby boomer population aging the elderly population is going to grow and by 2020 the United states is expecting Americans with chronic conditions to increase to 157 million (Shi and Singh p. 381). Chances of individuals knowing of someone, or in use of long term care themselves, is high. Not every American may be touched by long term care presently, but imagine for a moment a loved one, or eventually yourself, being placed in a long term care facility. How would you want to be treated and what if you could not afford a nicer facility? Would you still expect or hope to be treated for the same quality of care as a more expensive place? These are questions our group would like to address in our second reform proposal on improving and maintaining quality of long term health care at the state level.
First, to address the idea of quality of care individuals receive in long term care facilities, we would like to see more randomized auditing. By doing this, it will help ensure that residents and patients are getting the right care and hopefully help avoid neglect situations toward residents. By having more auditing reports we may also be able to prevent the problem of having unqualified staff. By ensuring that staff are qualified and trained to work with specific individuals, facilities could also help prevent the possibility of injury to residents or medication mishaps.
Improving the quality of life for the individual is another part of our proposal. “A sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, and self-worth is regarded as a critical patient outcome in any health care delivery setting. It takes added significance in long term care because (1) a loss of self-worth often accompanies disability and (2) Patients remain in long term care settings for relatively long periods with little hope of full recovery in most instances”, this is taken from Delivering Health Care in America by Leiyu Shi and Douglas A. Sing. To help address this idea we would like to see throughout the state of Wisconsin consistency in the quality of long term care, especially public facilities. We would like to see facilities create a “homelike” environment for residents by bring in children, pets, and having more activity choices available. The overall purpose of this is to make residents feel as comfortable as possible, like they never left home. According to the AARP article, A Balancing Act: State Long-Term Care Reform, “87% of people with disabilities age 50 and older want to receive long-term care services in their own homes. People want choice and control over everyday situations”. If individuals do not have the option of staying in their homes, we want to make sure that they can still feel at home wherever they choose to be.
Finally, to address the cost to improve and maintain the quality of long-term care, there would have to be an increase in spending to afford to have the extra auditing, training, and improvement in the facility environment. According to I-1029: better training or train wreck? By Kathie Durbin, beginning in 2010 long-term care workers will be required to have 34 to 75 hours of training to work. According to the article the state of Washington would pay the almost $30 million. In the long run this could help save money by the benefits of prevention and care outweighing the costs. Possible ways to get money could be from private donations or taking another look at areas that could be cut. A way to decide this could be to look at all the different consumer satisfaction ratings done by residents to determine what they want out of their facility.
Many individuals may see long-term care as something to worry about only if they themselves or a loved one use long-term care options, but long term care is just as important as any other health care option, facility, or issue in our society. Everyone is human and should have the same rights and quality of life as the next person no matter what the age or state.
Bibliography
AARP. July 2008. 15 Mar. 2009.
Durbin, Kathie. "I-1029: better training or train wreck?." Columbian.com. 6 Oct.. 15 Mar. 2009.
"Long-Term Care Reform Plan." Policy Council Document. 28 Sep. 2006. 15 Mar. 2009.
Shi, Leiyu, and Douglas A. Singh. Delivering Health Care in America . 4th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2008. 380-420.
"Your guide to choosing Quality Health Care." Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 15 Mar. 2009.
Long term Care-grey group
By Cassie Fillhouer
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, “Quality health means doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right person and having the best possible results”. Looking at long term health care this is very important and sometimes is overlooked by some care institutions. Why is this important to us? With the baby boomer population aging the elderly population is going to grow and by 2020 the United states is expecting Americans with chronic conditions to increase to 157 million (Shi and Singh p. 381). Chances of individuals knowing of someone, or in use of long term care themselves, is high. Not every American may be touched by long term care presently, but imagine for a moment a loved one, or eventually yourself, being placed in a long term care facility. How would you want to be treated and what if you could not afford a nicer facility? Would you still expect or hope to be treated for the same quality of care as a more expensive place? These are questions our group would like to address in our second reform proposal on improving and maintaining quality of long term health care at the state level.
First, to address the idea of quality of care individuals receive in long term care facilities, we would like to see more randomized auditing. By doing this, it will help ensure that residents and patients are getting the right care and hopefully help avoid neglect situations toward residents. By having more auditing reports we may also be able to prevent the problem of having unqualified staff. By ensuring that staff are qualified and trained to work with specific individuals, facilities could also help prevent the possibility of injury to residents or medication mishaps.
Improving the quality of life for the individual is another part of our proposal. “A sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, and self-worth is regarded as a critical patient outcome in any health care delivery setting. It takes added significance in long term care because (1) a loss of self-worth often accompanies disability and (2) Patients remain in long term care settings for relatively long periods with little hope of full recovery in most instances”, this is taken from Delivering Health Care in America by Leiyu Shi and Douglas A. Sing. To help address this idea we would like to see throughout the state of Wisconsin consistency in the quality of long term care, especially public facilities. We would like to see facilities create a “homelike” environment for residents by bring in children, pets, and having more activity choices available. The overall purpose of this is to make residents feel as comfortable as possible, like they never left home. According to the AARP article, A Balancing Act: State Long-Term Care Reform, “87% of people with disabilities age 50 and older want to receive long-term care services in their own homes. People want choice and control over everyday situations”. If individuals do not have the option of staying in their homes, we want to make sure that they can still feel at home wherever they choose to be.
Finally, to address the cost to improve and maintain the quality of long-term care, there would have to be an increase in spending to afford to have the extra auditing, training, and improvement in the facility environment. According to I-1029: better training or train wreck? By Kathie Durbin, beginning in 2010 long-term care workers will be required to have 34 to 75 hours of training to work. According to the article the state of Washington would pay the almost $30 million. In the long run this could help save money by the benefits of prevention and care outweighing the costs. Possible ways to get money could be from private donations or taking another look at areas that could be cut. A way to decide this could be to look at all the different consumer satisfaction ratings done by residents to determine what they want out of their facility.
Many individuals may see long-term care as something to worry about only if they themselves or a loved one use long-term care options, but long term care is just as important as any other health care option, facility, or issue in our society. Everyone is human and should have the same rights and quality of life as the next person no matter what the age or state.
Bibliography
AARP. July 2008. 15 Mar. 2009
Durbin, Kathie. "I-1029: better training or train wreck?." Columbian.com. 6 Oct.. 15 Mar. 2009
"Long-Term Care Reform Plan." Policy Council Document. 28 Sep. 2006. 15 Mar. 2009
Shi, Leiyu, and Douglas A. Singh. Delivering Health Care in America . 4th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2008. 380-420.
"Your guide to choosing Quality Health Care." Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 15 Mar. 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Long Term Care Reform Proposal 1
Author: Megan Precht
Why long term care in the United States needs to be reformed:
· The elderly are the biggest long term care users and the number of people ages 70 and older needing long term care will increase from what is now roughly 10 million to 15 million in 2020 with an estimated increase to 21 million in 2030. This is due in part to the aging baby boomer population.
· If the nation’s long term care policies and financing stay the same we are going to see an even greater cost increase in health care overall because so many will need long term care services.
· Long Term care is not accessible to everyone and this is a huge problem. Many believe that Medicare should cover the cost of long term care services, but this is simply not the case. Below are the generally eligibility requirements for Medicare as well as a statement taken from the Medicare website concerning long term care.
"Medicare generally doesn’t pay for long-term care. Medicare also doesn’t pay for help with activities of daily living or other care that most people can do themselves. Some examples of activities of daily living include eating, bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom. Medicare will help pay for skilled nursing or home health care if you meet certain conditions."
Our idea of reform:
First let’s address the issue of cost…
Here is what the US Department of Health and Human Services says about long term care costs:
“Costs for long-term care services vary greatly depending on the type and amount of care you need, the provider you use, and where you live. For example, many care facilities charge extra for services provided beyond the basic room-and-board charge, although some may have “all inclusive” fees. Home health and home care services are usually provided in two-to-four-hour blocks of time referred to as “visits.” An evening, weekend or holiday visit may cost more than a weekday visit. Some community programs, such as adult day service programs, are provided at a per-day rate, and rates may differ based on the type and variety of programs and services offered.”
· The US government needs to assess how money is spent when it comes to health care. Why is it that the US is spending more than any other nation? Health care costs consume 16% of our national GDP, and we know that number is continuing to grow. Other nations that have developed national health care plans are spending much less. We can no longer survive as a nation without a unified effort to manage cost. Treating our population as health care consumers who must abide to the rules of the cost of long term care as stated above isn’t working. We propose that the US government in preparing for the surge of long term care users develop a public long term care insurance program (which could basically be a reform of Medicare that would be financed differently and made less complicated). This program will be financed through a global budgeting system so that the cost of long term care for this population will be addressed in the most efficient way possible. All long term care facilities will be subject to this system.
Now let’s look at the accessibility of this program…
· This program should be made accessible to anyone 65 years of age and older, as well as to those who are developmentally or physically disabled (including being disabled by a chronic disease) and in need of long term care. We as a nation should hold ourselves responsible for caring for those who cannot care for themselves and access to long term care should not be denied to anyone meeting these general qualifications.
Finally let’s discuss what this reform means for quality…
· Our hope is that quality of care will become the competitive factor for long term care facilities if costs are streamlined. If facilities cannot lower costs to attract customers than they will have to turn to their quality of care to remain competitive as a business.
Altman, Stuart H., and Alan B. Cohen. "Commentary." 1993. Health Affairs. 28 Feb. 2009 http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/12/suppl_1/194.pdf.
Medicare The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare . 17 Sep. 2008. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 28 Feb. 2009 http://www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility/Home.asp?dest=NAVHomeGeneralEnrollmen.
National Clearing House for Long Term Care Information. 22 Oct. 2008. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 28 Feb. 2009 http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Understanding_Long_Term_Care/Costs_Paying/.
Shi, Leiyu, and Douglas A. Singh. Delivering Health Care in America: A Systems Approach. 4th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett Publishers, 2008. 381-82.
Why long term care in the United States needs to be reformed:
· The elderly are the biggest long term care users and the number of people ages 70 and older needing long term care will increase from what is now roughly 10 million to 15 million in 2020 with an estimated increase to 21 million in 2030. This is due in part to the aging baby boomer population.
· If the nation’s long term care policies and financing stay the same we are going to see an even greater cost increase in health care overall because so many will need long term care services.
· Long Term care is not accessible to everyone and this is a huge problem. Many believe that Medicare should cover the cost of long term care services, but this is simply not the case. Below are the generally eligibility requirements for Medicare as well as a statement taken from the Medicare website concerning long term care.
"Medicare generally doesn’t pay for long-term care. Medicare also doesn’t pay for help with activities of daily living or other care that most people can do themselves. Some examples of activities of daily living include eating, bathing, dressing, and using the bathroom. Medicare will help pay for skilled nursing or home health care if you meet certain conditions."
Our idea of reform:
First let’s address the issue of cost…
Here is what the US Department of Health and Human Services says about long term care costs:
“Costs for long-term care services vary greatly depending on the type and amount of care you need, the provider you use, and where you live. For example, many care facilities charge extra for services provided beyond the basic room-and-board charge, although some may have “all inclusive” fees. Home health and home care services are usually provided in two-to-four-hour blocks of time referred to as “visits.” An evening, weekend or holiday visit may cost more than a weekday visit. Some community programs, such as adult day service programs, are provided at a per-day rate, and rates may differ based on the type and variety of programs and services offered.”
· The US government needs to assess how money is spent when it comes to health care. Why is it that the US is spending more than any other nation? Health care costs consume 16% of our national GDP, and we know that number is continuing to grow. Other nations that have developed national health care plans are spending much less. We can no longer survive as a nation without a unified effort to manage cost. Treating our population as health care consumers who must abide to the rules of the cost of long term care as stated above isn’t working. We propose that the US government in preparing for the surge of long term care users develop a public long term care insurance program (which could basically be a reform of Medicare that would be financed differently and made less complicated). This program will be financed through a global budgeting system so that the cost of long term care for this population will be addressed in the most efficient way possible. All long term care facilities will be subject to this system.
Now let’s look at the accessibility of this program…
· This program should be made accessible to anyone 65 years of age and older, as well as to those who are developmentally or physically disabled (including being disabled by a chronic disease) and in need of long term care. We as a nation should hold ourselves responsible for caring for those who cannot care for themselves and access to long term care should not be denied to anyone meeting these general qualifications.
Finally let’s discuss what this reform means for quality…
· Our hope is that quality of care will become the competitive factor for long term care facilities if costs are streamlined. If facilities cannot lower costs to attract customers than they will have to turn to their quality of care to remain competitive as a business.
Altman, Stuart H., and Alan B. Cohen. "Commentary." 1993. Health Affairs. 28 Feb. 2009 http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/12/suppl_1/194.pdf.
Medicare The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare . 17 Sep. 2008. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 28 Feb. 2009 http://www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility/Home.asp?dest=NAVHomeGeneralEnrollmen.
National Clearing House for Long Term Care Information. 22 Oct. 2008. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 28 Feb. 2009 http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Understanding_Long_Term_Care/Costs_Paying/.
Shi, Leiyu, and Douglas A. Singh. Delivering Health Care in America: A Systems Approach. 4th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett Publishers, 2008. 381-82.
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