Long-Term Elder Care

I work with a number of elderly adults who are wonderful examples of "successful" aging. They are active socially, physically and spiritually in a variety of different ways. I also see the other side of aging. Those who have experienced physical and cognitive decline and are left to try to care for themselves without the help or support of family and friends. The health care system has let them down as well. They need the care of a long-term facility because they cannot perform the simplest activities of daily living, they are not eating properly or taking their medications and have no daily contact with other people. Some of the elderly see no alternative as they cannot afford to stay in a long-term care facility or they are afraid to move for fear they will lose what independence they have. Many worry about mistreatment too. Since they cannot afford the nicer long-term facilities, they would rather stay in their homes. A number of agencies try to reach out and accommodate those who would like to remain in their homes but the reality is that it is a much larger problem than we have the resources to solve. The United States needs to re-examine it's priorities and health care reform, including long-term care, should be one of the top priorities. It's easy to say we need reform but much more difficult to implement. A couple of points to consider:

1. Health care has become big business. Why should CEO's of insurance companies by making millions of dollars in salaries and stock options while many elderly and disabled rely on medicare or medicaid. Think of what we could do with some of that money. We could improve or expand long-term care options, making it more affordable for those who cannot afford the nicer facilities. We could improve training of the staff, hire more professionals to inspect facilities, and staff the facilities so residents feel safe and have help when they require it. I'm not a proponent of socialized medicine but I think the health care industry has lost sight of who they are suppose to help.

2. Promote prevention and education. A number of residents who utilize long-term care have chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular conditions that have deteriorated their health over time. Community health programs and education may help to decrease the number of people who will access long-term care in the future thus decreasing the cost to society.

My employer offered us the opportunity to buy into a long-term health insurance policy a few years ago. Many signed up for the policy but most did not. It was not a good deal. Those I know who took out the policy did so out of fear because that's what the insurance company promoted. Some were inactive and many smoked. A couple of individuals had no children or immediate family nearby. In the long run it is the insurance company that reaps the benefits, not the policy holder. We know so much more now than we did when the current population of 65+ year olds were younger. Let's start taking advantage of our knowledge and not be content with the status quo.