Question

1. What factors have led to the development of the long-term care system as it currently exists? 2. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the current long-term care system? 3. Who uses long-term care services, and why do they use them? 4. Who are baby boomers, and what is their impact on the long-term care system? 5. What is and has been the role of informal caregivers in the long-term care system? 6. What is a continuum of care, and where do long-term care services fit in that continuum? 7. What types of services make up institutional and noninstitutional care? 8. What effect have government regulations had on the financing of long-term care?

Answer 1

1. There are a lot that goes into what developed the LTC system we see. This is because care use to be provided by informal caregivers (families+friends). The switch came because taking care of elders got harder as people worked more and got busier. also helping the switch was that the government helped with financing, regulations made facilities better, costs were reduced.

2. The strengths and weakness of long term care system are :-

strengths: has provided essential care to a very large, very diverse population for many years.

weaknesses: need to be more dedicated to caregivers, expansion of reimbursement, more equally available to everyone, too fragmented, it is overshadowed y acute system and has a poor public image.

3. The persons who use long term care services are :-

- Individuals with physical and/or mental deficits

-Individuals who need after hospitalization care (due to severe illness, surgery, or injury)

4. The people who were born between 1946 and 1961. They are going to be the next group of people entering the LTC services and their is a large number of them and they are extremely wealthy. They want the best care they can get.