Question

List and describe the three determinants for long-term care.

Answer 1

Long term care

Long term care is a type of health service that includes a variety of services that helps a person, who is no longer able to do their activities of daily living ( ADL). It includes the care for personal and health needs. Long term care is needed for over a period of time. There are home based care and institution based care services for the patient who need long term care. It aimed to increase the patient's quality of life and ensure the improvement and independence of the patient.

Three determinants of long term care

Many factors contributing to determine the the type of care ( long term care or short term care) that the client is going to receive. Some of the determinants are following:

1) Inability to do Activities of daily living( ADL)

Activities of daily living refers to a group of activities that done a person himself to meet the personal and self care needs. It includes nutritional needs( eating and drinking), elimination needs( defecation and urination) , personal hygiene measures( bathing, brushing, dressing) and movement.  Severe trama and illness, multiple fractures, paralysis etc. make a person unable to do his daily activities, then for the same he has to depend on another person. Most of the time they depend on health professionals for long term care. Inability to do ADL is strong determinant to decide the long term care.

2) Old age

Old age is period of loneliness and dependency for half of the geriatric population. Old age accompanied with chronic illness is a determinant of long term care. Those people may prefer an institutional long term care.

3) Severe and profound mental retardation in children

Severe and profound mentally retarded children are not educable or trainable. Most of the cases are accompanied with some form of Chromosomal abnormalities and congenital malformations. These type of children need a long term care and supervision at home or institution.

Along with these factors being alone( unmarried status), Dementia, financial status of the person are all determining factors of long term care.