The Impact and Cost of Long Term Care

Paper Summary:

Long-term care can be needed for a variety of reasons from accident injuries, debilitating and long-term illness, or simply due to becoming elderly. This paper explains how there are sometimes when persons cannot care for themselves and must rely on others for their daily needs. Sometimes the care takes place in a facility designed to provide such services. However, sometimes the burden of caring for loved ones falls on family members or even friends. The writer discusses how long term care places a strain on people financially, and how this has been the primary focus of health care policy regarding long term care in the past. The paper also discusses the many emotional issues associated with it as well, not only for the patient, but for the caregiver as well. These issues can cause a variety of difficulties including depression, fatigue, stress and can even lead to the break up of a family. These issues place an even greater burden on the system and society as a whole. It states that these issues must be considered when making new long-term health care policies.

Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Social Factors Affecting Care Giving
A. Effects of Divorce
B. Effects of Abuse and Neglect
C. Effects of Women in the Workforce
D. Proximity and Other Factors
III. The Long Term Care Shortage
A. Scope of the Problem
B. Factor Involved
C. Future Trends
IV. Formal Long Term Care: The Impact on Society
A. Scope of Problem
B. Minority Issues
C. Financial Impact on Family
D. Social Workers and Home Caregivers
V. The Effects on the Caregiver
A. Physical and Emotional Symptoms
B. Five Major Causes of Stress Among Home Caregivers
C. Wearing Many Hats
VI. Solutions

From the Paper:

"There was a time when long-term care facilities did not exist and the entire burden of caring for the elderly or sick was always placed on the family. There are many who feel that this the way it still is and should be, However, the family structures are changing and this concept has now been shown to be a myth (Montgomery, 1999). This shifting family structure means that an increasing number of elderly persons are relying on long term care facilities to replace the traditional family role. The following will explore some of the issues behind these trends.
Divorce rates have been climbing for many years and the traditional idea of the nuclear is quickly being re-defined. As a result, there are now more elderly people who are divorced. The effects of this trend can be shown in the long-term care that these elders are likely to receive from their children. Divorce can harm family ties and often creates feelings of resentment or rejection in many family members. According to a study conducted by Shone and Pezzin, (1999) divorce makes it less likely that families will help each other financially or in terms of physical care. The key findings of this study were that adult children of divorced children were less likely to receive financial assistance from their parents. In addition, stepparents were less likely to receive care from their children than biological parents were. The study found that remarriage reduced the likelihood that an elderly person would receive care even further (Shone and Pezzin, 1999)."

More papers on The Impact and Cost of Long Term Care:

• Essay # 51828 : "Financing Long-Term Care"
• Essay # 48544 : "Marketing for Long Term Care (LTC) Facilities"
• Essay # 22763 : "High Cost of Medications"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: