Introduction:
It is believed that a person tends to behave like a child in his old age. We need to give them the attention we would share with a child. They become more childlike as they are more stubborn, forgetful, weak, and cannot do their daily activities without help. Sadly in today’s world, we see many elderly people dealing with their old age alone and without anyone to support them or take care of them. Their children are busy with their families, and their parents are neglected. In such cases, the government has come up with many organizations that provide help to the elderly in need. There are many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that volunteer to help too. Old age is not easy for anyone; one needs to have compassion and patience in dealing with old people and their problems. Long-term care is prolonged care given to geriatric people targeting the chronic illness and physical and mental disabilities they face. What Are the Common Problems That Geriatric Patients Face? Some of the common problems encountered by old people living in assisted long-term facilities are:
-
Memory loss (seen in patients with dementia, Alzheimer's disorder, or just due to old age).
-
Stability and balance problems (causing frequent falls and injuries).
-
Bladder control problems.
-
Pain in different parts of the body due to weakness or any underlying disorder.
-
Reduced appetite and weight loss.
-
Palliative care.
-
End-of-life care.
-
Depression and loneliness.
-
Recurrent infections.
What Is Long-Term Geriatric Care?
This is a place where geriatric patients are admitted and taken care of by a well-trained geriatric long-term care team. They deal with all the problems that a geriatric person must be having and provide hospital care for acute problems that require hospitalization. They might have their own hospital and a geriatric physician, or they will have a tie-up with another hospital and see to it that utmost care is provided to the patient. Any assisted living facility and nursing homes come under a long-term geriatric care unit.
Who Constitutes the Long-Term Geriatric Care Team?
1. Geriatrician: A geriatrician is a physician who has additional training or certification in geriatric medicine. As old people have many underlying medical histories and complications, it is a must to have a geriatrician in a long-term living facility.
2. Nurse Practitioner: A nurse practitioner is someone who has an advanced degree and training in nursing for geriatric patients. They should have the knowledge to manage common and complex medical conditions in geriatric patients. They are trained in gerontology and work as a team with the geriatricians to provide complete and holistic care for geriatric patients. They are usually the first person the patient will encounter when brought into the program. They record a complete history of the patients, run necessary tests, do the required physical examination of the patient, and even arrange for therapy if required. In this way, they target both the physical and mental conditions of the patient.
3. Medical Leadership: Few geriatricians and physicians take up an additional role of a medical director in which they have dual clinical and managerial roles to play. Apart from these main people, others who are a part of the long-term care would be the maintenance team, administrative team, ambulance driver, a full-time personal nurse, dietician, psychologists, and cooks.
What Are Some Examples of Long-Term Care?
Long-term care can be provided in the individual’s own house or in certain living settings considered as the individual's home. In-Home Services:
-
Personal care assistant service.
-
Personal attendant service.
-
Daily meals providing service
-
Home maintenance and renovation services.
-
At-home medical services.
-
Transportation services.
Services Provided in Assisted Living Facilities:
-
Personal nurse.
-
Cooking.
-
Housekeeping.
-
Transportation, including ambulance facility.
-
An in-house doctor.
-
Social activity groups.
-
Adult health care.
-
Senior center programming.
-
Safety and health monitoring.
-
Rehabilitation.
How Much Would It Cost to Stay in Such Facilities?
The overall costs are determined considering various factors like:
-
The room they are staying in (housing).
-
Patient-specific services delivered.
-
Healthcare utilization (including a nurse, therapist, doctor, hospital facilities, and any emergency hospital care).
-
Expenses associated with food, transportation, and maintenance.
-
Medicines.
-
Many government assisted funding is also available nowadays.
What Are the Ethics to Be Followed in Long-Term Health Care?
Many times decisions are made in a long-term living facility by giving little respect to the patient's autonomy. In order to preserve the patient’s autonomy, he or she must be aware of the risk factors involved and their consequences and must also keep in mind that their decision should not be dangerous to themselves and should not have adverse effects on others' rights. Individuals’ privacy and dignity should be maintained while providing personal care assistance like bathing and toileting. Patients' rooms should have emergency call buttons.
What Does the World Health Organization (WHO) Offer in Terms of Long-Term Care?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed an integrated continuum of long-term care.
This mainly focuses on the following:
-
Making long-term care for geriatric patients a part of universal health coverage.
-
Forming and maintaining a proper team of health care providers.
-
Checking and maintaining the quality of long-term care.
Conclusion:
Long-term care is designed to meet a person’s aging needs and other underlying medical needs. When older people struggle with performing daily activities on their own, this care helps them live life to the fullest, overcoming their challenges. Long-term care is a broad term and is given to each individual according to their needs. The most common long-term care availed is activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, and moving around. Long-term care can also be given at home; this will help both the receiver and their family members in taking care of their needs. There is something called the friendly visitor service, which is also a small part of these caregiving services. In this, volunteers pay regular visits to the elderly people who are staying alone. The visit is usually less than two hours; it helps keep a check on their physical and mental health.
