Question

During the 1800s, and well into the 1900s, families took care of their own members whenever possible. Several generations lived together, with the younger generation taking care of the older and vice versa. Post 1900s, the joint family system started disintegrating.

What factors led to disintegration of the joint family system?

What has been the impact of this disintegration on aging people and long-term care?

Did disintegration have any benefits for health service organizations? Why or why not?

At the same time this shift occurred in the family structure, health care organizations were experiencing continuous changes in their operating styles. The long-term care system took some time to catch up with the changing nature of businesses. In the 1990s and early 2000s, long-term care was seen to experience several turbulent changes, particularly related to its operations, management, and structure. Research the South University Online Library and the Internet to find information on the changes in the long-term care system in the United States and respond to the following questions:

How have the operations, management, and structural changes of the 1990s and early 2000s impacted the long-term care system today?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the present long-term care system in the United States?

Answer 1

2. STRENGTHS OF THE LONG TERM CARE SYSTEM:-

    (i) First strength is that as much as society and the world have changed in the last few years, the long-term care has continued to find ways to meet the needs of its consumers.
     (ii) Not only there are skilled nursing facilities, but also,are specialized units to meet the needs of its residents such as those with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other forms of dementia.
      (iii)The development of more innovative care including “aging in place”, multi-level facilities, and adult day care centers.
       (iv) Effort to become a more integrated health system.
       (v) The long-term care system provides a holistic level of care to not only meet the medical needs of its residents, but also the spiritual and social needs as well.

WEAKNESSES OF THE LONG TERM CARE SYSTEM:-
(i) The fact that our system is still driven by reimbursements.
             -Most services provided are those that will be reimbursed and it is hard to find services for which there is no reimbursement.
             -The care that many residents receive sometimes based off third-party payers
(ii) Long term system is a bigger problem for those that are on public insurance.
                          -Patients on certain insurances are sometimes limited to who they can see and what services they can receive,to receive coverage of insurance.
(iii) Long term system has a poor reputation.