Long-Term Health Care
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Long-Term Health Care
The percentage of aging population in the United States is rapidly increasing. The situation is reflected in the increase in consumption of long-term services, such as care plan. A large part of the aging population requires a suitable health care plan to enable them to lead a decent way of life. Individuals who need long-term health care may receive them from different sources, such as home settings, community programs, or different healthcare facilities like nursing homes and Helped living facilities (Sultz & Young, 2017). Provision of long-term health care for the aged and provision of treatment for mentally ill individuals is impended by various factors. This paper provides a detailed and informative discussion concerning the factors that impede advanced planning for the aged population and provision of treatment services for patients with mental disorders in the United States.
Confusion is one of major factors that impede advance planning of health care for the aged in the United States. The procedures of configuring appropriate packages that meet the needs of the aged under long-term health care, enhancing independence among them, and providing a quality lifestyle are complex and confusing tasks challenging service providers (US Department of Health and Human Service, 2010). The success of plan implementation requires the involvement of several agencies and healthcare providers. Confusion occurs when one agency or stakeholder fails to coordinate with others thus impending the process of plan implementation.
Prevention of disorders associated with the elderly and facilitating early planning of health care provision are essential steps that ease care for the elderly by their families and the society as a whole. However, many factor hinder the ability to provide health care Helpance and advance planning for the aged. The elderly are often denied the desire to stay at their homes being relocated to nursing homes for the aged and other facilities. Modern family size, single parenting, and divorce are among the factors that have contributed to many people growing old alone in the society lacking essential care (US Department of Health and Human Service, 2010). Moreover, denial of the natural progression of life is common in the society and also greatly hinders advance planning for the aged. People should accept the natural process of life which involves aging and death and therefore start to plan their future to avoid struggling with various problems in old age.
Cost-effectiveness is also a major limitation for the aged to receive health care services deserved. Home attendance for the provision of health care is extremely expensive. A lot of elderly people refuse attendance in healthcare facilities and want to remain with their families posing a financial challenge before the family. The US Department of Health and Human Services assessed the long-term cost of providing health care for the aged which turned out to be as follows: $6,235 per month for semi-private room care, $6,965 per month for private room nursing, and $3,293 per month for adult day health care center (Administration on Aging, 2011). Only a few of the elderly population can manage to handle this cost due to the experienced economic downfall in the United States. It, therefore, creates a need for raising awareness among the United States population to educate them on the importance of planning for their future, making them understand that health service offered to them is imperative and that it can be challenging if an individual fails to properly plan for his/her future. Society is expected to enhance care serviced for the aged promoting effective plans to provide the aged with everything necessary for them in their last days.
Shift in utilization from inpatient hospitalization to ambulatory care services is associated with various factors and results in significant implications for hospitals, consumers, and the entire health care delivery system. These factors include advancement in technology, invention of new medical and diagnostic procedures, and decline in invasive procedures. The current health system in the United States views outpatient surgery as a normal thing. Ambulatory services for inpatient care assume decreased cost for equivalent or even improved health outcomes for a patient. This study indicates that the outpatient care revenue surpasses the revenue from hospitalized patients due to the increasing outpatient incidences. The situation results in a profound transformation of healthcare structure which alters hospital roles and roles of healthcare providers across the United States. The growth of ambulatory services is facilitated by the growing cost of healthcare services which encourages the development of alternative healthcare delivery systems and aftercare for the aged population. The intensification of ambulatory services pressure and competition may result in closure of many hospitals while others may be absorbed by larger healthcare firms. This situation is likely to complicate entrepreneurship in the health care sector.
The United States is currently reporting an increase in the population of mentally ill individuals with over 22% of the entire US population suffering from serious mental illnesses. The issue of homelessness among mentally ill individuals is problematic in the US. The situation is associated with the rising cost of living making it difficult for the families to cater for their mentally ill members who end up in the streets (Brugha, Wing, & Brewin, 2013). Healthcare sector also reports premature and unplanned discharge of mentally ill patients which contributes to increasing number of mentally ill individuals among the homeless population. Mentally ill patients are denied opportunities to receive mobilized resources for individuals’ physical illnesses which contribute to the intensification of chronic mental disorders. Anti-discriminatory approach helps regulate stigma towards mentally ill individuals protecting them from prejudice. Collaboration between psychiatrists and other healthcare providers as well as the significant contribution of society play a major role in the provision of a solution on the increasing percentage of mentally ill individuals among the US population.
Conclusion
The major challenge for long-term health care for the aged is a financial constraint explained by the high cost for provision of health care. The situation is complicated with the issue of poor planning of individuals for their old age, so they become a burden to the family and society in general. Coordination among stakeholders is essential to ensure the provision of quality health care for the aged among the American population. The increasing cost of medical services is greatly contributing to the shift in ambulatory services as an alternative for inpatient service. This situation may negatively affect most hospital facilities in the United States. Unequal distribution of mobilized resources among physically and mentally ill patients and premature discharge of patients with mental disorders impede access to mental illness treatment.
References
Administration on Aging. (2011). Facts: Aging and Disability Resource Center. Retrieved from http://aoa.gov/AoaRoot/Press-Room/Product-Material?fact/pdf.
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Brugha, T. S., Wing, J. K., & Brewin, C. R. (2013). The relationship of social network deficit with deficit in social functioning in long-term psychiatric disorder. Social Psychiatric and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 7.
Sultz, H. A., & Young, K. M. (2017). Health care USA: Understanding its organization and delivery (9th ed.). Boston: Jones and Bartlett.
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US Department of Health and Human Service. (2010). Retrieved from http://longtermcare.gov/cost.
