Long-term care challenge
The long-term care is a huge complex design of services that has emerged over a significantly short time. As the system continues to change and grow, new challenges emerge globally and New York in particular. Unstable financing, workforce challenges, insufficient beds, delivery of quality care, measuring quality care, and lack of care integration are among the challenges. Many facilities in New York are faced by the challenge as the number of patients increase as the population ages. The Baby Boom started retiring in 2010. The number of patients requiring long-term care (aged 85 years and older) is expected to double by 2020. Whereas creating a long-term care facility is relatively easy, the services that are required thereafter make many hospitals to shelf the idea.
Good Samaritan Hospital interventions
Fortunately, Good Samaritan Hospital is cognizant of the challenge that will face the health care system in future. As such, the hospital has created various long-term homes with one within the New York hospital. The recognition that the number of people aged above 85 years old will double by 2020 has had the hospital moving to meet the challenge. In the short-term, the hospital has endeavored to avail enough beds in the facilities as well as the hospital to cater for these patients. The hospital has 286 beds.
The workforce demand for long-term care surpasses the supply of skilled workers who deliver these services. The shortage of paraprofessional workers and nurses, who offer most of the care in long-term care surroundings, is found in agencies and homes that offer community- and home-based care. Presently, 91% of long-term homes lack sufficient number of workers for basic care. Good Samaritan Hospital has pooled its financial resources to ensure that the homes have abundant number of workforce. Having beds in excess of 250 means that the hospital can handle even more outpatients. It recognizes that having a long-term home is not as important as availing all the essential services that go with it.
Interventions practiced by site
Whereas it offers the services in New York, Good Samaritan Hospital acknowledges that the modern economy is couple with busy schedules. Consequently, relatives do not have sufficient time to move around physically looking for long-term care facilities. Typically, patients requiring long-term services are unable to look for the facilities themselves. Most residents use the internet to seek medical services such as physicians, long-term care homes, where to get specific services and other medical information. Getting a long-term home is among the tabs the hospital has integrated on its website. The hospital uses the website to direct potential clients to its various facilities.
Long-term care patients require quality care. This means assisting individuals of all ages meet their medical needs or day by day activities over long durations. The care can be offered in the community, at home, or in various facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals. Nursing homes provide care to patients who cannot be tended to in the community or at home. These homes offer skilled nursing care, meals, rehabilitation services, supervision, daily living and activities. Long-term patients require information beforehand prior to entering a nursing home or hospital. By providing the prospective client with the kind of care available in a hospital, patients and relatives are able to make informed decisions in choosing the facility. Good Samaritan Hospital does not provide this intervention on the site.
Why site is not practicing the interventions
The development of tools for measuring care outcomes by nursing homes is an important aspect for the provision of health care in long-term care facilities. These instruments help gauge quality of care. However, the anticipated outcomes are not themselves clear. It is still unclear what quality care is – rehabilitation, restoration, prevention of decline or maintenance of function? Until what comprise quality care is clear, it is challenging to investigate whether the gauging tools are adequate. In addition, there does not exist means by which quality care can be evaluated across numerous long-term care settings.
References
Buchan James & Mario DalPoz. “Skill Mix in the Health Care Workforce: Reviewing the Evidence.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 80.7 (2002): 575–580. Print.
Cooper, Jak et al. “Health Outcomes: New Quality Measure for Medicare.” International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 13 (2001): 9–16. Print.
Geron, Sam et al. “The Home Care Satisfaction Measure: A Client-Centered Approach to Assessing the Satisfaction of Frail Older Adults with Home Care Services.” Journal of Gerontology, 55B (2000): S259–S270. Print.
Kozol, George. “The Long-Term Care Conundrum.” Journal of Financial Service Professionals (2013): 30-35. Print.
Petch, Jeremy, Mike Tierney & Greta Cummings. “Improving Quality of Canada’s Nursing Homes Requires “More Staff, More Training.” Healthydeabate. CreativeCommons. 2013. Web.
Statuto, Rich. “Good Samaritan Hospital Unveils Plan for Major Expansion.” Hudson Valley Business Journal (2011): 19-20. Print.