Long Term Care
Long-term care (LTC) is of much significance in the health care system. There are several services offered under the LTC program. These services are categorized into medical and non-medical. The program focuses on people with a disability as well as people suffering from chronic illness. Such people cannot take care of themselves especially when they become elderly. The medical section of LTC provides patients with special medical care. Expert practitioners are involved in the program to ensure that the patients get the best services. Chronic conditions are monitored to ensure that elderly people have quality medical services. These include food or liquid intake, blood pressure, and so forth. Services like drug therapy, physical therapy, nursing, and counseling are provided. Relative to non-medical care, LTC provides non-skilled and custodial care which mainly includes assisting in the regular daily tasks such as feeding, bathing, dressing, use of bathrooms and toilets to the older population. LTC is provided in homes, communities, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. The most common LTC service is an adult daycare, which is offered in a different environment. LTC is primarily concerned with the continued enhancement of the patient’s capability to operate independently as long as possible. LTC creates a comfortable physical and social environment that enhances the independence of the patient and improves the quality of life. LTC provides the best services to meet and satisfy patients’ expectations as well as those of the family and friends at large.
Amongst the health problems and disabilities affecting the elderly population, mental illness is the largest cause. Therefore, policies relating to mental health are crucial and need to be emphasized. These policies should empower the voice of patients as well as service users. In this respect, there are alternative mental health policies adopted to ensure the vision for the mental health of the people is maintained. These policies specify the framework to be developed to manage and prevent mental disorders. Whenever these policies are conceptualized, they can promote coordination of essential services to facilitate care and treatment as well as to prevent inefficiencies and fragmentation of health care. A recent policy, mental health parity is utilized to improve the situation (Williams, and Torrens, pp. 182-219).
Hospitals have played a big role in the health care of patients from ancient times. Hospitals have important roles based on the following dimensions, patient outcome, patient satisfaction, patient efficiency, and patient safety. However, these roles are either positive or negative based on their results. Hospitals have successfully enhanced patient safety by minimizing infection risks and medical errors. There is a high risk of contracting infections in hospitals on patients and staff. Hospitals have a role to curb these infections. The hospital has a role to provide a conducive environment that ensures patients’ well-being. Noise pollution affects patient outcomes negatively and staff performance, as well. Inpatient satisfaction rule, hospitals provide support aspects to enhance patient satisfaction. These include positive distractions and involvement of the family. Positive distraction helps to improve patient outcomes by improving their mood. On the contrary, negative distractions can be harmful. Hospitals also have a role to ensure patient efficiency. Today, most hospitals have designed a better system, which is clear with easily understandable signs and improved their verbal directions. This ensures easy navigation to patients and staff at large (Williams, and Torrens, pp. 182-219).
Reference
Williams, Stephen J, and Paul R. Torrens. Introduction to Health Services. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2008. Print.