Healthy Aging Research
Open Access

Long-Term Care: Types and its Services

Seyedeh Reyhane Davodi^{* *}Correspondence: Seyedeh Reyhane Davodi, Department of Community Health of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, Email:

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Description

Long-term care refers to a range of services that can assist those who have a chronic illness or disability and can't take care of themselves for an extended period of time with both their medical and non-medical requirements. Long-term care is centred on providing patients with tailored, well-coordinated services that support their freedom, maximize their quality of life, and continuously satisfy their needs.

Long-term care frequently offers custodial and non-skilled care, including assistance with dressing, feeding, using the restroom, preparing meals, functional transfers, and safe restroom usage. In order to manage the numerous long-term problems associated with older populations, long-term care increasingly entails delivering a degree of medical care that necessitates the knowledge of experienced practitioners.

Long-term care can be given at home, in the community, in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Any age group may require long-term care, although seniors are more likely to require it.

Types of long-term care

Both legally and informally managed long-term care are available. People, who require 24/7 supervised care, including professional health services, personal care, and services like meals, laundry, and housekeeping, are often accommodated in facilities that offer official LTC services. These establishments, which may also be referred to as nursing homes, personal care facilities, residential continuing care facilities, etc., are run by various service providers.

Although the US government has been urged by the long-term care sector not to combine health, personal care, and services into one enormous facility, it still approves that as the main way to spend tax dollars. Supported housing, which may still make use of older housing complexes or structures or may have been a part of new federal-state efforts, is one area where success has been greater. Home health care, commonly referred to as longterm care, can include a variety of clinical services as well as extracurricular activities like building. Typically, a doctor or other professional will request these services. Some of the costs of these services might be covered by health insurance or long-term care insurance, depending on the nation and the structure of the health and social care system.

Long-term services and supports

Long-term services and supports is the contemporary term for community services, which may or may not be run by the conventional hospital-medical system and may or may not acquire health care finance.

While hospitals offer acute care, the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities, which collaborates with the US Congress, has stated that various non-acute, long-term services are offered to help people live and participate in the community. One illustration is the group home, a global symbol of deinstitutionalization and communal living, as well as a range of social services and educational support.

Interventions to stop delirium in senior citizens: Delirium in elderly people receiving long-term care may be decreased by software-based interventions that detect drugs that may increase the risk of delirium and advise a pharmacist to evaluate a patient's prescription regimen. The advantages of hydration reminders, risk factor education, and care facility options for delirium reduction are still unknown.

Physical rehabilitation for older people in long-term care: Physical therapy helps stop residents of care homes from getting sicker and having trouble with daily tasks. According to the most recent research, participating in various forms of physical rehabilitation can enhance physical health by enhancing daily living skills, strength, flexibility, balance, mood, memory, and exercise tolerance, as well as reducing risk of injuries, death, and fear of falling. It might reduce handicap while being safe and beneficial in enhancing physical and potentially mental health.

According to the available research, physical therapy may help long-term care residents reduce impairment with few side effects. However, the evidence is insufficient to determine if the positive outcomes are cost and sustainably-effective. The conclusions are supported by evidence of average quality.