Among the issues confronting America is long-term care for frail, older persons and others with chronic conditions and functional limitations that limit their ability to care for themselves. Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care takes a comprehensive look at the quality of care and quality of life in long-term care, including nursing homes, home health agencies, residential care facilities, family members and a variety of others. This book describes the current state of long-term care, identifying problem areas and offering recommendations for federal and state policymakers. Who uses long-term care? How have the characteristics of this population changed over time? What paths do people follow in long term care? The committee provides the latest information on these and other key questions. This book explores strengths and limitations of available data and research literature especially for settings other than nursing homes, on methods to measure, oversee, and improve the quality of long-term care. The committee makes recommendations on setting and enforcing standards of care, strengthening the caregiving workforce, reimbursement issues, and expanding the knowledge base to guide organizational and individual caregivers in improving the quality of care.

At least 5.6 million to 8 million-nearly one in five-older adults in America have one or more mental health and substance use conditions, which present unique challenges for their care. With the number of adults age 65 and older projected to soar from 40.3 million in 2010 to 72.1 million by 2030, the aging of America holds profound consequences for the nation. For decades, policymakers have been warned that the nation's health care workforce is ill-equipped to care for a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population. In the specific disciplines of mental health and substance use, there have been similar warnings about serious workforce shortages, insufficient workforce diversity, and lack of basic competence and core knowledge in key areas. Following its 2008 report highlighting the urgency of expanding and strengthening the geriatric health care workforce, the IOM was asked by the Department of Health and Human Services to undertake a complementary study on the geriatric mental health and substance use workforce. The Mental Health and Substance Use Workforce for Older Adults: In Whose Hands? assesses the needs of this population and the workforce that serves it. The breadth and magnitude of inadequate workforce training and personnel shortages have grown to such proportions, says the committee, that no single approach, nor a few isolated changes in disparate federal agencies or programs, can adequately address the issue. Overcoming these challenges will require focused and coordinated action by all.

As more people live longer, the need for quality long-term care for the elderly will increase dramatically. This volume examines the current system of nursing home regulations, and proposes an overhaul to better provide for those confined to such facilities. It determines the need for regulations, and concludes that the present regulatory system is inadequate, stating that what is needed is not more regulation, but better regulation. This long-anticipated study provides a wealth of useful background information, in-depth study, and discussion for nursing home administrators, students, and teachers in the health care field; professionals involved in caring for the elderly; and geriatric specialists.

There have always been homeless people in the United States, but their plight has only recently stirred widespread public reaction and concern. Part of this new recognition stems from the problem's prevalence: the number of homeless individuals, while hard to pin down exactly, is rising. In light of this, Congress asked the Institute of Medicine to find out whether existing health care programs were ignoring the homeless or delivering care to them inefficiently. This book is the report prepared by a committee of experts who examined these problems through visits to city slums and impoverished rural areas, and through an analysis of papers written by leading scholars in the field.

This timely reference provides a comprehensive overview of geropsychiatric nursing focusing on the mental health problems, needs, and special care of clients age 65 and older. While presenting an essential theoretical base, the book also emphasizes wellness and focuses on assessment and intervention strategies needed by nurses who care for older adults with mental disorders in acute care, home, and long-term care settings.

The shifting demographic toward a "graying" population -- coupled with today's reality of managed care -- makes the need for high-quality, cost-effective psychiatric services within the nursing care setting more urgent than ever. As we increase the number of our years, it is also imperative that we enhance the quality of those years. The product of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) Council on Aging and its Committee on Long-Term Care and of the Elderly, the Manual of Nursing Home Practice for Psychiatrists stands out because it focuses on the "how" -- not the "why" -- of nursing home care. Of exceptional importance is its detailed discussion of the Minimum Data Set (MDS), a structured assessment required by both Medicare and Medicaid for all residents of skilled nursing facilities. Divided into six sections, this "how to" volume contains practical information readers can use right away, from getting reimbursed by insurance companies to handling nursing facility politics: Clinical -- History; evaluation and management of psychiatric problems in long-term care patients; an overview of the MDS; sexuality within the nursing home care setting Regulatory -- Introduction to the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 (part of OBRA-87) and its implications for psychiatric care; details about the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI), which includes the MDS, the Resident Assessment Protocols (RAPs), and Utilization Guides specified in the State Operations Manual (SOP) Financial -- Documentation, reimbursement, and coding; what to look for when contracting with nursing homes Legal and ethical -- The dehumanizing effect of diagnostic labels and the ethical issues inherent in regulating daily schedules (e.g., bed, meal, and bath times); nursing home placement; competence and decision-making ability; comfort care for end-stage dementia; coping with Alzheimer's disease; and the role of caregivers Summary and Future Perspectives -- A detailed vision about how psychiatrists can improve the diagnosis and treatment of nursing home patients Appendixes and bibliography -- Staffing recommendations and assessment instruments Edited by a distinguished authority and former chair of the APA's Committee on Long-Term Care and Treatment of the Elderly, this comprehensive volume will appeal to a wide audience of professionals: from general psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists, to primary care physicians and residents.