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.

Long-Term Care Medicine: A Pocket Guide lessens the uncertainty involved in caring for patients in a long-term care facility. This practical pocket guide is divided into four sections: Introduction, Common Clinical Conditions, Psychosocial Aspects, and Special Issues in Long-Term Care. The chapters address all the varied components of the LTC system as well as how to take care of the patients and residents living within it. The contributors to this easy-to-read guide are passionate about LTC and many have worked within the American Medical Directors Association to create and disseminate a knowledge base for practitioners. Long-Term Care Medicine: A Pocket Guide is an invaluable resource for clinicians, practitioners, and educators who are seeking to optimize the care and living experience of residents in LTC by providing resident-centered care as well as resident choice, well-being, dignity, and an improved quality of life.

Malnutrition and obesity are both common among Americans over age 65. There are also a host of other medical conditions from which older people and other Medicare beneficiaries suffer that could be improved with appropriate nutritional intervention. Despite that, access to a nutrition professional is very limited. Do nutrition services benefit older people in terms of morbidity, mortality, or quality of life? Which health professionals are best qualified to provide such services? What would be the cost to Medicare of such services? Would the cost be offset by reduced illness in this population? This book addresses these questions, provides recommendations for nutrition services for the elderly, and considers how the coverage policy should be approached and practiced. The book discusses the role of nutrition therapy in the management of a number of diseases. It also examines what the elderly receive in the way of nutrition services along the continuum of care settings and addresses the areas of expertise needed by health professionals to provide appropriate nutrition services and therapy.

This book addresses current issues surrounding hospital admissions and readmissions and the practice of post-acute and long-term care (LTC). Now in its fully revised and expanded third edition, it contains the most up-to-date knowledge and regulations pertinent to practice in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Post-Acute and Long-Term Medicine is divided into four main sections. The first section is an introduction to long-term care. It includes chapters on home health care, assisted living and residential care, department of veteran affairs and nursing facilities, among others. The second section focuses on clinical medicine in post-acute and long-term care and contains chapters on common clinical conditions, preventing hospital admissions and readmissions, palliative care, weight and nutrition and wound care. The third section details psychosocial aspects of post-acute and long-term care. Chapters in this section describe dementia, delirium, depression, ethical and legal issues and caring for families. The fourth and final section centers on special issues in post-acute and long-term care. This section focuses on documentation and coding, medication management and rehabilitation and maximizing function. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to two very important new chapters in this section. One chapter discusses challenges and opportunities in post-acute long-term care that have arisen during the pandemic. Another new chapter talks about the importance of virtual care and telemedicine in post-acute and long-term care amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. Written by experts in the field, many of whom have worked within AMDA – The Society for Post-acute and Long-term Care Medicine - to create and disseminate a knowledge base for post-acute and LTC, this is a valuable resource for clinicians and educators seeking to maximize the care and living experience of residents in post-acute and long-term care settings.

This book addresses current issues surrounding hospital readmissions and the practice of post-acute and long-term care (LTC). Thoroughly updated, the Second Edition of this practical pocket guide presents new regulations governing these services and lessens the uncertainty involved in caring for patients in a long-term care facility. The book is divided into four sections that cover: types of care, which include community care, nursing facility care, and teamwork; clinical medicine, with suggested approaches to common conditions and wound care; psychosocial aspects of care, which include ethical and legal issues and caring for families; and special issues, with chapters on documentation, coding, and medication management. As community-based care is an area of rapid growth where the elderly are increasingly seeking their medical care, new chapters have also been added that describe these programs. Written by expert contributors, many of whom have worked within the American Medical Directors Association to create and disseminate a knowledge base for post-acute and LTC, this is a valuable resource for clinicians and educators seeking to maximize the care and living experience of residents in post-acute and long-term care settings.

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.