Long-Term Care for the Elderly

Long-term care for the elderly
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Long-term care for the elderly
Why family members send their parents to long-term care: family members often send their elderly parents to long-term care facilities because their elderly parents have severe cognitive and functional limitations and they need around-the-clock assistance in an institutional setting (Elmendorf, 2013). Moreover, the elderly parent has reduced capacity to live independently because of cognitive impairment and/or failing health (Sullivan & Asselin, 2013).
Pros and cons of long-term care systems: the advantages/pros of long-term care systems is that they provide essential assistance to the elderly who find it difficult to perform one or more activities of daily living (ADLs) for instance using the toilet, eating, walking, getting dressed, transferring out of a chair or bed, and bathing (Punelli, 2012). They are also assisted to perform instrumental activities of daily living (AIDLs) such as using the telephone, shopping, preparing meals, taking medicines, and managing money (Punelli, 2012). Besides functional limitations, the elderly might also have cognitive limitations like confusion and memory loss and need assistance to perform various activities which they find difficulty in performing and which could be adequately provided to them in a long-term care facility. These long-term care facilities are capable of providing the necessary support and care to them.
However, the cons/disadvantage is that long-term care systems are costly. It is notable that the cost of institutional care could result in catastrophic impact on the finances of the elderly person (Elmendorf, 2013). The other limitation is that in a long-term care environment, there is less autonomy and choice, and daily activities and events could become part of an unchanging schedule that can result in monotony (Sullivan & Asselin, 2013). Moreover, the elderly in lon...